Slack as a virtual undergraduate dermatology community: a pilot study

Abstract

Background. Dermatology is under-represented in UK undergraduate curricula, and with a diagnostic and educational toolkit that is heavily centred on face-to-face (F2F) clinical examination, dermatology education has been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Online channel-based messaging apps such as Slack offer an opportunity to engage students in remote, multimodal collaborative learning by reproducing a classroom environment in the virtual space. Aim. To determine the feasibility, acceptability and proof of concept for an online Slack community in undergraduate dermatology education. Methods. Undergraduate medical students participated in an online classroom for a 6-week programme encompassing case-based discussions, seminars and journal clubs. The platform was facilitated by junior doctors (n = 10) and patient educators (n = 6). Students and faculty completed a post-course evaluation. Students additionally completed a pre-and post-intervention dermatology quiz. Mixed methods analyses included quantitative analyses to explore data trends and qualitative phenomenographic analyses to assimilate key underlying themes. Results. Students (n = 65) were enrolled to join the platform. The evaluation was completed by students (n = 52) from UK universities (n = 27). The majority of students (n = 27) interacted with the platform as passive observers (≤ 5 active interactions with the channel), with a small group (n = 4) of 'super-users' (≥ 100 active interactions). The overall quality of the course was described as 'excellent' by 96% of participants and 100% of faculty. Conclusion.A community-based online classroom can act as an enjoyable, acceptable and collaborative means of delivering dermatology education to undergraduate medical students. Its ease of use and supportive nature may also facilitate patient involvement. Such advances may provide vital safeguards against the reduction in F2F learning that has accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic.

Developing channel‐based online teaching

“…The success of a programme delivered through a TBMA depends on clear understanding and application of the educational theory relevant to channel‐based TEL. The CoI framework focuses on the intentional development of an online community (e.g., Derm Hub 2 ) where the ultimate emphasis is to foster conversations that will lead to epistemic engagement. CoI was originally proposed in the early 2000s to facilitate understanding of learning through computer conferencing and has since been adapted to consider online learning in its entirety.…”

“…We introduced a journal club focused on articles linked to the undergraduate dermatology curriculum, which offered insights into the critical appraisal process as well as promoting debate and discussion on recent research. Feedback by students showed that they were highly satisfied with this strategy 2 …”

“…Feedback by students showed that they were highly satisfied with this strategy. 2 Employing a variety of pedagogical techniques tailored to student needs can also encourage student contribution to the learning platform.…”

“…For example, for Derm Hub, we utilised Slack to create channels including #imagequiz, #journalclub and #revisionbites. 2 Asynchronous input may benefit shy students, students with dyslexia, those from different time zones and so on.…”

“…This toolbox presents a compilation of recommendations for facilitating learning through TBMAs, based on implementation of a Slackbased undergraduate dermatology learning platform called 'Derm Hub'. 2 These recommendations have been examined through the lens of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework. 3 The aim of this article is to assist educators in developing their own channel-based TEL programme using a TBMA in their chosen field.…”