Change from face-to-face teaching and learning to online learning: A case of a cross-sectional study in a Kazakhstani medical University

The widespread development of modern technologies, particularly the internet, has triggered an explosive growth of distance learning. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, moving to distance learning platforms to continue education has become necessary. Kazakhstan's radical teaching and learning mode change from face-to-face to online has brought challenges and opportunities. The main aim of this study was to examine how lecturers and students at a Kazakhstani medical university adapt and cope with the online teaching and learning mode to suggest a sustainable model for online learning. A cross-sectional survey was administered with 40 third- and seventh-year students and 40 lecturers at a selected medical university in Kazakhstan to assess the participants' distance-learning experiences. Complexity theory was adopted as the lens to interpret the findings to understand how the change in teaching and learning mode impacted lectures and students, how they adapted to the online learning environments, and how they cope with conditions of uncertainty. The study's findings show that, although the transition to the distance mode of teaching and learning was a forced reality for educational institutions due to the quarantine measures, most respondents preferred distance learning to the traditional face-to-face mode, albeit with challenges. We further identified the challenges and opportunities encountered. The study findings would have far-reaching implications on change management, teaching practices, learning practices, and the university's teaching and learning policy and strategy concerning online/distance learning sustainability going forward.