Interdisciplinary Journal of Virtual Learning in Medical Sciences
Volume:13 Issue: 4, Dec 2022

The sudden adoption of e-learning as a quick alternative educational system to rescue education due to the widespread chaos to which educational institutions have been exposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic since 2020, while paying no attention to the readiness of educational institutions, learners, and instructors for these systems, led to the progress of the educational process; this happened while the two most important components of the educational process, namely the student and the instructor, suffered greatl. This study aimed to review e-learning readiness and maturity assessment models and identify the factors that affect e-learning readiness in higher education institutions.

This is a literature review of research findings empirically related to e-learning readiness and maturity; the papers related to e-learning readiness and maturity assessment were collected through various databases such as Springer Link, Google Scholar, Scopus, IEEE, and Elsevier, which were within the research scope of this study, from 1997 to 2023.

Models of e-learning readiness and maturity assessment as well as the factors and dimensions are varied according to the educational environment of the country or institution; in addition to the purpose and use, many factors are affecting e-learning readiness level in educational institutions including the technological, organizational, psychological, and financial dimensions in that the factors affecting readiness still significantly affect the level of maturity, especially in developing countries.

The process of assessing e-learning readiness and maturity is an important and essential issue for many stakeholders and an essential step for improving and managing the educational process today and in the future

Alexithymia and social adjustment are among the problems that transsexual students encounter. Teaching positive thinking skills has been considered as a therapeutic technique for social adjustment and behavioral issues in children and adolescents. Hence, this study was conducted aiming to determine if teaching positive thinking skills would contribute to improved social adjustment and alexithymia in transsexual students. The present study was semi-experimental in terms of research methods, and an applied one in terms of the research objective. It was performed as a pre-test, post-test study composed of two experimental and control groups for three months (From May to July 2021). The research population was made up of all transsexual secondary high school students referring to schools and education departments' counseling offices in Tehran. Out of the research overall population, a total of 30 students selected through convenient sampling composed the research sample. They were randomly divided into two experimental and control groups. The former received teaching in positivity as an intervention through Google Meet, whereas the latter received no intervention. The data collection tools for this study were Sinha & Singh's Adjustment Inventory for School Students (AISS) (1993), The Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) (1994), and the positive thinking skills framework by Seligman, Steen, Park, and Peterson (2005). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software version 23. The results displayed that teaching positive thinking skill was effective in social adjustment in transsexual students (P=0.002). Teaching positive thinking skills was also found to have a significant effect on alexithymia in students (P=0.007). Teaching positive thinking skills was shown to make a great contribution to transsexual students' social adjustment and alexithymia.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual teaching can be more complex, and teachers’ role in motivating students is more critical than before and must be taken into consideration; therefore, this study aimed to determine the role and influence of dentistry lecturers on students’ motivation during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2021 in the dental school of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The standardized questionnaires used included demographic data, teachers’ characteristics (educational development, performance, personality, and assessment) (Cronbach’s alpha as 0.91), and students’ motivational aspects (intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation) (Cronbach’s alpha of 0.87) which was sent online for 200 students. The questions were scored on a 5-point Likert scale, and the collected data was analyzed in Excel and SPSS version 20.0, using independent sample t-test, post-hoc ANOVA, and Pearson’s correlation. Results revealed that professional development had the highest average scores, and the lecturers were mostly qualified as experts on the subject (knowledge) (3.30±0.987). The assessment was considered as the weakest point of the teachers (2.41 out of 5). Dentistry students’ intrinsic motivation (3.20±0.774) was higher than extrinsic motivation (2.76±0.991) (P<0.001). The Pearson correlation values of all teachers’ characteristics and students’ motivation were from 0 to 0.3. However, the relationship between the teachers’ characteristics and students’ intrinsic motivation was insignificant (P>0.05). The characteristics of teachers at the faculty of Dentistry at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences had either no or little relationship with the students’ academic motivation during COVID-19 pandemic. This would make arrangement of dental programs in universities in different faculties and disciplines easier in different situations including virtual teaching.

Teenagers nowadays face a variety of physical, psychological, and social issues. Psychotherapeutic interventions may respond to the crises created at this time. The aim of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of two types of online interventional therapy (cognitive-behavioral and emotion regulation therapy) on students’ commitment to emotion-regulation and reduction of aggressive behavior and self-harm. This pretest posttest experimental study was performed on 60 adolescent students with self-harm who referred to the emergency unit of Zahedan hospital from October 2021 to January 2021. Using simple random sampling, we selected 60 students in three groups (20 students treated with online training of cognitivebehavioral education, 20 students with online training of acceptance and commitment therapy, and 20 students formed the control group). Cognitive-behavioral therapy sessions were conducted in 12 one-hour sessions and acceptance and commitment-based therapy sessions were conducted in eight 90-minute sessions, twice a week. The instruments of the research were validated questionnaires including Emotion Cognitive Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (AGQ), and Self-Harm Inventory Scale (SHI) The results showed that Cognitive-behavioral Therapy had a significant effect on the students’ self-regulation (P=0.01), Aggressive behavior (P=0.01), and Self-Harm (P=0.01). The results showed that acceptance and commitment therapy had a significant effect on the students’ self-regulation (P=0.001), Aggressive behavior (P=0.001), and Self-harm (P=0.001). The effectiveness of online training of acceptance and commitment therapy was higher than online training of cognitivebehavioral therapy in reducing self-harm among the students. Thus, in training programs for the teenagers, it is suggested that acceptance and commitment therapy should be used

A virtual classroom allows learner and educator to connect online in real time through digital learning environment. The present study sought to identify the barriers perceived by medical and nursing faculty members for the implementation of virtual classroom which was executed in Nepal to stay up with the scholarly schedule after nationwide lockdown due to COVID -19. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2020 to April 2021 among 77 faculty members of National Medical College, Teaching Hospital, Parsa, Nepal using convenience sampling technique. Data were collected using a semistructured, self-administered questionnaire. The obtained data were analyzed through SPSS version 23, using descriptive statistics. The study findings revealed that the mean age of 77 faculty members was 35.35±6.46 years, with a minimum of 25 and maximum of 72years. The majority of the participants (59.7%) were male faculty members. As to academic qualification, 87% had completed postgraduate level. Regarding their current academic position, 74% were lecturer. Similarly, 38.9% of the faculty members were from clinical department. The results revealed that the faculty members perceived “Difficult to teach the practical content which requires demonstration” as a major barrier under technological barrier domain with a mean value of 4.30±1.027. “Difficulties in working from home” was as a major barrier under institutional barrier with a mean value of 3.44±1.164. Similarly, “Lack of control over students’ cheating” was found to be a major barrier under interpersonal barrier domain with a mean value of 4.14±0.884. This study identified the barriers felt by medical and nursing educators while implementing virtual classes as an alternative to physical classroom. It is important to plan effective strategies to overcome the potential challenges in implementing quality virtual classes

The benefits of non-pharmaceutical approaches to lessen the symptoms of depression have received a lot of attention due to the possible negative effects of various anti-depressant drugs on patients, especially children and adolescents. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of Online Music Therapy and Online Painting Therapy on the students’ depression. The research method was experimental with a pre-test and post-test design. 45 students were selected using convenience sampling and randomly assigned to the intervention group with Online Music Therapy and Online Painting Therapy and the control group from September 2017 to October 2018. Beck Depression Questionnaire research tool was used. The intervention groups were treated with music and painting therapy, and then the test and follow-up were carried out. Painting therapy was performed by using painting tasks. Music therapy sessions were performed simultaneously with painting therapy. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software, version 23. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. In painting therapy, the mean±SD in the pre- and posttest for depression were 25.05±6.24 and 17.80±9.48, respectively; in music therapy, they were 22.95±4.67 and 18.55±5.36, respectively. Online music therapy and painting therapy were effective on depression in students(P=0.03). However, there was no significant difference in the stability of the effectiveness between music therapy and painting therapy. The results of the present study indicate that online group music therapy and painting therapy can effectively reduce depression and improve the mental health.

Happiness is one of the major feelings and psychological needs playing a vital role in providing the health of individual and community. Happiness is also a shield against stress and anxiety; therefore, utilizing appropriate educational methods to increasing it is essential. In-person educational methods have faced obstacles like time limits and ignoring the learners’ differences. Thus, this article aimed to investigate the effectiveness of mobilebased cognitive negotiation on happiness among female adolescence students. This study is an educational intervention, and pretest, post-test research project. The research community included 13-15-year-old female adolescents in first-grade high school of public schools in district 2, Shiraz. The sample size was determined 120 students (60 in the control and 60 in the intervention group). Sampling was done using the random clustering method. The research phases included content preparation, application design, and the intervention phase. The content was activated by installing the Fordyce model on the students’ cell phones and one training session a week, and then the students were provided with this content. The data were collected using the Oxford Happiness in both groups in two phases before and immediately after gathering; we also used Mann-Whitney test through SPSS software. According to the findings, the average score of students in the intervention group reached 98.48 from 53.98, after the intervention (P<0.000). However, in the control group, this average score changed from 58.06 to 58.90; therefore, there was no significant difference (P=0.983). The results of this study indicated the importance of teaching happiness and the effectiveness of the mobile-based educational technique; therefore, it is recommended that this method should be used in educational settings.

With the introduction of the Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) curriculum in India, many new concepts like the Foundation course, Self-Directed Learning (SDL), Early Clinical Exposure, Family Adoption, etc., were included in the curriculum. In SDL, a learner has to plan, develop, adapt, and change in a digital, interactive, and global society. For that purpose, the faculty has to be trained, and learners’ readiness is to be ensured before the start of the SDL sessions. This write-up aims not to find all the literature related to SDL but to emphasize the basic knowledge of SDL required for medical educators.