Experiences with alternative online lectures in medical education in obstetrics and gynecology during the COVID-19 pandemic\u2014possible efficient and student-orientated models for the future?

Maximilian Riedel,Anne Karge,Anna Maria Dobberkau,Bastian Meyer,Florian Recker,Maria Tensil,Bettina Kuschel,Gabriel Eisenkolb,Niklas Amann,Evelyn Klein,Fabian Riedel

doi:10.1007/s00404-021-06356-5

Abstract

PurposeThe onset of the COVID-19 pandemic posed an eminent challenge for medical teachers worldwide. Face-to-face lectures and seminars were no longer possible, and alternatives had to be found. E-learning concepts quickly emerged as the only practicable solutions and also offered the opportunity to evaluate whether traditional face-to-face lectures could be translated into an online format, independent of the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsWe offered an e-learning program consisting of lecture notes, screencasts with audio narration, and online webinars that covered topics normally taught in traditional lectures and seminars. To evaluate the learning behavior and quality of our e-learning program, we drafted a questionnaire that students completed at the end of the 2020 summer semester that had been designed to enable a comparative analysis of the different e-learning modules.ResultsVoluntary participation in the online courses was high. Survey analysis revealed high satisfaction with and a distinctive preference for the format, even under regular, COVID-19-independent conditions. In general, a positive appraisal of e-learning—especially as a substitute for regular lectures—was found. Students also reported higher studying efficiency. Exam results were equal to those of previous semesters.ConclusionBoth acceptance of and satisfaction with our e-learning modules were high, and students displayed increased demand for this kind of e-learning format. We, therefore, conclude that e-learning offerings could serve as reasonable, efficient, student-orientated substitutes for certain medical courses, especially lectures. These curricular adaptations would correlate with the high digitalization seen in students’ everyday lives. This correlation may also hold true independent of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Highlights

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, digitalization in medical studies had only slowly gained relevance in Germany
We aimed to address three different questions in our survey: (I) What are our students’ preferred learning environments and their typical studying behavior? (II) How satisfied are they with adopting our online resources as a substitute for lectures? (III) Can e-learning contribute to a more-time-efficient learning environment after the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic have been lifted?
We offered three e-learning modules that covered the topics of the course in obstetrics and gynecology that is normally taught in a series of face-to-face lectures and seminars

Summary

Introduction

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, digitalization in medical studies had only slowly gained relevance in Germany. Students’ preference for online learning over learning via analogous media has increasingly accelerated in recent years [3, 4]. Available online medical learning platforms, such as AMBOSS [5], Thieme Examen [6], and Medi Learn [7], have increased in popularity among German medical students and physicians. These platforms provide comprehensive and interlinked online knowledge databases as well as multiple-choice questions that prepare students for the nationwide German Medical State Examination [8]

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Conclusion