Assessment of the Effectiveness of Distance Learning During the Sudanese War for Medical Students at Napata College, Sudan, 2026
Assessment of the Effectiveness of Distance Learning During the Sudanese War for Medical Students at Napata College, Sudan, 2026
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Date
2026
Authors
Fadwa Kheder Ahmed Mahmoud
Safaa Mohamed Abdelmutalib Ahmed
Donya Ibrahim Taha Osman
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Napata College
Abstract
Background: The current logistical problems caused by the Sudan conflict have forced medical
educators to explore the possibility of implementing online educational methods. There are concerns
that the shift to online education in medical colleges could affect the long-term educational outcomes of
future medical professionals. Furthermore, the effectiveness of this educational approach has not
been thoroughly investigated and evaluated. Online education has several benefits for medical
education. However, several challenges and barriers still exist. The aim of this study was to
evaluate the effectiveness of distance learning for medical students of Napata College in Sudan during
the war in 2026.
Method: An observational descriptive cross-sectional facility –based study was conducted in
January 2026. A total of 193 medical students participated in this study from Napata College, Sudan.
Data was collected using online self-administered questionnaires using Google forms. The data was
entered and analyzed using SPSS version 27.
Results: A total of 193 medical students participated in this study, of which females (56%) were more
than males (44%), and the most common age group was found to be 20-22 years (39.9%). The most
common academic year was second year (23.8%), and the majority (64.8%) were located outside Sudan.
The overall effectiveness of distance learningwas found to be low among the majority of students
(58.5%), followed by moderate (38.3%), and then high (3.1%). While the overall clinical and practical
trainingwas found to be inadequate among the majority of students (88.1%), followed by moderate
(11.4%). Lack of practical training (66.8%), psychological stress due to war (58%), and poor internet
connection (55.4%) were the main challenges faced by students. The majority (92.7%) reported high
studying stress levels during the war. Furthermore, (39.4%) reported that their academic performance has
become slightly worse compared to before the war. Regarding the overall satisfaction of distance
learning, (61.6%) were dissatisfied, while only (14%) were satisfied. Furthermore, (45.1%) of students do
not believe that distance learning is suitable for medical education in emergencies, while (33.2%) do. No
significant association was found between overall effectiveness of distance learningand demographic
characteristics of medical students (p-value > 0.05).
Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrated that distance learning at Napata College during
the Sudanese war was an important emergency approach to provide theoretical education, but was
rated overall as being of low effectiveness by most students. Clinical and practical training was
especially poor, which emphasizes the limitations of online medical education. Despite that online
education ensured that education was not disrupted, it is not and cannot replace comprehensive clinical
training.
Key words: Distance learning, Medical students, War (armed conflict), Academic performance, Clinical
training
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Napata College