Project description:IntroductionThe educational technology of massive open online courses (MOOCs) has been successfully applied in a wide variety of disciplines and are an intense focus of educational research at this time. Educators are now looking to MOOC technology as a means to improve professional medical education, but very little is known about how medical MOOCs compare with traditional content delivery.MethodsA retrospective analysis of the course evaluations for the Medicine as a Business elective by fourth-year medical students at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine (SIU-SOM) for the 2012-2015 academic years was conducted. This course was delivered by small group flipped classroom discussions for 2012-2014 and delivered via MOOC technology in 2015. Learner ratings were compared between the two course delivery methods using routinely collected course evaluations.ResultsCourse enrollment has ranged from 6-19 students per year in the 2012-2015 academic years. Student evaluations of the course are favorable in the areas of effective teaching, accurate course objectives, meeting personal learning objectives, recommending the course to other students, and overall when rated on a 5-point Likert scale. The majority of all student ratings (76-95%) of this elective course are for the highest possible choice (Strongly agree or Excellent) for any criteria, regardless if the course was delivered via a traditional or MOOC format. Statistical analysis of these ratings suggests that the Effective Teacher and Overall Evaluations did not statistically differ between the two delivery formats.DiscussionStudent ratings of this elective course were highly similar when delivered in a flipped classroom format or by using MOOC technology. The primary advantage of this new course format is flexibility of time and place for learners, allowing them to complete the course objectives when convenient for them. The course evaluations suggest this is a change that is acceptable to the target audience.ConclusionsThis study suggests that learner evaluations of a fourth-year medical school elective course do not significantly differ when delivered by flipped classroom group discussions or via MOOC technology in a very small single center observational study. Further investigation is required to determine if this delivery method is an acceptable and effective means of teaching in the medical school environment.

Project description:Dementia is a global public health priority and risk reduction is an important pillar of the public health response. While 40% of cases are estimated to be attributable to modifiable health and lifestyle risk factors, public awareness of the evidence is low, limiting peoples' opportunity to adopt risk-reducing behaviours. To address this gap, we designed, implemented, and evaluated an educational intervention, the Preventing Dementia Massive Open Online Course (PDMOOC). This mixed-methods study examined the reach and impact of the free and globally available PDMOOC, to assess its potential to provide effective dementia risk reduction education to a broad international audience. Over 100,000 individuals participated in the PDMOOC across seven iterations from 2016 to 2020, with 55,739 of these consenting to participate in research. Their mean age was 49 years (SD = 15), they came from 167 different countries, and the majority were female (86%), had completed post-secondary education (77%), lived in high-income countries (93%) and worked in health care and social assistance (63%). This demographic profile changed across time, with more men, people with higher education and people from low- and middle-income countries participating in recent course iterations. Two-thirds of participants completed the PDMOOC; completion was associated with being aged 50 to 70 years, residing in a high-income country, having tertiary education, and working in the health sector. Participants reported high levels of satisfaction with the PDMOOC, improved dementia risk reduction understanding and self-efficacy, increased motivation to maintain healthy lifestyles, and, importantly, application of their learning to health behaviour change with the potential to reduce their dementia risk. The PDMOOC educated a large global audience about dementia risk reduction, which contributed to participants making risk-reducing behaviour changes. This suggests MOOCs can be a successful public health strategy to improve dementia risk reduction understanding.

Project description:BackgroundUnderstanding respiratory physiology and mechanical ventilation is a challenge for healthcare workers, particularly, medical residents. A team of French-speaking experts developed an innovative MOOC incorporating interactive simulation-based videos and serious games aiming at improving knowledge and skills in mechanical ventilation. Our objective was to evaluate the long-term knowledge retention regarding key concepts presented in this MOOC.MethodsFrench residents registered for the MOOC 2020's winter session were invited to participate in a two-step study. The first step consisted in evaluating students' pre-course knowledge of respiratory physiology and mechanical ventilation fusing a 20 five-item multiple choice questions test with a total score ranging from 0 to 100. For the second step, the same students answered the same test (after shuffling the questions) six months after the completion of the course. We assessed the impact of this MOOC on the students' knowledge retention by comparing pre-course and post-course scores.ResultOf the 102 residents who agreed to participate in the study, 80 completed the course and their mean ± SD pre-course score was 76.0 ± 8.0. Fifty-one respondents also completed the second and their post-course score was significantly higher than the baseline one (83.1 ± 7.3 vs. 77.5 ± 7.6, p < 0.001). Scores of the first and second rounds did not differ upon comparing respondents' background specialty or number of years of residency. For the vast majority of individual questions (96%), the success rate was higher at the post-course than at the pre-course assessment.ConclusionAn innovative MOOC incorporating simulation-based videos was effective in teaching medical residents basic mechanical ventilation knowledge and skills, especially in the field of respiratory physiology and ventilatory modes. We observed effective long-term knowledge retention with a higher score at the post-course assessment six months after the completion of the course compared with the pre-course score.

Project description:BackgroundEducation about patient safety has historically been limited in health professionals curricula and largely inaccessible to the general public. We developed a massive open online course (MOOC), The Science of Safety in Healthcare, to present the foundational patient safety principles to a broad global audience of health professionals, learners, and patients interested in patient safety.ObjectivesTo describe the Science of Safety in Healthcare MOOC, its effects on patient safety competence, and the satisfaction of course participants.MethodsThe five-week video-based course was delivered in 2013 and 2014, and was organized in five modules: 1) overview of science of safety and safety culture, 2) enabling and contextual factors that influence patient safety and quality, 3) methods to improve safety and quality, 4) translating evidence intro practice and leading change, and 5) summary and opportunities for capacity building. Each module had three or four segments. Participants were introduced to key concepts, and tools and skills to promote patient safety. Participants completed the Health Professional Education in Patient Safety Survey (H-PEPSS), which measures patient safety competence, and a course satisfaction survey. Pre- and post- course H-PEPSS scores were compared using paired t-tests. Course satisfaction surveys were administered at the completion of the course and six months later.ResultsA total of 20,957, and 9679 participants enrolled in the course in 2013 and 2014, respectively. About half of participants were 25-44 years old (57%), and female (54%). Participants joined from over 100 countries. The majority were health professionals (61%) or health professionals in training (7%). Mean H-PEPSS scores improved after course completion, with significant increases on all survey domains in both years (p < 0.01). Mean score differences were: Teamwork 0.68 (95% CI: 0.64, 0.71), Communication 0.70 (95% CI: 0.66, 0.73), Managing Risk 0.79 (95% CI: 0.76, 0.82), Human Environment 0.64 (95% CI: 0.61, 0.68), Recognizing and Responding 0.64 (95% CI: 0.61, 0.68), and Culture 0.72 (95% CI: 0.68, 0.75). About 8% of participants in each cohort earned a certificate of completion. At 6-months post-course, the majority of the participants agreed or agreed strongly that the course content was useful (93%) and that the course positively influenced their clinical practice (69%) and communication (84%).ConclusionsThe MOOC course allowed educators to reach a large, diverse audience. The course was well-received and participants reported a significant increase in patient safety competence. As with most MOOCs, rates of completion were low.

Project description:IntroductionMassive open online courses (MOOCs) offer a flexible approach to online and distance learning, and are growing in popularity. Several MOOCs are now available, to help learners build on their knowledge in a number of healthcare topics. More research is needed to determine the effectiveness of MOOCs as an online education tool, and explore their long-term impact on learners' professional practice. We present a protocol describing the design of comprehensive, mixed-methods evaluation of a MOOC, 'Q uality I mprovement ( QI ) in H ealthcare : the Case for Change', which aims to improve learner's knowledge and understanding of QI approaches in healthcare, and to increase their confidence in participating, and possibly leading QI projects.Methods and analysisA pre-post study design using quantitative and qualitative methods will be used to evaluate the QI MOOC. Different elements of the RE-AIM (reach, effectiveness and maintenance) and Kirkpatrick (reaction, learning and behaviour) models will be used to guide the evaluation. All learners who register for the course will be invited to participate in the QI MOOC evaluation study. Those who consent will be asked to complete a presurvey to assess baseline QI knowledge (self-report and objective) and perceived confidence in engaging in QI activities. On completion of the course, participants will complete a postsurvey measuring again knowledge and perceived confidence. Feedback on the course content and how it can be improved. A subset of participants will be invited to take part in a follow-up qualitative interview, 3 months after taking the course, to explore in depth how the MOOC impacted their behaviour in practice.Ethics and disseminationThe study has been approved by the University of Bath Human Research Ethics Committee (reference: 2958). Study findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals, and disseminated at conference and departmental presentations, and more widely using social media, microblogging sites and periodicals aimed at healthcare professionals.

Project description:BackgroundMassive open online courses (MOOCs) have the potential to make a broader educational impact because many learners undertake these courses. Despite their reach, there is a lack of knowledge about which methods are used for evaluating these courses.ObjectiveThe aim of this review was to identify current MOOC evaluation methods to inform future study designs.MethodsWe systematically searched the following databases for studies published from January 2008 to October 2018: (1) Scopus, (2) Education Resources Information Center, (3) IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) Xplore, (4) PubMed, (5) Web of Science, (6) British Education Index, and (7) Google Scholar search engine. Two reviewers independently screened the abstracts and titles of the studies. Published studies in the English language that evaluated MOOCs were included. The study design of the evaluations, the underlying motivation for the evaluation studies, data collection, and data analysis methods were quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed. The quality of the included studies was appraised using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias Tool for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and the National Institutes of Health-National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute quality assessment tool for cohort observational studies and for before-after (pre-post) studies with no control group.ResultsThe initial search resulted in 3275 studies, and 33 eligible studies were included in this review. In total, 16 studies used a quantitative study design, 11 used a qualitative design, and 6 used a mixed methods study design. In all, 16 studies evaluated learner characteristics and behavior, and 20 studies evaluated learning outcomes and experiences. A total of 12 studies used 1 data source, 11 used 2 data sources, 7 used 3 data sources, 4 used 2 data sources, and 1 used 5 data sources. Overall, 3 studies used more than 3 data sources in their evaluation. In terms of the data analysis methods, quantitative methods were most prominent with descriptive and inferential statistics, which were the top 2 preferred methods. In all, 26 studies with a cross-sectional design had a low-quality assessment, whereas RCTs and quasi-experimental studies received a high-quality assessment.ConclusionsThe MOOC evaluation data collection and data analysis methods should be determined carefully on the basis of the aim of the evaluation. The MOOC evaluations are subject to bias, which could be reduced using pre-MOOC measures for comparison or by controlling for confounding variables. Future MOOC evaluations should consider using more diverse data sources and data analysis methods.International registered report identifier (irrid)RR2-10.2196/12087.

Project description:Introduction Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). Despite this, a lack of funding, training and mentorship for NCD investigators in LMICs exists. In an effort to gain knowledge and skills to address these gaps, participants from the Global Research on Implementation and Translation Science (GRIT), a consortium of studies in eight LMICs and their networks, attended the dissemination and implementation (D&I) massive open online course (MOOC) developed by the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases at the World Health Organization to strengthen D&I capacity building. Here, we report on the feasibility of this MOOC, which was implemented during the SARS COVID-19 pandemic from April- November 2020. Methods Participants completed pre- and post- training questionnaires to assess self-reported D&I competencies, general research skills, and research mentor access and quality. D&I competencies were measured by use of a scale developed for a US-based training program, with change in competency scores assessed by paired t test. We used univariate statistics to analyze the data for all other outcomes. Results Of the 247 participants enrolled, 32 (13%) completed all MOOC components. D&I competency scores suggest improvement for those who had complete pre- and post-assessments. Traineeâ€™s average score on the full competency scale improved 1.45 points (0-5 scale) from pre- to post-test; all four subscales also showed evidence of improvements. There were small but not significant increases in competencies for grant writing, proposal/ manuscript writing and presentations from pre- to post-test assessment. 40% of trainees reported access to a research mentor and 12% reported access to a D&I specific mentor. Participants reported barriers (e.g., unstable internet access and challenges due to COVID-19) and facilitators (e.g., topical interests, collaboration with colleagues) to completing the MOOC. Conclusions Although COVID-19 affected program usage and completion, the MOOC was feasible and effective, showing that among LMIC participants completing the course, there was improvement in D&I competency scores. Recommendations for future D&I trainings in LMICs should include 1) adding more topic specific modules (i.e., NCD research, general research skills) for scalability; 2) fostering more collaboration with participants across LMICs; and 3) establishing partnerships with D&I mentors for course participants.

Dataset Information

"Bioinformatics: introduction and methods," a bilingual Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) as a new example for global bioinformatics education.

Publications

"Bioinformatics: introduction and methods," a bilingual Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) as a new example for global bioinformatics education.

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