Tunis Med. 2025 Mar 5;103(3):332-340. doi: 10.62438/tunismed.v103i3.5377.
ABSTRACT
AIMS: In Tunisia, during the Coronavirus Disease 19 pandemic, the transition to e-learning was brutal. The aim of this study was to assess undergraduate medical students (UMSs)’ perception of the e-learning experience at the Faculty of Medicine of Sousse, and to derive some determinants of its implementation.
METHODS: Eligible participants were all UMSs (n=1397). The data was collected from an email questionnaire distributed in January/March 2021. The questionnaire consisted of 89 items exploring three main parameters: institution role, students’ personal experience, and environment impact.
RESULTS: A total of 419 UMSs responded (30% response rate). Half of the UMSs described this transition as difficult, and three-quarters felt concerned about the credibility of their degrees. Logistical issues negatively affected the transition to e-learning, particularly those related to Internet speed. Understanding difficulty via the screen interface was reported by 40% of UMSs. ”Face-to-face” sessions were described as more conducive to assimilation by 64% of UMSs. As far as “information retrieval” is concerned, 83% of UMSs turned to social networks and adopted Wikipedia as a reference.
CONCLUSIONS: In Tunisia, as an example of North African country, the transition to exclusive e-learning has been largely impacted by the drawbacks of limited logistics. This study highlights the multiple facets to be considered in the future for the successful implementation of e-learning in medical education.
PMID:41712844 | DOI:10.62438/tunismed.v103i3.5377
