Online faculty development using cognitive apprenticeship in response to COVID‐19

Abstract

necessary to develop good assessment tools to evaluate the competence of our students. Our medical education department, therefore, changed its face to face workshops on 'how to create multiple choice questions (MCQs)' into online ones. It was the first time our medical education department had created questions online. | WHAT WA S TRIED?Cognitive apprenticeship concepts were adopted when designing and implementing the training workshop. We started with full instructions on how to use Zoom™ cloud (Zoom Video Communications Inc., San Jose, CA, USA) through video and a technical training session offered before the workshop. Video-recording of a lecture explained the guidelines adopted by the assessment unit regarding the MCQ design. A document including frequently asked questions regarding the design of MCQs was also disseminated 2 days before the synchronous meeting. During the meeting, we started by 'modelling' with a short presentation on how to write a high-quality MCQ. Then, 'coaching' and 'scaffolding' was achieved by dividing participants into groups based on their specialty, with each group having an online coach (facilitator). Using breakout rooms in Zoom cloud, each group worked together and received tips from their coach for correcting poorly constructed MCQs. One coach was assigned to each group of 3-4 trainees. 'Reflection' was then performed individually and asynchronously by sending the trainee an email containing a file of MCQs' designed by them previously' with a request to critique and reflect on their quality. Upon returning the file the trainee received feedback. Additionally, 'articulation' was performed by asking learners to write down step-by-step instructions on how to modify their previously constructed MCQs, leading to a second round of feedback. Finally, learners engaged in 'exploration' as they were asked to create new MCQs and send them via email for further feedback.The quality of the newly designed questions was judged against a checklist for assessing the quality of MCQs adopted, revealing newly designed MCQs that were higher in quality than those submitted pre-workshop. | WHAT LE SSON S WERE LE ARNED?1. Proper design of hands-on activities can change faculty staff minds. Offering multiple and different opportunities for hands-on ac-tivities to the trainee with constructive feedback can improve the outcomes of faculty development activities.3. It is important to provide appropriate scaffolding to faculty staff when they perform assigned activities to support their learning. 4. Providing additional experience to practice (and check ability to transfer newly acquired knowledge and skills) is valuable. 5. Unexpectedly, when we were able to achieve what had been done in previous face to face training sessions, trainees reported less interference and better participation was achieved by conducting the workshop online. O RCI DAyat Nabil Eltayar https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7177-1126

Chinese medical students’ interest in COVID-19 pandemic

“…The number of online education users in China reached 423 million, equating to an increase of 110.2% from the end of 2018[ 18 ]. After the pandemic, schools can still consider a combination of in-class learning and some online learning modalities[ 19 ]. Our findings also confirmed the popularity and feasibility of this way.…”

Developments in medical education in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: A rapid BEME systematic review: BEME Guide No. 63

“…Seven papers described adaptations to assessment processes (Ahmed et al 2020;Boursicot et al 2020;Eltayar et al 2020;Hannon et al 2020;Lapolla and Mingoli 2020;Samarasekera et al 2020;Veasuvalingam and Goodson 2020). Three of these described adaptations to assessing clinical skills through objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) in the context of physical distancing.…”

“…The third transitioned to formative on-line quizzes and short tests with feedback to enhance and promote remote learning (Veasuvalingam and Goodson 2020). The other two papers described assessment item writing workshops that were both delivered online using Zoom instead of face-to-face (Ahmed et al 2020;Eltayar et al 2020).…”

“…A few papers did discuss problems and challenges that could prove helpful to groups attempting to build on these experiences: faculty and learners need to be oriented to video-conferencing platforms (e.g. mute microphones in large group but not small group meetings, utilize the chat or hand raising function to speak or participate); restructuring is time intensive and requires communication, teamwork and the collective support of all members of the staff (Veasuvalingam and Goodson 2020); not all simulations can be replaced virtually or online, so pre-briefing and preparation are critical to success (Sudhir et al 2020); remote platforms may support technical skill development, but they may not support nonverbal communication or physical exam skill development (Eltayar et al 2020;Hannon et al 2020).…”

Transitioning to a new era: Future directions for staff development during COVID‐19

“…The main tenet of which is to provide scaffolding or structural support upon which learners can build skills, knowledge and attitudes. Prior to a workshop or conference, pre‐session technical training was provided to familiarise staff with the web platform so they could capitalise on the workshop or conference session 4,5,7 . Methods of education included instructional videos as well as online information technology (IT) clinics.…”