Perception of Master of Public Health Students regarding E-Learning in Covid-19 Era: A New Normal in Lower- and Middle-Income Countries.

Objectives: To explore the perception of postgraduate public health students regarding e-learning in context to Covid-19 pandemic and its effect on their academic performances.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Sarhad Institute of Health Science, SUIT Peshawar from 3 October 2020 to 4 February 2021. The Census method was incorporated for sample selection. Participation in the study was subjected to consent by participants. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Data was analyzed using SPSS Version-26.

Results: Out of 95 participants, 72 (75.8%) were males and 23 (24.2%) were females. The mean grade point average (GPA) of previous semester-1 and semester-2, when they were having a conventional education system on campus before the pandemic was 2.741±0.499 and 2.643±.498 respectively. The current mean GPA of semesters 1, 2, and 3 who had online classes during this pandemic was 2.41±0.66, 3.06±0.51, and 2.80±0.47 respectively. Fifty-one (53.7%) students preferred to use mobile for e-learning. Convenience to the use-learning management system (LMS) was 67.4% and 72.6% responded that their academic performance was positively affected by e-learning. Logistic regression revealed that source of learning ( 0.99), uninterrupted internet ( 0.87), convenience with LMS ( 0.17), stress ( 0.505), convenient communication with faculty ( 0.69), and compatibility with professional routine ( 0.21) were not significantly associated with good academic performance, however, students of semester 2 ( 0.001) and those using laptops ( were more likely to get a GPA of 3.0 or above.

Conclusions: Students in this study had a positive perception regarding e-learning however, there is a definite need to amalgamate both online and on-campus learning modalities for post-graduate students especially during the uncertain situations.