Optimizing e-learning in oncology during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has profoundly impacted cancer care, research and residency training in oncology worldwide. Many countries canceled exams, shortened their residency program and medical school tenure. Traditional teaching and learning method has faced significant disruption during this time and the situation has pushed us to adapt to e-learning. Most national and international cancer meetings were converted into a virtual platform during this time. E-learning ensures a safe environment to maintain education during a pandemic. Digital technology-based learning is likely to be used effectively in oncology training even after the pandemic ends. Stakeholders should work towards standardizing e-learning into routine educational modules and create a system of credibility and accountability.

The landscape of digital resources in radiation oncology

“…Alternative modes of education and the use of online resources for on-demand access and knowledge sharing continue to become increasingly adopted. Previously published literature focuses on the integration of e-learning resources into trainee education [12] , [14] , [29] or smartphone specific resources [17] , [30] , [31] ; however, no prior publications have provided information on the availability of e-learning resources. This report represents the first comprehensive compilation and analysis of reputable resources available to radiation oncology trainees and instructors.…”

Radiation Oncology Virtual Education Rotation (ROVER) 2.0 for Residents: Implementation and Outcomes

“…Thus, our panelists, which were deliberately constructed with an eye to speaker diversity, allowed for thoughtful discussion of varying treatment approaches. By removing typical barriers such as travel, virtual learning allows for multi-institutional (or even global) collaboration and sharing of knowledge/resources in a convenient and costeffective manner, similarly reflected in other survey studies [1,8,[18][19][20][21]. To this end, the use of gray-zone cases was particularly useful given there was no definitive "correct" answer, thus allowing for thoughtful discussion of different treatment approaches.…”

“…With the COVID-19 pandemic and mandated social distancing, disruption in traditional in-person teaching models led to the creation of alternate virtual educational platforms in residency training [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Radiation Oncology Virtual Education Rotation (ROVER) is a novel virtual education platform developed to support radiation oncology education for medical students and residents.…”

“…Initially, these virtual didactics were intended to serve as a temporary replacement for in-person classroom teaching; however, virtual learning offers unique advantages as a supplement to in-person teaching even in the post-pandemic setting [1,[4][5][6]8]. In the previous meta-analysis, technology-enhanced stimulation in health profession education has shown to be effective in outcomes for knowledge, skills, and behavior [10].…”

Development of explanatory movies for the delineation of new organs at risk in neuro-oncology

“…In recent times, digital learning has been playing an increasingly important role, which has been even more accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic [10]. Based on this, educational movies describing the ten new OARs were produced.…”