It is impossible to overlook the curricular advancements occurring all across the world. The eval... more It is impossible to overlook the curricular advancements occurring all across the world. The evaluation methods should be revised in addition to the course objectives, programmes, and competences. If courses are evaluated the same way they have been in the past, we will not progress in education. We are on the verge of an educational revolution that will fundamentally alter how we educate and assess students. E-portfolios have now become recognized and valued by everyone in medical education and the workplace, including policymakers. For programmatic assessments, E-portfolios are the best supporting document one can use as a qualitative assessment. It can be used in many ways including career planning, assessment, and for structured feedback. E-Portfolio provides a secured database and then there are numerous ways to use this knowledge. It allows a learner to gather and exhibit proof of their accomplishments and proficiency in order to support the modern techniques of academic asses...
Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy in women and now regarded as the com... more Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy in women and now regarded as the commonest cancer overall. Over 2 million new cases were diagnosed in 2018, accounting for almost 25% of cancer cases among women. The main objective of the study is to find the insinuation of extrapolative factors of diagnostic importance in breast cancer patients experiencing thyroid dysfunction. Materials and methods: This correlational study was conducted on Jinnah Hospital patients with the permission of ethical committee of the hospital and consent of the patients. The data was collected from 88 cases and 50 controls. All the patients who had a definite diagnosis of BC along with, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD), or thyroid cancer were included in this study. The study population was divided into three comparative groups: (1) controls (n = 50), (2) BC cases with hypothyroidism (n = 27), and (3) BC cases with hyperthyroidism (n = 61). Results: The mean...
Background: The undergraduate medical students have been reported to experience stress during the... more Background: The undergraduate medical students have been reported to experience stress during their years in college and this stress has been shown to vary between clinical years and different ethnicities. As stress can lead to deterioration of performance and loss of self-esteem therefore the present study was conducted to evaluate the perceived level of stress in the first year medical students to identify psychological issues in the beginning of the year. Methods: Self administered General Health Questionnaire with 12 items (GHQ-12) was circulated after informed consent among the students present on the day of the study. The data was coded and entered in SPSS version 16. GHQ score was reported as frequencies and mean+ SD. Independent sample t-test was applied to compute relationship between gender and GHQ scores. Results: Total number of questionnaires completed was 101. The mean average GHQ-12 score of all the students was 11.52+5.36, with a range of 01 to 28. Twelve students we...
ABSTRACT Nanomedicines are applied as alternative treatments for anticancer agents. For the treat... more ABSTRACT Nanomedicines are applied as alternative treatments for anticancer agents. For the treatment of cancer, due to the small size in nanometers (nm), specific site targeting can be achieved with the use of nanomedicines, increasing their bioavailability and conferring fewer toxic side effects. Additionally, the use of minute amounts of drugs can lead to cost savings. In addition, nanotechnology is effectively applied in the preparation of such drugs as they are in nm sizes, considered one of the earliest cutoff values for the production of products utilized in nanotechnology. Early concepts described gold nanoshells as one of the successful therapies for cancer and associated diseases where the benefits of nanomedicine include effective active or passive targeting. Common medicines are degraded at a higher rate, whereas the degradation of macromolecules is time-consuming. All of the discussed properties are responsible for executing the physiological behaviors occurring at the following scale, depending on the geometry. Finally, large nanomaterials based on organic, lipid, inorganic, protein, and synthetic polymers have also been utilized to develop novel cancer cures.
Artificial cells, nanomedicine, and biotechnology, Jan 6, 2018
Development and formulation of an efficient and safe therapeutic regimen for cancer theranostics ... more Development and formulation of an efficient and safe therapeutic regimen for cancer theranostics are dynamically challenging. The use of mono-therapeutic cancer regimen is generally restricted to optimal clinical applications, on account of drug resistance and cancer heterogeneity. Combinatorial treatments can employ multi-therapeutics for synergistic anticancer efficacy whilst reducing the potency of individual moieties and diminishing the incidence of associated adverse effects. The combo-delivery of nanotherapeutics can optimize anti-tumor efficacy while reversing the incidence of drug resistance, aiming to homogenize pharmacological profile of drugs, enhance circulatory time, permit targeted drug accumulation, achieve multi-target dynamic approach, optimize target-specific drug binding and ensure sustained drug release at the target site. Numerous nanomedicines/nanotherapeutics have been developed by having dynamic physicochemical, pharmaceutical and pharmacological implications...
The present study investigates the hepato- and DNA-protective effects of standardized extracts of... more The present study investigates the hepato- and DNA-protective effects of standardized extracts of (cabralealactone), (solasodin), and (salvadorin) in rats. Hepatotoxicity was induced with intraperitoneal injection of carbon tetrachloride (CCl) (1 mL/kg b.wt.) once a week for 12 weeks. The hepato- and DNA protective effects of the extracts in different combinations were compared with that of a standard drug Clavazin (200 mg/kg b.wt.). Tissue alanine aminotransferase, alpha-fetoprotein, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), isoprostanes-2α, malondialdehyde, and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine, the significant hallmarks of oxidative stress, were studied. Histopathological findings of the liver sections from the rat group which received CCl+cabralealactone, solasodin, and salvadorin demonstrated improved centrilobular hepatocyte regeneration with moderate areas of congestion and infiltration comparable with Clavazin. For in silico study, the identified compounds were subjected to molecular docki...
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common type of cancer and leading cause of death worldw... more Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common type of cancer and leading cause of death worldwide. Major risk factors involved in the development of CRC are increased dietary sources, genetics, and increasing age. Purpose of the study was to find the role of different variables in the progression of CRC. 50 blood samples from CRC patients and 20 samples from control were collected. Serum was separated from the blood by centrifugation. This serum was assessed for several antioxidants like superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, catalase, vitamin A, C, and E, and pro-oxidants such as malondialdehyde, advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs), and AGEs according to their respective protocols. Matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) and isoprostanes were assessed by ELISA kits. Lower levels of GSH (4.86 ± 0.78 vs 9.65 ± 1.13 μg/dl), SOD (0.08 ± 0.012 vs 0.46 ± 0.017 μg/dl), CAT (2.45 ± 0.03 vs 4.22 ± 0.19 μmol/mol of protein), and GRx (5.1...
Hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis and treatment has witnessed many major changes and challenges ... more Hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis and treatment has witnessed many major changes and challenges in the past two decades. Increasing incidence of HCC has introduced new monitoring systems and increased the efficacy of screening tests, as well as prognosis of the disease, including the staging system, serological testing and diagnostic imaging. Moreover, surgical resection, liver transplantation and herbal therapy have improved treatment. The most encouraging specific serological marker for HCC is alpha fetoprotein (AFP), which, along with ultrasonography, has improved earlier detection of HCC. Most recently, circulating tumor cell measurement has emerged as a promising tool for the prognosis of HCC. Herbal drugs and herbal composite formula drugs are promising towards the prevention of invasion and proliferation of tumor cells. Chemotherapeutic agents, such as sorafenib, bevacizumab and erlotinib, which target growth factor receptors in signaling pathways, are also used as HCC treat...
Purpose:Learner Handover (LH) protocols to enable guided sharing of student performance amongst f... more Purpose:Learner Handover (LH) protocols to enable guided sharing of student performance amongst faculty can be especially useful in the transition from lab-to-clinic work in undergraduate dental training due to the build-up of skills required and a small, more manageable sized student body. However, there is an ongoing debate as to its benefits, disadvantages, and outright usefulness. Moreover, the extent of existing ‘Informal Learner Handover’ (ILH) in the form of faculty discussions is not actively researched. Exploring the nature of ILH may provide additional context to stakeholders. Furthermore, it can also provide insight into the nature of Learner Handover bias so that they can be minimized when designing a Formal Learner Handover (FLH) Protocol.Methods:A grounded theory study design was selected to review and identify relevant patterns in a series of semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions from January to March 2022. Voluntary participation of 16 active clinica...
This study aimed at exploring the perceptions of students and teachers regarding the viability of... more This study aimed at exploring the perceptions of students and teachers regarding the viability of the online problem-based learning (PBL) approach. The study also aimed to report the perceived merits and demerits of online PBL and offer suggestions to improve it further. To achieve these objectives, a qualitative exploratory study was conducted at the College of Medicine, The University of Lahore from July 2020 to November 2020. Employing purposive sampling, 12 students and 11 teachers were recruited, with experience in both online and face-to-face PBL. The perceived merits and demerits of online PBL were inquired in focus group discussions. Moreover, suggestions to improve the online PBL environment were elicited from both stakeholders. The data was recorded, and then inductively coded and thematically analysed using Atlis.ti software. Students displayed active participation, improved learning and self-regulation during online PBL. The participants valued online PBL as a resourcefu...
Pakistan Journal of Medical and Health Sciences, 2021
Introduction: While most of the institution in our country follow the Flexnerian model of medical... more Introduction: While most of the institution in our country follow the Flexnerian model of medical education, only a handful of medical colleges have embraced the integrated medical curriculum. Literature on impact of integration on the preclinical disciplines is sparse. This study aims to elucidate the impact of integration on the preclinical disciplines, their content, teaching, learning, and assessment. Methods: This qualitative exploratory study was conducted at the University College of Medicine and Dentistry from July to September 2020. Twenty-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with the faculty members from pre-clinical disciplines (Physiology, Anatomy, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Pathology, Forensic Medicine & Community Medicine). The data was recorded, transcribed, coded and thematic analysis was done by using Atlas Ti version 7. Results: The thematic analysis of the transcripts resulted in twenty subthemes, from which five themes emerged. The study revealed that t...
Objective: To assess the perceived stress levels amongst faculty and students of medicine, dentis... more Objective: To assess the perceived stress levels amongst faculty and students of medicine, dentistry and allied health sciences during COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This multi-institutional descriptive study was conducted from April to June 2020. All the students and faculty from three institutes namely University College of Medicine, University College of Dentistry and Institute of Allied Health Sciences were invited to participate. Data were collected using a pre-validated Perceived Stress Scale (PSS -10). Descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated using SPSS v.21. Results: 1199 responses were obtained. Students from University College of Medicine reported higher score on the perceived stress scale (23.02+11.85) than those from University College of Dentistry (21.87+10.86) and Institute of Allied Health Sciences (21.95+11.32). The students and the faculty experienced stress ‘sometimes to fairly often’ during this pandemic. Females experienced more stress than males and t...
Objectives: MCQ’s and SEQ’s are the most widely used assessment tool in dental colleges across Pa... more Objectives: MCQ’s and SEQ’s are the most widely used assessment tool in dental colleges across Pakistan. This study explores the impact of assessment tool: MCQ’s and SEQ’s on learning approach of dental students and also identifies correlation between these assessment tools and deep & surface learning approaches in integrated and discipline based curriculum. Methods: A quantitative co-relational study was conducted in 2018 on 2nd and 4th year dental students. A pre-validated “Revised Study Process Questionnaire” was used. Spearman’s rho correlation coefficient and Wilcoxon signed ranks test were applied to determine the relationship between learning approaches and assessment tools. Internal consistency was calculated by Cronbach’s alpha. Results: Ninety six students out of one hundred and fifty completed the questionnaire. Correlation test showed that surface approach correlates significantly with MCQ’s (0.73) while no co-relation exists with SEQ’s (-0.14) in our study. Deep approac...
Objective: During COVID-19 pandemic, the institutions in Pakistan have started online learning. T... more Objective: During COVID-19 pandemic, the institutions in Pakistan have started online learning. This study explores the perception of teachers and students regarding its advantages, limitations and recommendations.Methods: This qualitative case study was conducted from March to April 2020. Using maximum variation sampling, 12 faculty members and 12 students from University College of Medicine and University College of Dentistry, Lahore were invited to participate. Four focus group interviews, two each with the faculty and students of medicine and dentistry were carried out. Data were transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed using Atlas Ti.Results: The advantages included remote learning, comfort, accessibility, while the limitations involved inefficiency and difficulty in maintaining academic integrity. The recommendations were to train faculty on using online modalities and developing lesson plan with reduced cognitive load and increased interactivities.Conclusion: The curren...
Advantages, Limitations and Recommendations for online learning during COVID-19 pandemic era, 2020
Objective: During COVID-19 pandemic, the institutions in Pakistan have started online learning. T... more Objective: During COVID-19 pandemic, the institutions in Pakistan have started online learning. This study explores the perception of teachers and students regarding its advantages, limitations and recommendations. Methods: This qualitative case study was conducted from March to April 2020. Using maximum variation sampling, 12 faculty members and 12 students
It is impossible to overlook the curricular advancements occurring all across the world. The eval... more It is impossible to overlook the curricular advancements occurring all across the world. The evaluation methods should be revised in addition to the course objectives, programmes, and competences. If courses are evaluated the same way they have been in the past, we will not progress in education. We are on the verge of an educational revolution that will fundamentally alter how we educate and assess students. E-portfolios have now become recognized and valued by everyone in medical education and the workplace, including policymakers. For programmatic assessments, E-portfolios are the best supporting document one can use as a qualitative assessment. It can be used in many ways including career planning, assessment, and for structured feedback. E-Portfolio provides a secured database and then there are numerous ways to use this knowledge. It allows a learner to gather and exhibit proof of their accomplishments and proficiency in order to support the modern techniques of academic asses...
Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy in women and now regarded as the com... more Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy in women and now regarded as the commonest cancer overall. Over 2 million new cases were diagnosed in 2018, accounting for almost 25% of cancer cases among women. The main objective of the study is to find the insinuation of extrapolative factors of diagnostic importance in breast cancer patients experiencing thyroid dysfunction. Materials and methods: This correlational study was conducted on Jinnah Hospital patients with the permission of ethical committee of the hospital and consent of the patients. The data was collected from 88 cases and 50 controls. All the patients who had a definite diagnosis of BC along with, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD), or thyroid cancer were included in this study. The study population was divided into three comparative groups: (1) controls (n = 50), (2) BC cases with hypothyroidism (n = 27), and (3) BC cases with hyperthyroidism (n = 61). Results: The mean...
Background: The undergraduate medical students have been reported to experience stress during the... more Background: The undergraduate medical students have been reported to experience stress during their years in college and this stress has been shown to vary between clinical years and different ethnicities. As stress can lead to deterioration of performance and loss of self-esteem therefore the present study was conducted to evaluate the perceived level of stress in the first year medical students to identify psychological issues in the beginning of the year. Methods: Self administered General Health Questionnaire with 12 items (GHQ-12) was circulated after informed consent among the students present on the day of the study. The data was coded and entered in SPSS version 16. GHQ score was reported as frequencies and mean+ SD. Independent sample t-test was applied to compute relationship between gender and GHQ scores. Results: Total number of questionnaires completed was 101. The mean average GHQ-12 score of all the students was 11.52+5.36, with a range of 01 to 28. Twelve students we...
ABSTRACT Nanomedicines are applied as alternative treatments for anticancer agents. For the treat... more ABSTRACT Nanomedicines are applied as alternative treatments for anticancer agents. For the treatment of cancer, due to the small size in nanometers (nm), specific site targeting can be achieved with the use of nanomedicines, increasing their bioavailability and conferring fewer toxic side effects. Additionally, the use of minute amounts of drugs can lead to cost savings. In addition, nanotechnology is effectively applied in the preparation of such drugs as they are in nm sizes, considered one of the earliest cutoff values for the production of products utilized in nanotechnology. Early concepts described gold nanoshells as one of the successful therapies for cancer and associated diseases where the benefits of nanomedicine include effective active or passive targeting. Common medicines are degraded at a higher rate, whereas the degradation of macromolecules is time-consuming. All of the discussed properties are responsible for executing the physiological behaviors occurring at the following scale, depending on the geometry. Finally, large nanomaterials based on organic, lipid, inorganic, protein, and synthetic polymers have also been utilized to develop novel cancer cures.
Artificial cells, nanomedicine, and biotechnology, Jan 6, 2018
Development and formulation of an efficient and safe therapeutic regimen for cancer theranostics ... more Development and formulation of an efficient and safe therapeutic regimen for cancer theranostics are dynamically challenging. The use of mono-therapeutic cancer regimen is generally restricted to optimal clinical applications, on account of drug resistance and cancer heterogeneity. Combinatorial treatments can employ multi-therapeutics for synergistic anticancer efficacy whilst reducing the potency of individual moieties and diminishing the incidence of associated adverse effects. The combo-delivery of nanotherapeutics can optimize anti-tumor efficacy while reversing the incidence of drug resistance, aiming to homogenize pharmacological profile of drugs, enhance circulatory time, permit targeted drug accumulation, achieve multi-target dynamic approach, optimize target-specific drug binding and ensure sustained drug release at the target site. Numerous nanomedicines/nanotherapeutics have been developed by having dynamic physicochemical, pharmaceutical and pharmacological implications...
The present study investigates the hepato- and DNA-protective effects of standardized extracts of... more The present study investigates the hepato- and DNA-protective effects of standardized extracts of (cabralealactone), (solasodin), and (salvadorin) in rats. Hepatotoxicity was induced with intraperitoneal injection of carbon tetrachloride (CCl) (1 mL/kg b.wt.) once a week for 12 weeks. The hepato- and DNA protective effects of the extracts in different combinations were compared with that of a standard drug Clavazin (200 mg/kg b.wt.). Tissue alanine aminotransferase, alpha-fetoprotein, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), isoprostanes-2α, malondialdehyde, and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine, the significant hallmarks of oxidative stress, were studied. Histopathological findings of the liver sections from the rat group which received CCl+cabralealactone, solasodin, and salvadorin demonstrated improved centrilobular hepatocyte regeneration with moderate areas of congestion and infiltration comparable with Clavazin. For in silico study, the identified compounds were subjected to molecular docki...
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common type of cancer and leading cause of death worldw... more Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common type of cancer and leading cause of death worldwide. Major risk factors involved in the development of CRC are increased dietary sources, genetics, and increasing age. Purpose of the study was to find the role of different variables in the progression of CRC. 50 blood samples from CRC patients and 20 samples from control were collected. Serum was separated from the blood by centrifugation. This serum was assessed for several antioxidants like superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, catalase, vitamin A, C, and E, and pro-oxidants such as malondialdehyde, advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs), and AGEs according to their respective protocols. Matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) and isoprostanes were assessed by ELISA kits. Lower levels of GSH (4.86 ± 0.78 vs 9.65 ± 1.13 μg/dl), SOD (0.08 ± 0.012 vs 0.46 ± 0.017 μg/dl), CAT (2.45 ± 0.03 vs 4.22 ± 0.19 μmol/mol of protein), and GRx (5.1...
Hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis and treatment has witnessed many major changes and challenges ... more Hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis and treatment has witnessed many major changes and challenges in the past two decades. Increasing incidence of HCC has introduced new monitoring systems and increased the efficacy of screening tests, as well as prognosis of the disease, including the staging system, serological testing and diagnostic imaging. Moreover, surgical resection, liver transplantation and herbal therapy have improved treatment. The most encouraging specific serological marker for HCC is alpha fetoprotein (AFP), which, along with ultrasonography, has improved earlier detection of HCC. Most recently, circulating tumor cell measurement has emerged as a promising tool for the prognosis of HCC. Herbal drugs and herbal composite formula drugs are promising towards the prevention of invasion and proliferation of tumor cells. Chemotherapeutic agents, such as sorafenib, bevacizumab and erlotinib, which target growth factor receptors in signaling pathways, are also used as HCC treat...
Purpose:Learner Handover (LH) protocols to enable guided sharing of student performance amongst f... more Purpose:Learner Handover (LH) protocols to enable guided sharing of student performance amongst faculty can be especially useful in the transition from lab-to-clinic work in undergraduate dental training due to the build-up of skills required and a small, more manageable sized student body. However, there is an ongoing debate as to its benefits, disadvantages, and outright usefulness. Moreover, the extent of existing ‘Informal Learner Handover’ (ILH) in the form of faculty discussions is not actively researched. Exploring the nature of ILH may provide additional context to stakeholders. Furthermore, it can also provide insight into the nature of Learner Handover bias so that they can be minimized when designing a Formal Learner Handover (FLH) Protocol.Methods:A grounded theory study design was selected to review and identify relevant patterns in a series of semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions from January to March 2022. Voluntary participation of 16 active clinica...
This study aimed at exploring the perceptions of students and teachers regarding the viability of... more This study aimed at exploring the perceptions of students and teachers regarding the viability of the online problem-based learning (PBL) approach. The study also aimed to report the perceived merits and demerits of online PBL and offer suggestions to improve it further. To achieve these objectives, a qualitative exploratory study was conducted at the College of Medicine, The University of Lahore from July 2020 to November 2020. Employing purposive sampling, 12 students and 11 teachers were recruited, with experience in both online and face-to-face PBL. The perceived merits and demerits of online PBL were inquired in focus group discussions. Moreover, suggestions to improve the online PBL environment were elicited from both stakeholders. The data was recorded, and then inductively coded and thematically analysed using Atlis.ti software. Students displayed active participation, improved learning and self-regulation during online PBL. The participants valued online PBL as a resourcefu...
Pakistan Journal of Medical and Health Sciences, 2021
Introduction: While most of the institution in our country follow the Flexnerian model of medical... more Introduction: While most of the institution in our country follow the Flexnerian model of medical education, only a handful of medical colleges have embraced the integrated medical curriculum. Literature on impact of integration on the preclinical disciplines is sparse. This study aims to elucidate the impact of integration on the preclinical disciplines, their content, teaching, learning, and assessment. Methods: This qualitative exploratory study was conducted at the University College of Medicine and Dentistry from July to September 2020. Twenty-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with the faculty members from pre-clinical disciplines (Physiology, Anatomy, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Pathology, Forensic Medicine & Community Medicine). The data was recorded, transcribed, coded and thematic analysis was done by using Atlas Ti version 7. Results: The thematic analysis of the transcripts resulted in twenty subthemes, from which five themes emerged. The study revealed that t...
Objective: To assess the perceived stress levels amongst faculty and students of medicine, dentis... more Objective: To assess the perceived stress levels amongst faculty and students of medicine, dentistry and allied health sciences during COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This multi-institutional descriptive study was conducted from April to June 2020. All the students and faculty from three institutes namely University College of Medicine, University College of Dentistry and Institute of Allied Health Sciences were invited to participate. Data were collected using a pre-validated Perceived Stress Scale (PSS -10). Descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated using SPSS v.21. Results: 1199 responses were obtained. Students from University College of Medicine reported higher score on the perceived stress scale (23.02+11.85) than those from University College of Dentistry (21.87+10.86) and Institute of Allied Health Sciences (21.95+11.32). The students and the faculty experienced stress ‘sometimes to fairly often’ during this pandemic. Females experienced more stress than males and t...
Objectives: MCQ’s and SEQ’s are the most widely used assessment tool in dental colleges across Pa... more Objectives: MCQ’s and SEQ’s are the most widely used assessment tool in dental colleges across Pakistan. This study explores the impact of assessment tool: MCQ’s and SEQ’s on learning approach of dental students and also identifies correlation between these assessment tools and deep & surface learning approaches in integrated and discipline based curriculum. Methods: A quantitative co-relational study was conducted in 2018 on 2nd and 4th year dental students. A pre-validated “Revised Study Process Questionnaire” was used. Spearman’s rho correlation coefficient and Wilcoxon signed ranks test were applied to determine the relationship between learning approaches and assessment tools. Internal consistency was calculated by Cronbach’s alpha. Results: Ninety six students out of one hundred and fifty completed the questionnaire. Correlation test showed that surface approach correlates significantly with MCQ’s (0.73) while no co-relation exists with SEQ’s (-0.14) in our study. Deep approac...
Objective: During COVID-19 pandemic, the institutions in Pakistan have started online learning. T... more Objective: During COVID-19 pandemic, the institutions in Pakistan have started online learning. This study explores the perception of teachers and students regarding its advantages, limitations and recommendations.Methods: This qualitative case study was conducted from March to April 2020. Using maximum variation sampling, 12 faculty members and 12 students from University College of Medicine and University College of Dentistry, Lahore were invited to participate. Four focus group interviews, two each with the faculty and students of medicine and dentistry were carried out. Data were transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed using Atlas Ti.Results: The advantages included remote learning, comfort, accessibility, while the limitations involved inefficiency and difficulty in maintaining academic integrity. The recommendations were to train faculty on using online modalities and developing lesson plan with reduced cognitive load and increased interactivities.Conclusion: The curren...
Advantages, Limitations and Recommendations for online learning during COVID-19 pandemic era, 2020
Objective: During COVID-19 pandemic, the institutions in Pakistan have started online learning. T... more Objective: During COVID-19 pandemic, the institutions in Pakistan have started online learning. This study explores the perception of teachers and students regarding its advantages, limitations and recommendations. Methods: This qualitative case study was conducted from March to April 2020. Using maximum variation sampling, 12 faculty members and 12 students
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