Aspects of distance learning for medical students in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic

Statement of the problem. The article summarizes the author's experience in the introduction and widespread use of interactive teaching methods in distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The presented methods are designed to identify the pros and cons of distance learning, to highlight the problems that arise in the so-called “remote” and partially distance learning. Medical education, like no other, is undergoing major changes during the pandemic. Special difficulties are created by the impossibility of students' presence at clinical bases, most of which are repurposed for a new coronavirus infection and the absence of a hospital environment typical for teaching, providing students with direct contact with the patient. The purpose of the article is to describe the methods of distance learning used in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic for recommendations to fellow teachers of higher education. The methodology is based on the use of system-activity and personality-oriented approaches to training; the introduction of interactive simulators, simulators and virtual simulators on remote platforms. The study of the digestibility and survival of knowledge is carried out on the basis of the analysis of the protocols of passing tasks, as well as the results of tests and exams. Research results. The use of interactive techniques in the practice of teaching medical students has shown their high effectiveness in the conditions of a pandemic. Some of the methods described in the article were successfully used earlier, in the “pre-epidemic era”, others arose in connection with the epidemiological situation, but it was their application that prevented the collapse in education, advanced the teaching abilities of teachers and brought education closer to the modern perception of students. Conclusion. The methods and forms of teaching proposed in the article, innovations, are certainly debatable and require improvement in the process of practical teaching.