One Year of Pandemic Learning Response: Benefits of Massive Online Delivery of the World Health Organization’s Technical Guidance

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) launched the first web-based learning course on COVID-19 on January 26, 2020, four days before the director general of the WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern. The WHO is expanding access to web-based learning for COVID-19 through its open-learning platform for health emergencies, OpenWHO. Throughout the pandemic, OpenWHO has continued to publish learning offerings based on the WHO’s emerging evidence-based knowledge for managing the COVID-19 pandemic. This study presents the various findings derived from the analysis of the performance of the OpenWHO platform during the pandemic, along with the core benefits of massive web-based learning formats.

Online Learning for Mass Audiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Key Considerations for Real Time Knowledge Transfer

“…Learning effectiveness is presented based on twelve studies reported on effectiveness of digital learning, including all systematic reviews, which assessed online learning approaches in the areas listed below: technology-enabled knowledge translation strategies (TEKT) to increase use of research in public health [43]; digital education on chronic wound management [44]; artificial intelligence (AI), and diagnostic deep learning algorithms for medical imaging [45]; enablers, and barriers of e-learning in health sciences education [46]; cloud technology adoption in health sector [47]; digital education on clinical practice guidelines [48]; digital undergraduate education in dentistry [27]; and e-learning programmes in licensed health professionals [49]. Additionally, four quantitative, and one qualitative studies examined effectiveness of such digital activities: e-learning programme focusing on improving health care professionals' attitudes, and practices on breastfeeding [52]; e-learning course on child protection in medicine [53]; utilization of virtual worlds as a platform for collaborative meetings in health care [50]; and a massive online open course on implementation research for learners in low-and middle-income countries [9].…”

“…For example, most studies examined changes in the knowledge level of health professionals over time, yet study design varied from a cross-sectional with a pre-and post-test assessments (i.e. testing before and after learning activity) [53] to a longitudinal approach, where knowledge retention up to six months or a one-year follow up was carried out [52]. Consequently, these inconsistencies may lead to equivocal results demonstrated by authors.…”

“…In three articles, digital learning approaches were claimed to be more effective than no intervention in improving knowledge [43,44,48] or at least as effective as traditional learning [48]; yet one systematic review suggested that e-learning may make little or no difference in patient outcomes or health professionals' behaviours, skills or knowledge [49]. Moreover, knowledge level was also examined by two crosssectional studies conducted in Germany, and Italy, one case study in Portugal, and one evaluation of a massive open online course (MOOC) [9,[52][53][54]. Authors reported an improvement of knowledge level [53,54] as well as participants of these interventions reported utilization of the knowledge [31], and skills gained in their professional lives frequently [9].…”

“…Moreover, knowledge level was also examined by two crosssectional studies conducted in Germany, and Italy, one case study in Portugal, and one evaluation of a massive open online course (MOOC) [9,[52][53][54]. Authors reported an improvement of knowledge level [53,54] as well as participants of these interventions reported utilization of the knowledge [31], and skills gained in their professional lives frequently [9]. Previous research on the effectiveness of digital learning for knowledge acquisition in health professionals confirmed that either online or blended learning had a more consistent positive effect than no intervention or traditional learning [17][18][19][20].…”

Development of a simple and effective online training for health workers: results from a pilot in Nigeria

“…Many organizations replaced in-person training with online learning in response to restrictions on gathering and travel imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This shift required an expansion of online learning opportunities for HWs, which currently include massive open online courses (MOOCs) [ 14 ], webinars [ 15 ] and synchronous virtual communities of practice [ 16 ]. However, accessing, engaging with and learning in online environments can be challenging even under optimal circumstances.…”