Background The COVID-19 pandemic presented significant challenges to both clinical practice and the delivery of medical education. Educators and learners implemented novel techniques, including distance learning and web-based rounds, while trying to stay updated with the surge of information regarding COVID-19 epidemiology, pathogenesis, and treatment. Hence, we designed and implemented a technologically enhanced course called “COVID-19 Rounds” to educate students about the rapidly evolving pandemic. Objective The objectives of this study are to describe a technologically enhanced course called “COVID-19 Rounds” and evaluate the following: (1) student satisfaction and program usefulness in achieving preset objectives, (2) perceived improvement in literacy regarding the pandemic, and (3) the impact of student engagement by designing infographics and initiating COVID-19–related research projects. Methods This is a cross-sectional study measuring the impact of the implementation of the web-based “COVID-19 Rounds” course. This program included web-based clinical experiences with physicians on actual rounds in COVID-19 wards in the hospital, weekly updates on evolving data and new research, and engagement in student-led projects. The study population included 47 fourth-year medical students at the Mohamed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, who attended the course. We designed and administered a 47-item survey to assess student satisfaction, program usefulness, impact on knowledge, and student engagement. Data were collected at the end of program delivery via Microsoft Forms. Results In total, 38 (81%) out of 47 fourth-year medical students participated in this study. The final course evaluation revealed an overall high satisfaction rate, with a mean rating of 3.9 (SD 0.94) on the 5-point Likert scale. Most students were satisfied with the course format (27/38, 71%), organization (31/38, 82%), and the learning experience (28/38, 74%) that the course offered. The course was particularly appreciated for offering evidence-based talks about aspects of the pandemic (34/38, 90%), providing weekly updates regarding emerging evidence (32/38, 84%), and enhancing understanding of the challenges of the pandemic (34/38, 90%). Satisfaction with distance learning was moderate (23/37, 62%), and a minority of students would have preferred an in-person version of the course (10/37, 27%). Student engagement in the course was high. All students participated in small group presentations of infographics of pandemic-related topics. Perceived advantages included conciseness and visual appeal, and disadvantages included the lack of detail and the time-consuming nature of infographic design, especially for students with no prior design experience. After the course ended, 27 (57%) students began research projects. This resulted in 6 abstracts presented at local meetings and 8 scientific papers published or submitted for publication. Conclusions This inquiry-based adaptive approach to educating medical students about updates on COVID-19 via web-based learning was successful in achieving objectives and encouraging engagement in research. However, shortcomings of the course related to the lack of in-person teaching and clinical activities were also highlighted.
BACKGROUND The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic presented significant challenges to both clinical practice and the delivery of medical education. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of “COVID-19 Rounds”, an innovative educational program, delivered via distance learning to educate students about the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVE The objective of this research study is to describe the use of “COVID-19 Rounds”, as an innovative digital learning method in clinical medical education during a rapidly evolving pandemic. METHODS “COVID-19 Rounds” provided a contextualized, curriculum-based program that included virtual clinical experiences with physicians on actual rounds in the hospitals and COVID-19 wards, weekly updates on evolving data, new research, and engaging student-led projects. The study included 47 fourth-year medical students at Mohamed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Data was collected by a survey measuring student satisfaction, program effectiveness, impact on knowledge, and student engagement. RESULTS Final course evaluation revealed an overall high satisfaction rate (Score 3.9 +/- 0.94). Most students were satisfied with course format (71%), organization (81.6%) and learning experience (73.7%) that the course offered. The course was particularly useful in offering evidence-based talks about aspects of the pandemic (89.5%), providing weekly updates of emerging evidence (84.2%), enhancing understanding of the challenges of the pandemic (89.5%). Satisfaction with distance learning was moderate (62.2%), and a minority of students would have preferred an in-person version of the course (27%). CONCLUSIONS This innovative approach to educate medical students about updates in COVID-19 via virtual learning proved effective at achieving objectives and encouraging engagement in research. However, shortcomings of the course related to lack of in-person teaching and clinical activities were also highlighted.
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