Evaluating the usefulness and acceptability of a revision-purposed ‘specialties’ webinar for educating UK-based fifth and final year medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic: is this the future of medical education?
File(s)
Author(s)
Cooper, Nina
Sharma, Anushka
Cooper, James
Al-Asady, Yasmin
Khajuria, Ankur
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Background: To assess whether an online course is a useful method of learning for medical students revising for specialty examinations in the context of social distancing restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Method: A free, one-day webinar was offered to fifth and final year medical students with an examination-based approach. Teaching was delivered by trainees in Psychiatry, Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Paediatrics (the ‘specialties’). An online, questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted to assess usefulness and acceptability of the webinar by enrolled students, who were invited to complete the research questionnaire. Student responses pertaining to knowledge, confidence and interest, pre- and post-webinar, were collected and analysed.
Results: 247 students attended the webinar, with a 98.4% response rate to the questionnaire. 91% of students agreed that webinars offer flexibility and convenience. 55.1% felt the pandemic had impacted their ability to learn new information. 92.7% felt that the webinar was useful. Matched data showed an increase in participants’ knowledge (p = <0.001) and confidence (p < 0.001).
Conclusions: Online learning provides a useful, accessible and safe method of providing medical education in the context of the global pandemic. Webinars adopting a lecture-based, examination-style approach improved students’ perceived confidence and knowledge.
Method: A free, one-day webinar was offered to fifth and final year medical students with an examination-based approach. Teaching was delivered by trainees in Psychiatry, Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Paediatrics (the ‘specialties’). An online, questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted to assess usefulness and acceptability of the webinar by enrolled students, who were invited to complete the research questionnaire. Student responses pertaining to knowledge, confidence and interest, pre- and post-webinar, were collected and analysed.
Results: 247 students attended the webinar, with a 98.4% response rate to the questionnaire. 91% of students agreed that webinars offer flexibility and convenience. 55.1% felt the pandemic had impacted their ability to learn new information. 92.7% felt that the webinar was useful. Matched data showed an increase in participants’ knowledge (p = <0.001) and confidence (p < 0.001).
Conclusions: Online learning provides a useful, accessible and safe method of providing medical education in the context of the global pandemic. Webinars adopting a lecture-based, examination-style approach improved students’ perceived confidence and knowledge.
Date Issued
2021-08-29
Date Acceptance
2021-07-05
Citation
Advances in Medical Education and Practice, 2021, 2021 (12), pp.979-985
ISSN
1179-7258
Publisher
Dove Medical Press
Start Page
979
End Page
985
Journal / Book Title
Advances in Medical Education and Practice
Volume
2021
Issue
12
Copyright Statement
© 2021 Cooper et al. This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.
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permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms (https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php)
php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/). By accessing the
work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For
permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms (https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php)
License URL
Identifier
https://www.dovepress.com/evaluating-the-usefulness-and-acceptability-of-a-revision-purposed-spe-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-AMEP
Subjects
Social Sciences
Education, Scientific Disciplines
Education & Educational Research
COVID-19
webinar
medical education
knowledge
UTILITY
COVID-19
knowledge
medical education
webinar
1302 Curriculum and Pedagogy
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2021-08-29