Remote Learning of Biochemistry During the COVID-۱۹ Pandemic: The Case of Undergraduate Students

The COVID-۱۹ pandemic forced the implementation of global emergency measures based on social distancing; however, teaching remote classes demands virtual pedagogical strategies that are not traditionally used in the Colombian public education system. Currently, there is no data about the possible effects of remote and e-learning in basic sciences in our country. In this work, the perception of students about remote classes of biochemistry during the COVID-۱۹ pandemic was assessed. A virtual survey was applied to undergraduate students during two consecutive academic periods (۲۰۲۰-I and ۲۰۲۰-II), corresponding to the length of time that university students were confined in Colombia. The courses were taught synchronously online, and the recordings of classes were shared with the students throughout the semesters. The students were previously informed about the main objective of the survey, which was voluntarily and anonymously answered after taking the final exam. The results showed that students have an overall acceptance of remote learning, highlighting that virtual tools facilitated the understanding of the topics, increased assessment performance, and promoted self-learning. In addition, most students stated that they would like to continue biochemistry classes remotely. This pilot study suggests that remote learning is a very useful resource to strengthen the Colombian public education system in the post-pandemic time, which has general problems related to student desertion and failure due to economic problems.

کلیدواژه ها:

biochemistry ، COVID-۱۹ pandemic ، student perception ، remote classes ، Colombia