Introduction
We assessed the performance of two cohorts of Australian medical students who were taught Pathology practical classes online or face-to-face, to see if online teaching creates an inequity in learning.
Methods
All medical students enrolled at the University of New South Wales in 2023 and 2024 were invited. The third-year Pathology practical classes for main campus students were taught face-to-face while students in rural campuses were taught online by the same teachers. All students sat a formative assessment after completing a course with 4 practical classes.
Results and discussion
A total of 328 students (out of 621, 53%) completed the formative assessments of whom 49 (15%) were rural students. There was no statistically significant difference in the average assessment score between the two groups (67% vs. 61.25%, p = 0.073). The learning resources developed by the Pathology Department of the University of New South Wales had likely reduced the inequity of online teaching.
