Comparative Analysis of Academic Performance between Face-To-Face and Blended Learning Modalities in the Subject Medicine, Man, and Society at the Faculty of Medicine,UNNE

Abstract

This study compares the academic performance of two cohorts of first-year medical students at the Northeast National University (UNNE) in the course Medicine, Man, and Society (MHS): the 2019 cohort (face-to-face modality; n = 1,363) and the 2025 cohort (blended modality; n = 1,888). MHS employs a competency-based educational model and assesses students in two stages, with five evaluations in each stage.

The study adopts a descriptive-comparative design with chi-square analysis (α

= 0.05). The main findings reveal a paradox: blended learning increased initial enrollment by 38.5% and sustained high participation in assessments (96.1% versus 95.2%), but also significantly increased the proportion of independent students in the first semester (30.4% versus 2.9%; p < 0.001) and reduced regularization rates in both the first semester (24% versus 33.9%) and the second semester (38.3% versus 45.8%), with statistically significant differences in both cases.

These results suggest that while blended learning promotes accessibility and initial inclusion, it also creates barriers to meeting academic and administrative requirements.

However, further research is needed to examine additional factors that may have influenced these outcomes beyond the instructional modality.

The proposal seeks to strengthen intensive tutoring systems, the early monitoring of at-risk students, the development of digital skills, the redesigning of pedagogical strategies, and the analysis of the influence of other factors, in order to achieve successful academic trajectories in contemporary hybrid medical education contexts.