Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.21860/medflum2023_292450
The Evaluation of the Self-Reported Level of Digital Literacy of Medical Students in Rijeka Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic
Maja Mrak
orcid.org/0000-0001-7175-6399
; Sveučilište u Rijeci, Medicinski fakultet, Rijeka, Hrvatska
Sara Belčić
orcid.org/0000-0002-7365-3016
; Sveučilište u Rijeci, Medicinski fakultet, Rijeka, Hrvatska
Bernarda Mrak
orcid.org/0000-0002-6556-8057
; Sveučilište u Rijeci, Medicinski fakultet, Katedra za društvene i humanističke znanosti u medicini, Rijeka, Hrvatska
Bernard Mrak
; Klinički bolnički centar Rijeka, Klinika za oftalmologiju, Rijeka, Hrvatska
Martina Mavrinac
orcid.org/0000-0002-6424-2573
; Sveučilište u Rijeci, Medicinski fakultet, Katedra za medicinsku informatiku, Rijeka, Hrvatska
Abstract
Aim: To determine the level of digital literacy (DL) before and during the pandemic and determine whether volunteering at the COVID Hospital Center affected DL. Subjects and methods: The study was conducted on 150 clinical year students of the Integrated undergraduate and graduate University Study of Medicine in the academic year 2020/2021 at the University of Rijeka. The study included 114 female and 35 male participants, 22 to 28 years old (a median of 24). Fifty-six students volunteered during online/hybrid teaching in the COVID hospital or/and COVID Call Center. Students anonymously and voluntarily completed an online questionnaire. Results: The respondents reported the level of their DL before the pandemic as 3.81 (SD=0.89) and during the pandemics 4.07 (SD=0.84). Respondents predominantly considered that new teaching methods did not affect their DL level. T-test confirmed that in comparison to the pre-pandemic period, during the pandemics, students observed an improvement in their DL levels (P>0.05). When divided into groups of volunteer and non-volunteer students, there is statistical significance in the improvement of DL in students who volunteered during the pandemics (P=0.038), while in the group of non-volunteer students, there wasn’t significant change (P=0.06). Conclusion: The results of the conducted study revealed a rise in the levels of self-evaluated DL, but students don’t connect it with new online teaching methods. On the other hand, there’s a significant rise in DL levels in the student group that volunteered during the pandemics instead of those who didn’t volunteer.
Keywords
COVID-19; education, distance; literacy; students, medical
Hrčak ID:
292450
URI
Publication date:
1.3.2023.
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