Medical education across the world has experienced a major disruptive change as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic and technology has been rapidly and innovatively used to maintain teaching and learning. The future of medical education is uncertain after the pandemic resolves but several potential future scenarios are discussed to inform current decision-making about the future provision of teaching and learning. The use of emergent technology for education, such as artificial intelligence for adaptive learning and virtual reality, are highly likely to be essential components of the transformative change and the future of medical education. The benefits and challenges of the use of technology in medical education are discussed with the intention of informing all providers on how the changes after the pandemic can have a positive impact on both educators and students across the world.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a massive adaptation in health professions education, with a shift from inperson learning activities to a sudden heavy reliance on internet-mediated education. Some health professions schools will have already had considerable educational technology and cultural infrastructure in place, making such a shift more of a different emphasis in provision. For others, this shift will have been a considerable dislocation for both educators and learners in the provision of education. To aid educators make this shift effectively, this 12 Tips article presents a compendium of key principles and practical recommendations that apply to the modalities that make up online learning. The emphasis is on design features that can be rapidly implemented and optimised for the current pandemic. Where applicable, we have pointed out how these short-term shifts can also be beneficial for the long-term integration of educational technology into the organisations' infrastructure. The need for adaptability on the part of educators and learners is an important over-arching theme. By demonstrating these core values of the health professions school in a time of crisis, the manner in which the shift to online learning is carried out sends its own important message to novice health professionals who are in the process of developing their professional identities as learners and as clinicians.

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Videos can promote learning by either complementing classroom activities, or in self-paced online learning modules. Despite the wide availability of online videos in medicine, it can be a challenge for many educators to decide when videos should be used, how to best use videos, and whether to use existing videos or produce their own. We outline 12 tips based on a review of best practices in curriculum design, current research in multimedia learning and our experience in producing and using educational videos. The 12 tips review the advantages of using videos in medical education, present requirements for teachers and students, discuss how to integrate video into a teaching programme, and describe technical requirements when producing one's own videos. The 12 tips can help medical educators use videos more effectively to promote student engagement and learning.

BackgroundWeb-based learning is becoming an increasingly important instructional tool in nursing education. Multimedia advancements offer the potential for creating authentic nursing activities for developing nursing competency in clinical practice.ObjectiveThis study aims to describe the design, development, and evaluation of an interactive multimedia Web-based simulation for developing nurses’ competencies in acute nursing care.MethodsAuthentic nursing activities were developed in a Web-based simulation using a variety of instructional strategies including animation video, multimedia instructional material, virtual patients, and online quizzes. A randomized controlled study was conducted on 67 registered nurses who were recruited from the general ward units of an acute care tertiary hospital. Following a baseline evaluation of all participants’ clinical performance in a simulated clinical setting, the experimental group received 3 hours of Web-based simulation and completed a survey to evaluate their perceptions of the program. All participants were re-tested for their clinical performances using a validated tool.ResultsThe clinical performance posttest scores of the experimental group improved significantly (P<.001) from the pretest scores after the Web-based simulation. In addition, compared to the control group, the experimental group had significantly higher clinical performance posttest scores (P<.001) after controlling the pretest scores. The participants from the experimental group were satisfied with their learning experience and gave positive ratings for the quality of the Web-based simulation. Themes emerging from the comments about the most valuable aspects of the Web-based simulation include relevance to practice, instructional strategies, and fostering problem solving.ConclusionsEngaging in authentic nursing activities using interactive multimedia Web-based simulation can enhance nurses’ competencies in acute care. Web-based simulations provide a promising educational tool in institutions where large groups of nurses need to be trained in acute nursing care and accessibility to repetitive training is essential for achieving long-term retention of clinical competency.