Remote Learning of Biochemistry During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Case of Undergraduate Students in Bogota, Colombia

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the implementation of global emergency measures based on social distancing. In Colombia, remote classes in universities have avoided the spread of the disease; however, the implementation of remote classes demands virtual pedagogical strategies that are not traditionally used for teaching basic sciences in the Colombian public education system. Currently, there are no data about possible effects of remote learning in basic sciences in Colombia. In order to assess the perception of students about remote learning of biochemistry during the COVID 19 pandemic at Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Bogota), a virtual survey was applied to undergraduate students at the end of one-semester course. The perception showed by the students is an overall acceptance of the remote learning, highlighting that classes facilitated the understanding of the topics, increased assessment performance, and promoted self-learning. In addition, most students stated that they would like remotely continue classes of biochemistry. This pilot study shows that remote learning is a very useful resource to strengthen Colombian public education in the post-pandemic future, which generally have problems related to student desertion and failure due to economic problems.