By India Today Education Desk: A recent study conducted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, suggests that hybrid education is the way forward for medical education in India.
The study found that the structured virtual group discussion (sVGD) format is a more effective and interactive approach than conventional virtual learning. This innovation may act as a torchbearer for implementing small-group teaching for undergraduate and postgraduate students across specialties.
The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted traditional modes of learning across the globe, including medical education. The pandemic posed challenges in maintaining interactivity among students, especially in the context of medical education. As a result, innovative approaches had to be adopted to promote effective academic learning.
The sVGD approach is an innovative technique in medical education. It involved supervised and unsupervised interactions in a structured way leading to the active engagement of students. The students perceived sVGD as a more effective format compared to group discussion in a conventional virtual format.
The results of the AIIMS study were published in a reputed international journal of medical education and were awarded the best research paper for the development of newer techniques (Dev Raj Bajaj Award) by the Association of Physiologists and Pharmacologists in 2021.
The innovation was a consequence of published research on the perception of students regarding the effectiveness of virtual versus face-to-face teaching amidst Covid-19 conducted by Dr Simran Kaur, Dr Dinu S Chandran, Dr Megha Bir, and Professor KK Deepak at the Department of Physiology, AIIMS, New Delhi.
Dr Simran Kaur, the principal investigator of the study, stated that the novel approach in medical education may act as a torchbearer for implementing small-group teaching for undergraduate and postgraduate students across specialities.
HOD and Physiology Professor KP Kochhar, further added that hybrid education is the way forward in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education. The use of technology should be maximized to promote inclusivity of different learning styles and enhance functional outcomes in postgraduate medical education.
(With agency inputs)