Assessment of Preparedness for Remote Teaching and Learning to Transform Health Professions Education in Sub-Saharan Africa in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study With a Case Study Approach.

Mike Nantamu Kagawa,Gwendoline Kandawasvika,Lynette Van Der Merwe,Rangarirai Masanganise,Shalote Chipamaunga,Patricia Katowa-Mukwato,Aloysius Gonzaga Mubuuke,Rudo Gwini,Elliot Kafumukache,Louise Pretorius,Detlef Prozesky,Quenton Wessels,Scovia Nalugo Mbalinda,Kefalotse S Dithole,Clemence Marimo,Champion N Nyoni

doi:10.2196/28905

Abstract

BackgroundThe current COVID-19 pandemic is affecting all aspects of society worldwide. To combat the pandemic, measures such as face mask–wearing, hand-washing and -sanitizing, movement restrictions, and social distancing have been introduced. These measures have significantly disrupted education, particularly health professions education, which depends on student-patient contact for the development of clinical competence. The wide-ranging consequences of the pandemic are immense, and health professions education institutions in sub-Saharan Africa have not been spared.ObjectiveThis paper describes a protocol for assessing the preparedness of selected health professions education institutions in sub-Saharan Africa for remote teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsA mixed-methods design with a case study approach will be used. The awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, and reinforcement model of change was selected as the conceptual framework to guide the study. Eight higher education institutions in 6 sub-Saharan countries have participated in this study. Data will be collected through electronic surveys from among whole populations of academic staff, students, and administrators in undergraduate medicine and nursing programs. Qualitative and quantitative data from each institution will be analyzed as a case study, which will yield an inventory of similar cases grouped for comparison. Quantitative data will be analyzed for each institution and then compared to determine associations among variables and differences among programs, institutions, or countries.ResultsOur findings will provide information to higher education institutions, particularly those offering health professions education programs, in Africa regarding the preparedness for remote teaching and learning to influence efforts related to web-based teaching and learning, which is envisaged to become the new normal in the future.ConclusionsThis study has not received any funding, and any costs involved were borne by individual consortium members at the various institutions. Ethics approval from the institutional review board was obtained at various times across the participating sites, which were free to commence data collection as soon as approval was obtained. Data collection was scheduled to begin on October 1, 2020, and end on February 28, 2021. As of this submission, data collection has been completed, and a total of 1099 participants have been enrolled. Data analysis has not yet commenced.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/28905

Highlights

BackgroundThe World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020, and countries had to adopt containment and mitigation measures such as restrictions on movement of persons and human congregation [1,2]
Our findings will provide information to higher education institutions, those offering health professions education programs, in Africa regarding the preparedness for remote teaching and learning to influence efforts related to web-based teaching and learning, which is envisaged to become the new normal in the future
The COVID-19 pandemic arguably exposed the unpreparedness of many higher education institutions (HEIs) in Africa to alternative teaching and learning approaches [3]

Summary

Introduction

The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020, and countries had to adopt containment and mitigation measures such as restrictions on movement of persons and human congregation [1,2]. Health professions education was no exception to these drastic measures, and planned teaching and learning activities have been almost totally disrupted. Measures such as face mask–wearing, hand-washing and -sanitizing, movement restrictions, and social distancing have been introduced. These measures have significantly disrupted education, health professions education, which depends on student-patient contact for the development of clinical competence. The wide-ranging consequences of the pandemic are immense, and health professions education institutions in sub-Saharan Africa have not been spared

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion