A quasi-experimental comparison of outcome-based hybrid learning and traditional instruction in environmental health education for preventive medicine undergraduates from Guilin Medical University.

INTRODUCTION: In the post-pandemic era, online teaching has been widely adopted. Although traditional offline instruction remains essential for mastering medical knowledge, the integration of online and offline modalities under an outcome-based education (OBE) framework has gained an inevitable trend. However, the effectiveness of this hybrid model in environmental health education has not been fully evaluated. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a hybrid teaching model grounded in OBE for the environmental health course. METHODS: This study comprised the preventive medicine undergraduates from Guilin Medical University (the Classes of 2017-2020). A quasi-experimental design was employed, with the Class of 2017 serving as the control group (traditional face-to-face instruction) and the Classes of 2018-2020 as the experimental groups (OBE-based hybrid online-offline teaching). Educational efficacy was evaluated by comparing overall final exam scores, specifically analyzing written scores, objective item scores, and subjective item scores across groups. Surveys regarding hybrid teaching satisfaction and related indicators were conducted among the Class of 2018 majoring in preventive medicine. RESULTS: The experimental group achieved markedly higher total scores relative to the control group (Z = -6.869, p < 0.001). The Classes of 2018-2020 outperformed the Class of 2017 in total scores (all p < 0.001); within the experimental group, the Class of 2020 scored significantly better than the Classes of 2018 and 2019 (both p < 0.001). The experimental group attained superior written examination scores (78.89 ± 8.15 vs. 68.61 ± 8.27, t = -11.140, p < 0.001) and median objective test scores (p < 0.01), with the Class of 2019 presenting the highest median objective score. Subjective scores also improved significantly in the experimental group and across successive classes (p < 0.001). The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the total scale was 0.911, with a coefficient of 0.961 for the satisfaction subscale. Students in the Class of 2018 reported high satisfaction (94.51%) with the OBE-based hybrid teaching model, and 40.66% of students preferred application-focused curriculum reform over theory-centered teaching. CONCLUSION: Integrating the OBE philosophy into hybrid online-offline teaching may potentially enhance teaching performance in environmental health course. Future studies could further optimize the design of online resources and the structure of offline interactions within hybrid learning.