# Factors influencing preclinical medical students’ satisfaction with hospital teachers’ instruction in a blended learning environment integrating the rain classroom platform in China

## TL;DR

This study explores how factors like class size and course type affect medical students' satisfaction with blended learning in China using the Rain Classroom platform.

## Contribution

The study identifies class size and course specialization as key factors influencing student satisfaction in blended medical education using digital tools.

## Key findings

- Larger class sizes were associated with lower student satisfaction scores across all domains.
- Specialized courses significantly increased the odds of higher learning outcome scores compared to introductory courses.
- Teacher demographics like age, gender, and experience did not impact student satisfaction.

## Abstract

The post-pandemic era has accelerated the integration of digital tools like the Rain Classroom platform into clinical medical education. This study examined factors influencing preclinical medical students’ satisfaction with hospital teachers’ instruction in this blended learning context at a Chinese medical college.

A retrospective analysis of 278 teaching evaluations was conducted. Preclinical medical students anonymously assessed clinicians through an online teaching evaluation system across three domains: Professionalism (Score1, 30 points), Pedagogical skills (Score2, 40 points), and Learning outcomes (Score3, 30 points). Internal consistency was verified (Cronbach’s α: Score1 = 0.79, Score2 = 0.83, Score3 = 0.84, total score = 0.95).

We found that class size negatively correlated with all scores (Score1: rho = −0.186, p = 0.002; Score2: rho = −0.210, p < 0.001; Score3: rho = −0.225, p < 0.001). Specialized courses significantly increased odds of high Score3 (OR = 1.928, 95% CI [1.153–3.222], p = 0.012) compared to introductory courses. The results revealed that class size and course specialization were significant factors influencing students’ overall satisfaction, as indicated by their scores. Teacher demographics (age/gender/degree/title) showed no significant associations (all p > 0.05).

Smaller class sizes and specialized courses enhanced satisfaction in Rain Classroom-based blended learning, while instructor characteristics like gender, age, degree, experience, and title did not influence students’ satisfaction.