Online vs in person classes in medical school: how do they compare?
After 3 weeks of classes on the island, I’ve been thinking about how online vs in person classes compare in medical school. Here are some pros and cons I’ve noticed.
Tutorials are great in person
I’ve already had a few tutorials and much to my surprise, they are less stressful than the ones I did online in term 1. But there are several factors that contribute to this.
First off, tutorials take place in a large hall. There are at least 20 groups and each group has at its own table where we engage in discussion with the facilitator. When it’s your turn to present, you sit in the “presenter’s” seat next to the monitor that displays the histology or case study slides. As you can imagine, it gets loud with so many groups and it an be hard to hear each other. So if you’re not feeling comfortable with the material, there’s a good chance your group members won’t really notice when you present. And in person, it’s also easier to speak up and help your group members which doesn’t make you feel so on the spot. It eases some of the pressure to know everything. During online tutorials, it would be dead quiet as the speaker presented and no one would unmute until they had to speak.
Secondly, the groups are smaller. Last term, my group had 11 people and this term there are 8 people. This reduces some of the performance anxiety. Fewer people to “feel embarrassed” in front of. However, I have a good group so there’s really no need to feel that way. We try to support each other by chiming in if one member can’t answer the facilitator’s questions. Most groups are typically like this.
And of course, being familiar with the process definitely eases some of the stress which then makes the experience more enjoyable.
Anatomy lab is also enjoyable in person
I had my first in person anatomy lab this week and I was pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable the experience was. During lab, we can choose our own groups and I got lucky to have several of my group members from last term in the same session. We also had great facilitators who really knew what they were doing.
We rotated between 4 different cadaver stations and worked through the learning objectives at each. Since we’re currently in the Endocrine and Reproductive block, the emphasis was on pelvic anatomy. Seeing the cadavers and having knowledgable facilitators really helped drive home key concepts. It also helped that I worked through the anatomy practice questions over the weekend. Coming in somewhat prepared is important for getting the most out of labs and tutorials.
During online labs, the facilitators showed us the different parts of the cadaver on Zoom. The sessions were helpful but I usually didn’t pay attention. I preferred to get other work done. But being in person means I have to pay attention. And working through the objectives as a group rather than just listening to the facilitator definitely adds to the learning.
Interactive Multiple Choice Question (IMCQ) sessions are better online
Just like last term, the IMCQ sessions are 50 minutes long. I definitely appreciate these sessions and think they’re a smart and helpful resource put in place by my school. The professors cover several topics from the last few days of lectures. They poll a question, we choose a response, and then the professor explains both the correct and the incorrect options.
The questions and answers are posted after, which are great for practicing before the exam. But they don’t include the explanations so you have to pay attention during the session to make sure you’re understanding the main concepts.
However, there’s really no need for these to be in person. Especially since the IMCQs are late in the evening and it gets dark here at 6:30. For us to stay late or come back to campus for this 50 minute session is really pointless. And discussing the question with our friends really doesn’t make much of a difference. Most people tune into the IMCQ group chat anyway where students post what they think is the correct answer. Which it usually is. But in terms of online vs in person – the IMCQ sessions should definitely stay online.
Lectures are the same both online and in person
Whether online or in person, I still don’t find lectures particularly helpful so these experiences are the same to me. We’re in a large lecture hall so I sit towards the back and use lecture time to get through Anki reviews.
My opinion remains that attending lectures should be optional. Some people learn better in the classroom so I’m sure that in person classes vs online feel much better. But for those who learn better independently – in person classes feel like a strain on our already limited time. Time that, as medical students, we should have the autonomy to use how we see best.
So those are some of the differences I’ve noticed so far between online vs in person classes.
What style of learning do you prefer?
-M
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