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Table 2 Summary of the included studies for student perception

From: A systematic review of health sciences students’ online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

Study

Intervention (what used, who involved)

Assessment tool

Comparison

Study design

Findings

Kirkpatrick

Al-Balas et al. (2020) [33]

OL; UG medical students from all medical universities in Jordan

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 652) Cross-sectional study

55.9% agreed that OL had many advantages, such as interaction between learners and instructors, 62.1% agreed that there was poor interaction between learners and instructors, 48.3% reported low quality of teaching and 69.1% reported internet problem

1

Alqurshi (2020) [34]

OL; UG pharmacy students from institutions in Saudi Arabia

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 703) Cross-sectional study

More than 20% were having problems with an internet connection, 35% agreed that student-instructor interaction was very limited. 35% agreed that it was harder for them to concentrate in OL, 35% of the students reported having problems gaining knowledge and laboratory skills

1

Alsoufi et al. (2020) [35]

OL; UG medical students from all medical universities in Libyan

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 3348) Cross-sectional study

54.1% believed that interactive discussion can be achieved via OL. 21.1% agreed that OL could be applied in clinical training, while 54.8% disagreed with the statement, 24% were neutral

1

Amir et al. (2020) [36]

OL; UG dental students from Dentistry faculty in Indonesia

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 301) Cross-sectional study

52.6% agreed OL provides a more proactive learning method, 87.6% provide more time to study, and 87.3% agreed that OL gives them more time to review their study material.

1

Anwar et al. (2021) [37]

OL; UG medical and dental students from CMH Lahore Medical College

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 283) Cross-sectional study

38.2% believed that OL provided flexibility. 31.4% believed that OL saved time. 33.2% disagreed that OL improved communication between students and lecturers. 79% of students agreed that they had access to technological equipment, while 83.8% felt that OL is appropriate during pandemic

1

BÄ…czek et al. (2021) [38]

OL; UG medical students from Polish

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 804) Cross-sectional study

69% like OL due to ability to stay at home, 69% agreed that they had continuous access to OL material and 64% agreed that OL provides the opportunity to self-study. 54% reported having technical problem, and 70% believed that there was less interaction between medical students and patients

1

Chandrasinghe et al. (2020) [39]

OL; UG medical students from Sri Lanka

Online questionnaire

Traditional discussion

(N = 1047) Cross-sectional study

87% agreed that they gained many advantages. 83.4% agreed that OL helped in their clinical practices, and 79.3% believed that OL helped them build interest in clinical medicine. -31% complained about having internet problems, 25% having problems joining the OL

1

Co et al. (2021) [26]

OL; UG medical students in Hong Kong university

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 62) Case–control study

Obstacles—lack of f2f interaction, internet connectivity, and different time zone (overseas students). Benefits includes able to demonstrate the skill easily,

3

Coffey et al. (2020) [40]

OL; UG medical students from the School of Medicine at UC San Diego

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 132) Cross-sectional study

Most students had good internet connectivity, only 11% reported internet problem. Students reported flexibility in OL and increase engagement. Barrier includesdifficulties in time management, lacking clinical experience and anxiety

1

De Ponti et al. (2020) [41]

OL; UG medical students from the University of Insubria

Online questionnaire

Traditional training

(N = 115) Cross-sectional study

77% agreed that OL was very effective in the clinical assessment, 94% agreed it could be used in diagnosis, and 81% agreed that it could be used in treatment management. 28% believed that OL is quite difficult to implement due to technical issues

1

Dost et al. (2020) [42]

OL; UG medical students from 39 medical schools in the United Kingdom

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 2721) Cross-sectional study

19.82% agreed it could save time, 19.52% agreed it provided flexibility, 14.24% agreed it could save some costs. Disadvantages include family distraction (26.76%), internet connectivity problems (21.53%), anxiety (17.31%) and lack of space (11.03%)

1

Elsalem et al. (2021) [43]

OL; UG students from Jordan University of Science and Technology

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 730) Cross-sectional study

68.22% preferred f2f exam, 1/3 preferred online exam. 49.86% agreed that more hard work and time were required in preparation for the online exam. 62.33% reported they did not achieve their objectives in their study

1

Jaap et al. (2021) [29]

OL; UG medical students from UK medical school

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 447) Cross-sectional study

18.5% had problems finding a good environment to sit for their exam, and 84% had very good internet connection. 51.3% reported feeling anxious before the exam because they were afraid about their internet connection issues

2

Guiter et al. (2021) [44]

OL; UG medical students from Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 29) Cross-sectional study

Students felt that OL provides easier ability to communicate, which leads them to engage more easily. The environment at home is more relaxing and saves time. Barrier- internet connectivity problems

1

Gupta et al. (2021) [45]

OL; UG medical students from the Delhi-NCR region

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 248) Cross-sectional study

41.2% agreed that OL could provide flexibility in time and place. Few challenges include 35.9% internet connectivity problem, 29.8% reduce interaction, 27.1% problem with the sound and lack of clinical skills

1

Ibrahim et al. (2021) [46]

OL; UG medical students from King Abdul Aziz University

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 340) Cross-sectional study

59.7% agreed that OL could replace f2f. 59.2% also feel like OL was less time-consuming than f2f teaching.74.6% agreed that interaction during OL was present between instructors and students, and 54.1% of students agreed that the OL could make them felt motivated. 84.2% agreed OL would affect their clinical skill. 72.1% agreed that their exams could be affected due to internet connectivity problems. 57% agreed that there are limited resources, 32.2% agreed they had technology problem

1

Jiménez-Rodríguez et al. (2020) [47]

OL; UG nursing students from University in Almeria—Spain

Online questionnaire

Traditional practical

(N = 93) Cross-sectional study

Students rated 100% in practical utility, 49.4% agreed they had improved their technical skills, and 63.43% agreed that this helps them in their clinical practices

3

Khalil et al. (2020) [19]

OL; UG medical students from Unaizah College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Saudi Arabia

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 60) Qualitative study

OL has many benefits, such as saving time, flexibility but in practicing those techniques, some of them also encountered many disadvantages such as internet connectivity, behavioral challenges, and communication problems

1

Khan et al. (2021) [21]

OL; UG medical students from North India

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 103) Mixed study

Students reported that the OL was very enjoyable, engaging, and motivated them to learn. The disadvantage was lacking practical skill classes, technical issues such as internet connectivity, lack of interaction, and hard to learn how to adapt to the new online stuff

1

Kim et al. (2020) [48]

OL; UG medical students from Seoul National University

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 456) Cross-sectional study

OL vs offline: 63% vs 29%. 75% preferred recorded video to live online (11.3%)

1

Kumar et al. (2020) [49]

OL; UG medical students from Medical School in Arabian

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

Cross-sectional study

96% agreed that the online communication was very clear, 85% can maintain the online interactivity, and 92% were interested in continuing with the OL even after the pandemic. 74% of the students agreed that all the software is very user-friendly. few problems mentioned by students, which include limited interaction and clinical training problems

1

LangegĂĄrd et al. (2021) [22]

OL; UG nursing students from Gothenburg University

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 132) Cross-sectional study

18% reported having technical difficulties with OL. 2/3 students reported having communication problem,. The students reported OL impacts their motivation in learning. More than 50% reported having problem with their study discipline (hard for them to track everything, especially when they are at home)

1

Mahdy (2020) [50]

OL; UG veterinary students from 92 different countries

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 1392) Cross-sectional study

Scoring obtained for OL was 5.1 ± 2.4 while for OL practical was 3.6 ± 2.6. Benefits- more convenient and flexible, more time available and save time. Barriers—availability of learning devices, harder to teach in practical, shortness of time and the availability of internet for people who lives in a rural area

1

Martinez et al. (2020) [30]

OL; UG medical students from Florida Atlantic University

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 47) Cross-sectional study

Students felt that OL was relevant to their medical education. Students reported that these sessions helped them in their exam. They also agreed OL helped them increased interaction even though there were some technical problems

2

Menon et al. (2021) [51]

OL; UG medical students from college hospital in South India

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 370) Cross-sectional study

The OL barriers reported were connectivity problems, (44.8%) and lack of peer interaction

1

Merson et al. (2020) [52]

OL; UG equine science course

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 44) Cross-sectional study

Positive feedback on OL, but still, based on Bayesian inference for ANOVA, most of the undergraduates still prefer in-person lessons (P < 0.05)

1

Muflih et al. (2021) [53]

OL; UG health science students from Jordanian universities

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 1210) Cross-sectional study

66.8% agreed that OL made them felt comfortable communicating with their instructors and instructors, 62.6% agreed that the instructor responded quickly to their question. Barriers—75.1% agreed to lack of technical experience, 74.3% lack of experience on online tools, 57.4% lack of motivation, and 62.7% inability to networking

1

Olum et al. (2020)[27[

OL; UG medical and nursing students from Makerere University, Uganda

Online questionnaire

Blended learning

(N = 221) Cross-sectional study

Higher interaction (96.3%) in OL. However, 60% believed that they need to train themselves with the OL tools. Barriers -internet problems (93%), poor internet connectivity (84%), lack of OL skills (50%), and technical problems (35%)

1

Puljak et al. (2020) [54]

OL; UG health sciences students from 9 Croatia universities

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 2520) Cross-sectional study

48.5% agreed that they were equally motivated in OL compared to f2f, 43.4% felt connected with each other. Most students prefer to combine f2f and OL in the future

1

Rajab et al. (2020) [55]

OL; UG medical students

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 139) Cross-sectional study

59% had communication problems, 57.5% had problems in assessment, 35.5% stated learning curve, 48% reported anxiety and stress, 17% were technophobia,

1

Sandhaus et al. (2020) [56]

OL; UG medical students from Adelson School of Medicine

Online questionnaire and telephone interview

Traditional learning

(N = 70) Cross-sectional study

quality of teaching was rated high at 85.7%, training and technical assistance were rated high at 87.2%. Barriers -61.5% reported having technical difficulties during OL

1

Sawarkar et al. (2020) [28]

OL; UG medical students from Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery

Online questionnaire

Blended learning

(N = 189) Cross-sectional study

58.9% supported OL, while 33.9% were neutral. Few challenges include misconceptions, language barriers, and problem with terminologies. 54% agreed that OL engagement, increase motivation, and build their interest. However, only 37.6% supported OL

1

Schoenfeld-Tacher & Dorman (2021) [31]

OL; UG veterinary students from North Carolina State University

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 103) Cross-sectional study

Students (52.6%) agreed that the OL performs almost the same with f2f, 15.8% thought OL was better. Benefits, include increased motivation and flexibility of time and place. Challenges include internet problem and lack of instructor-student interaction

2

Shahrvini et al. (2021) [57]

OL; UG medical students from the University of California San Diego

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 268) Cross-sectional study

64.4% stated OL gave flexibility, 18% felt OL may cause digital fatigue, inability to focus and disengagement, 50.8% felt problems in obtaining clinical skills, and 16.7% reported feeling of loneliness

1

Sindiani et al. (2020) [58]

OL; UG medical student from Jordan university

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 3700) Cross-sectional study

48.7% felt less interaction with the instructors. Benefits include saving money and energy in terms of transportation (48.7%) and less social contact thus reduced virus spreading (58.3%). Barriers include no interaction with lecturers (45.6%), technical problems (57.7%), no clinical practices (43.9%) and distraction at home (36.4%)

1

Suliman et al. (2021) [20]

OL; UG nursing students from 2 universities at Jordan

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 18) Qualitative study

Students expressed worries. More time required to adapt to OL. Distraction at home was a major problem, financial burdens, lack of interaction and lack of clinical skills were mentioned. Benefits include watching the recorded lecture repeatedly, spending more time with their families, saving time, and feeling more relaxed

1

Tigaa & Sonawane (2020) [59]

OL; UG health sciences students at St. Cloud USA and College in Dhule in India

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 150) Cross-sectional study

49% students from Dhule and 63% students from St. Cloud had problems with internet connectivity. 15% from Dhule and 57% from St. Cloud did not have enough electric supply to continue OL

1

Tuma et al. (2021) [60]

OL; UG medical students from Wasit University College of Medicine in Iraq

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 636) Cross-sectional study

67% felt OL was difficult. 27% reported that OL met their expectations, while 67% reported not being interested and fatigued while participating in OL. Barrier- poor internet connection, unfamiliar with the OL platform, and audio-visual media quality

1

Wang et al. (2021) [61]

OL; UG dental students from 42 dental universities in mainland China

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

(N = 8740) Cross-sectional study

66% agreed on increased interaction with lecturers, 88% agreed on the OL homework, 92% agreed on the OL material and 92% agreed on the effective time management. Barriers include network instability (62%), platform instability (33%), lack of learning motivation (72%), insufficient online learning ability (31%), lack of leaners-instructors interaction (59%) and others (8%)

1

Yoo et al. (2021) [62]

OL; UG medical students from Korea University College of Medicine

Online questionnaire

Traditional learning

N = 108 (2020)

N = 104 (2019) Cross-sectional study

Most (89.5%) agreed that OL saved more time. 75% used that free time for self-study. Students (76.3%) repeatedly watched the recorded video. 60.5% stated that they had more available time. Barriers include internet problem (61.9%), and communication problems (50%)

1

  1. N Number of students, OL Online Learning, UG Undergraduate, f2f face-to-face