Introduction to Curriculum Development and Medical Education Scholarship for Resident Trainees: A Webinar Series

[Webinars for ENT specialists in Germany during the Lockdown phase of the COVID-19 pandemic 2020/2021]

INTRODUCTION

During the COVID-19 pandemic, webinars are one of the few opportunities to continue CME training to a large majority of ENT doctors. However, experiences with the quality of this digital form of education is still limited.

METHODOLOGY

In this study, six webinars for ENT specialists during the second lockdown in Germany (January to March 2021, provider Zoom) were evaluated. The quality control was performed by participants and speakers using special quality questions. School grades (1-6) were used for the evaluation. Answers were statistically evaluated.

RESULTS

On average, 1108 participants attended the six webinars. 330 ENT doctors answered the surveys. The return of the questionnaires was 30.2%, that of the speakers 100%. Eight of the nine questions asked received school grades better than 2.0 on average. The speakers needed an average of 12.8 hours to prepare the webinar. The cost per webinar was about 3.50 €.

CONCLUSIONS

Webinars have become an effective form of CME-training for ENT doctors in Germany. They can be organized quickly for a large number of participants, are less expensive and environmentally benefical. Webinars might have an important place in CME-training in the future.

Webinar-based continuing medical education in otorhinolaryngology during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany: a longitudinal study

OBJECTIVE

Reliance on webinars for continuing medical education (CME) has increased since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, we aimed to evaluate the teaching methods used in these webinars.

DESIGN

Retrospective, longitudinal study.

SETTING

20 CME-approved webinars, conducted March-December 2020 in Germany, and lasting 2.25 hours each.

PARTICIPANTS

Otorhinolaryngologists pursuing CME credits.

INTERVENTIONS

Postwebinar participant assessments of the speaker, effects on practical work, desired scientific content, technical quality, interactions, attention and future training behaviour.

RESULTS

On average, 780 participants joined each webinar. The mean survey response rate was 35% (n=282). When asked how well the speaker had mastered the content, 38% responded 'very well', 44% responded 'well', 14% indicated 'satisfactory' and 4% chose 'sufficient'. The frequency of webinars was considered appropriate by 92%, too high by 4% and too low by 4% of participants. The measured attention of the participants was 90%. After the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, 68% of participants preferred online teaching. The average costs per participant were €3.50 (about $4.25 or £3.15) per webinar.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the pandemic context likely influenced the results, we conclude that periodic ear, nose and throat webinar training during COVID-19 in 2020 was an effective alternative delivery method. We found high attention rates, high levels of participant satisfaction and low costs. Evaluations and re-evaluations will be necessary to adapt teaching concepts successfully and ensure high levels of teaching and learning efficiency.

Curriculum Design and Scholarship for New Educators: A Professional Development Workshop for Medical Students

INTRODUCTION

Medical students' professional development includes their role as educators. Despite greater opportunities to join medical education curriculum development, medical students' engagement in these activities remains limited. A recent national study on student leadership in curricular change revealed a formal lack of leadership and training in medical education as significant barriers. Medical students' unawareness of how to disseminate curricula as educational scholarship and its value to their careers also restricts the fullness of their formation as educators.

METHODS

We designed a 3-hour, interactive, project-focused conference workshop for medical students without prior knowledge in curriculum development. Of participants, 64 worked in 10 groups creating medical curricula using Kern's six-step approach in student-facilitated breakout sessions. Completed group projects were presented, including brief action plans for transforming their work into scholarship. The workshop was evaluated using a mixed-methods approach.

RESULTS

Of survey respondents, 44 mostly medical students, faculty, and administrators from different institutions rated the workshop as a very positive experience, and the pacing of the breakout groups as effective. A notable increase in self-reported mastery, as measured by learning objectives aligned with Kern's six-step model, was recorded from student respondents as compared to faculty. A sense of readiness to participate in curricular decisions either at the home institution or in individual career paths was evident from narrative comments.

DISCUSSION

Our workshop provided medical students with a foundation in curriculum development and educational scholarship. Session design provided flexibility in the pace of breakout sessions and allowed in-depth discussion of educational topics.

Utilization and Perceived Effectiveness of a Web-Based Faculty Development Seminar for International Medical Science Educators

The goal of this study was to examine the utilization and perceived effectiveness of the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) Webcast Audio Seminar Series (WAS) by participants at the individual and institutional levels. The Webcast Audio Seminar Series User Survey (WASUS) included multiple quantitative and qualitative measures of user perceptions of their experiences and overall quality. Data was collected using a 42-item survey that examined user identification, utilization, and perceived effectiveness of the IAMSE WAS as a faculty development tool. Quantitative measures were summarized using descriptive statistics, including frequencies, means, and standard deviations. Qualitative data was investigated using an iterative, inductive thematic coding method. Qualitative themes were summarized and applied to quantitative trends as explanatory mechanisms with the intent to provide a more nuanced narrative of the data. The survey was sent to all 2012-2017 WAS participants which provided a cross-sectional snapshot of WAS user perceptions over a substantial period of time. Fifty-two participants responded. Survey participants were asked to rate WAS sessions on twelve different quality components. Quality ratings were explored by user subscription types and user experiences with other web-based conferences. Users rated the WAS program very highly on all components from 2012 to 2017. The high level of perceived quality by users is likely an important reason why WAS participation has continued to grow since its implementation. Since the quality ratings were consistently high over a 5-year period in which the number of users also grew and organizers continue to add new interactive features for users, it is expected that this growth is sustainable.

Successful Implementation of a Resident Liaison to Medical Students in Emergency Medicine Rotations

BACKGROUND

As the role of the resident-as-teacher grows, some residents are inspired to develop themselves early as leaders in education while in training. We describe the successful implementation of a resident liaison (RL) to medical students in emergency medicine (EM) as a way to develop resident leaders in medical education.

METHODS

This position was implemented to develop interested residents as leaders in medical education and to provide medical students access to an EM physician who is closer to their training level and may be more approachable than the clerkship director. RLs are mentored by the clerkship director and are involved in curricular programming and education research.

RESULTS

This innovation has strengthened our student EM rotations and has provided residents with a unique opportunity to explore a career in medical education. Residents have made tangible contributions to our educational programming in this role and have pursued careers in medical education. The program has been recognized as a "best practice" by students and the school of medicine.

CONCLUSIONS

The RL initiative has conferred significant benefits to residents and medical students. Implementation of a RL program may benefit EM rotations outside of our institution and perhaps outside of the EM specialty.

Innovation to Dissemination Workshop: Selecting Outcome Measures to Translate Educational Innovations Into Scholarship

Introduction

Curricular innovations are invaluable to the improvement of medical education programs, and thus, their dissemination to broader audiences is imperative. However, medical educators often struggle to translate innovative ideas into scholarly pursuits due to a lack of experience or expertise in selecting outcome measures that demonstrate impact. A recent national call for increased focus on outcome measures for medical education research highlights the need for more training in this area.

Methods

We developed a 2-hour interactive workshop to improve educator ability to identify outcome measures for educational innovations. This workshop was delivered at a national pediatrics educational conference and at three local institutional faculty development sessions.

Results

Participants were diverse in terms of experience, expertise, and roles within their educational programs. Participants rated the workshop positively in each setting and identified next steps in developing their own products of educational scholarship.

Discussion

This workshop can provide faculty and faculty developers with a template for developing a skill set in identifying outcome measures and pairing them with educational innovations.