Exploring the impact of online and offline teaching methods on the cognitive abilities of medical students: a comparative study

BACKGROUND: Online education has become increasingly popular, but research on the effectiveness of different teaching models in developing cognitive skills is limited. This study investigated the relationship between different teaching models (online and offline) and the development of cognitive skills in clinical medicine students. METHODS: Survey data were collected from 2018 entry students who participated in online teaching and 2019 entry students in offline teaching at Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University. National Quality Open Courses (NQROC) were provided to both groups of students. The study examined the total score of physiology final exam, score of each type of question, and NQROC learning engagement in different score segments under the two teaching models. Non-parametric statistical methods were utilized to analyze the total score of physiology final exam, score of each type of question, and the NQROC learning engagement. Spearman’s rank correlation was utilized to analyze the relationship between the score of physiology final exam and the students’ NQROC learning engagement. RESULTS: The study found no statistically significant difference in the total score, short-answer questions (SAQs) score, and case study questions (CSQs) score between online and offline teaching models. However, the multiple-choice questions (MCQs) score was higher in the online teaching model (Z=-4.249, P < 0.001), suggesting that online teaching may be an effective way to improve lower-order cognitive skills among students. In contrast, low-achieving students had higher total scores (Z=-3.223, P = 0.001) and scores in both MCQs (Z=-6.263, P < 0.001) and CSQs (Z=-6.877, P < 0.001) in the online teaching model. High-achieving students in the online teaching model had higher total scores (Z=-3.001, P = 0.003) and MCQs scores (Z=-5.706, P < 0.001) but lower scores in CSQs (Z=-2.775, P = 0.006). Furthermore, students’ NQROC learning engagement was greater in the online teaching model. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggested that online teaching was not statistically significantly different from offline in cognitive domains and was more desirable than offline in strengthening lower-order cognitive skills. However, it was important to note that offline teaching may be more effective in reinforcing higher-order cognitive skills among high-achieving students. In conclusion, this study provided important insights into the effectiveness of different teaching models in developing cognitive skills among medical students and highlighted the potential benefits of online teaching in enhancing students’ lower-order cognitive skills. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-023-04549-x.