Teachers’ Perspectives on Improving Online Seminars in Pharmacology: A Quantitative and Qualitative Study on Lessons Learned During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The aim of this study is to evaluate teachers' perceptions of online seminars during COVID-19 pandemic to improve future courses in pharmacology. The study was performed as a questionnaire survey. A questionnaire that included 11 questions was used. A total of 14 online seminar teachers, of which 9 were senior teachers and 5 were PhD students, filled out the questionnaire. PhD students’ and senior teachers’ answers to questions 1–5 were compared statistically. The results of questions 6–10 were analysed qualitatively through thematic content analysis. There were no significant differences between senior teachers and PhD students in regard to the scores given to questions 1–5 in the questionnaire. Most (65%) teachers scored the online seminars lower than in person seminars. Interaction, communication, and group dynamics were mostly perceived to be less effective at online seminars compared to in person seminars. The main advantages of online seminars were time saving and flexibility. The main disadvantages of online seminars were reduced student interest, risk of monologue discussion and poorer communication without body language. Most teachers experienced minor technical problems with internet connection and sound quality. The teachers mentioned that better group dynamics, smaller groups, better chat functionality and clearer guidelines could help to improve online seminars. As an alternative to online seminars, blended-learning could be used. This way, one could appreciate both the richness of interactions in a face-to-face environment as well as the flexibility and convenience of online learning. Further studies comparing blended-learning and online teaching at seminars are needed to investigate this issue.