Teaching clinical practical and communication skills of the clinical skills lab of the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Germany during the COVID-19 pandemic

Teaching clinical hematology and leukocyte differentiation in veterinary medicine using virtual patients

Due to contact restrictions imposed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we created a novel digital course on the Moodle learning platform for winter term in 2020. In the clinical pathology course (CPC) with hematological content, third-year students were able to work independently on 10 extra digital cases of internal medicine involving eight different animal species as a compensation for the reduction in traditional microscopy exercises. Each case presented was initiated using an anamnesis, also the participants to generate a differential blood count based on digitized leukocytes, previously been photographed using a microscope camera. The cases were successive and increased in complexity, for example through the increase in the number of different cell types to be differentiated. The participants had the opportunity to evaluate the course through a final module to rate user-friendliness and acceptance. The total results of the participants in 2021 were analyzed descriptively, focusing on success rates, time spent on the tasks, and number of attempts. A total of 237 (= 96%) of 247 students completed all cases, each assessing 1033 photographed blood cells in sum. The mean processing time was 22.48 min for a differentiation and the students spent an average of 1.48 attempts on it. A voluntary feedback form was completed by 192 (= 78%) students, with more than 95% rating the course positively in 12 evaluation questions, and 29 of 33 comments (= 87.88%) providing positive statements in a comment box. Suggestions for improvement primarily included more explanations on erythrocyte morphologies, followed by adjusting the difficulty level and improving the presentational set-up. Slight improvements in results, time spent on processing the tasks, and the number of attempts indicated an achievement of routine and confidence during the course and were associated with an increase of competency. The positive feedback showed a high acceptance of the digital format and students evaluated the course as improving the quality of teaching when combined with practical exercises.

Impact of COVID-19 on student attainment and pedagogical needs when undertaking independent scientific research

Research is often an essential component of completing a veterinary medicine degree, with universities worldwide aiming to teach students a variety of techniques and general research comprehension and skills. As universities worldwide navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, it was often necessary to move towards distance learning, this was employed for the research module at The University of Nottingham, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science. Following completion of their independent research project, each student cohort was sent a student evaluation of the module questionnaire and quantitative and qualitative analysis was undertaken. In addition, assessment outcomes based on dissertation grade, supervisor grade and overall module score were analysed quantitatively. This was conducted on both the individual cohorts and between the pre- and peri-pandemic groups, ranging from 2017-2018 through to 2021-2022 cohorts. The students received increased dissertation and supervisor grades (by nearly 6%) during the 2021-2022 peri-pandemic cohort, when compared to the pre-pandemic cohorts, but did differ significantly compared to the 2020-2021 cohort. The pre- and peri-pandemic Likert-scale ratings for module organisation and assessment criteria were similar, workload management and the ability to explore concepts and ideas was reduced in the peri-pandemic cohorts, whereas the accessibility to resources was increased in the peri-pandemic students compared to those taught prior to the pandemic. Student feedback can provide essential information when designing and managing research projects and when compared to assessment grades it can help us understand attainment, essential information when providing a quality university level education whilst supporting student welfare following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Acceptance and Use of an E-Learning Platform

E-learning has become an increasingly important part of higher education and is currently used both for distance education and as a complement to teaching on the campus. In this study, we investigated the acceptance of the e-learning platform (ELP) ClinicalKey Student (ELSEVIER©) among first-year medical students. Furthermore, we asked whether acceptance (i.e., digital activities) and user behavior changed during the COVID-19 lockdown. Two first-year medical student study cohorts were followed: one cohort during the COVID-19 lockdown and another cohort one year before the lockdown. Different parameters, such as online versus offline studying, daily activities or users versus nonusers, were recorded and evaluated. Additional surveys were conducted to understand why the students used the ELP. In the non-pandemic cohort, 68 out of 251 enrolled students registered in the ELP, while the number of registered students significantly increased during the COVID-19 lockdown (201 out of 255 enrolled 2nd semester students). The increase in registered users was paralleled by an increase in daily activities normalized per user and day. Despite this increase in ELP activities, the relative distribution of different user types (i.e., online versus offline users) did not change. To conclude, this study demonstrates that the COVID-19 lockdown increases the receptivity of medical students to an ELP, but the way the students work with the ELP remains unchanged.