Effect of Absenteeism on Student's Performance in Different Components of Examinations - A Comparison of Online Verses Offline Teaching.

Background: The In online learning, more responsibility is shifted towards students in learning according to their needs. However there is a need to assess which component of teaching can be shifted online for future hybrid teachings.

Objective: This study aims to compare the students' performance in difference components of the exams and compare them in online vs offline.

Methods: It was a quantitative study comparing onsite and online groups academic performance in individual components of assessment for a duration of 6 months. Estimates were reported per standard deviation (SD) increase or decrease. Taking absenteeism rate as a predictor, models with group and gender on their own was fitted in univariable models, before including all three predictors (absenteeism rate, group and gender) in the final model.

Results: Students who studied online, had a 0.49SD higher grade than their counterparts who attended physically (p < 0.001), each SD increase in the absenteeism rate was associated with a 0.26SD lower overall score, and this was significant, p < 0.001. While comparing both groups in MCQ part students who studied online, had a 0.6SD higher grade than their counterparts (p < 0.001), also in continuous assessment students who studied online, had a 0.49 SD higher grade than their counterparts who attended physically (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Positive effect of the online teaching was clear in the (MCQs) and the final result, while no significant gender variation detected in this study.