Comparison of satisfaction with virtual education and its relationship with academic enthusiasm in medical and non-medical students of Islamic Azad University, Rasht Branch during the Corona Pandemic

The covid-19 pandemic caused many changes in the educational methods of the country's universities, and many educational institutions created and launched virtual classes or developed their traditional systems. The present study was conducted with the aim of comparing the satisfaction of virtual education and its relationship with academic enthusiasm in the students of the Azad University of Rasht during this pandemic.
The present study was a cross-sectional descriptive study in which 425 students were in two medical and non-medical sciences groups by stratified random sampling and completed a self-report questionnaire on satisfaction with virtual education and Fredericks' academic enthusiasm. The data were analyzed using SPSS software, an independent t-test, one-way variance, and Pearson's correlation.
The average score obtained from the satisfaction scale was 78.70±22.89 and academic enthusiasm was 51.12±11.58. The least satisfaction was found in the medical sciences group and also their academic enthusiasm was reported to be lower than others. The level of satisfaction with the virtual education method was higher among non-native and graduate students than among other students. Also, a statistically significant correlation was observed between the satisfaction score and the academic enthusiasm of students (p=0.004).
Considering the importance of academic enthusiasm, especially in the fields of medical sciences, which work by saving people's lives, there is a need to empower and train the skills of using virtual education to increase the satisfaction and proper communication between professors and students to improve the situation of creating caused by the epidemic.