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. 2020 Nov 30;20:482. doi: 10.1186/s12909-020-02388-8

Table 1.

Findings according to the SWOT framework

Strengths

 • Focus on students’ learning needs

 • Matching with students’ interests in digital tools

 • Flexibility

 • Variety of teaching and evaluation methods

 • Improving productive lecturer-student interactions

 • Improving self-learning and problem-solving skills

Weaknesses

• Lack of training courses

• Deficiency in IT and network infrastructures and human resources

• Lack of institutionalization of virtual education culture

• Lack of an independent LMS

• Complex and time-consuming task of virtual education

• Lack of sufficient suitable feedback

• Lack of information and reminder

• Lack of required infrastructure and skillful human resources

Opportunities

 • Health education transformation and innovation plan of the ministry of health and medical education

 • The university’s and ministry’s senior executives support

 • Foundation of virtual university of medical sciences

 • User-friendly and easy-to-use LMS to be acquainted with

 • Access to the updated and standard electronic contents

 • Development of regional and international cooperation

Threats

• Dependence of virtual education development on the national education transformation plan

• Resistance of the lecturers to use the virtual education

• Lack of proper evaluation of virtual education

• Non-compliance with the principles of copyright and intellectual property

• Insufficiency of the privileges considered at the university for people who use the virtual education

• Lack of an independent virtual education center at the university