Comparison of faculty and student evaluations of the hybrid teaching of orthopedics during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background: In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and a country-wide lockdown, the University of the Philippines College of Medicine halted face-to-face teaching in exchange for online learning for its students. For the Learning Unit VI students, clinical rotations shifted to hybrid activities to continue learning activities while minimizing exposure risk. The Philippine General Hospital Department of Orthopedics introduced the following hybrid activities in its curriculum for Learning Unit VI students: 1) Online Lectures, 2) Online Departmental Conference, 3) Online Division Rounds, 4) Online SGDs, 5) Written Case, 6) Online Exams, 7) Preceptorship, Demo, Return Demo, and 8) Online OSCE. The department used a variety of platforms including synchronous sessions, asynchronous pre-recorded lectures, and face-to-face teaching, as appropriate.

Objectives: The study compared the faculty and student course evaluations of activities in the hybrid ORTHO 251 course.

Methodology: Faculty and students were asked to evaluate each activity according to the Course Evaluation By Students (CEBS), the standard questionnaire used by the college, to determine the overall rating of each activity as well as any differences between the two groups.

Results: The hybrid activities conducted in the ORTHO 251 course were rated as good or excellent by the faculty and students, with differences in a few activities. Consultants rated online exams as being less effectively integrated and that there was inadequate time allotment for online SGDs, written cases, and online exams. Meanwhile, students rated all activities higher in terms of stimulating self-directed learning.

Conclusion: With good to excellent outcomes, this study found that it has at least satisfactorily matched the learning platform to the learning component. While knowledge may be taught via asynchronous recorded lectures or reading materials, attitude and thinking processes are better formed through synchronous discussion. Skills in medical education, including Orthopedics, are still best taught via face-to-face demo- return demo. With this information, the department can investigate the causes of these differences and improve on the identified weaknesses.