The eSTEP™ Website: A Response

Abstract

As the STEP™ Tutor, I would like to thank Kaur and Harrison for their review of a component of The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCSE) – Surgeons in Training Education Programme (STEP™), and also take this opportunity to clarify the development of this programme. STEP™ was initially launched in 1994 as a distance learning programme for surgical trainees. This was revised in 1997 (STEP™ MRCS CsiG version) and once again in 2000 to keep up to date with the requirements of the MRCS examination. We are revising this again to reflect the new surgical training and Intercollegiate Surgical Curriculum Project (ISCP) . The key change in the 2000 edition of STEP™ was the introduction of the eSTEP™ website; this was introduced to complement the printed version of STEP™ and provide a ‘blended’ learning programme. This allowed the principles expounded by the STEP™ team of W Ribbans, M Larvin and J Masih – namely that the programme would have a greater emphasis on self-directed work by trainees, there would be a larger component of interactivity with less didactic teaching and also introduce a community function for the distance learning programme. By 2005, STEP™ had been taken up by 7500 trainees in the UK; however, it was also clear that there were going to be some major changes in training with the introduction of the Foundation years ( ) and the surgical curriculum. The STEP™ team at the RCSE have undertaken an extensive market research (Larvin M, Haine L, Kamal T. STEP™ survey: what trainees want from a distance learning programme. Bull R Soc Surg Engl 2006; 88: 230–1) of the trainees' requirements and also reviewed the surgical curriculum as it was being developed. Several issues have been identified: The majority of trainees responded that they still wanted printed material as a resource although the material required revision in content and presentation. The eSTEP™ website was also integrated closely with STEP™ hence achieving a true ‘blended’ learning resource. The team are also aware that technology has changed dramatically since the early eSTEP™ site was developed. From the first item above, the survey demonstrates that trainees prefer a blended learning approach where they can learn didactic material from printed material and can take self-assessments online. Unlike BeST Online (Basic electronic Surgical Training) which is wholly online, STEP™ combines printed modules with online support via the eSTEP™ website and also provides additional benefits including: (i) Surgery journal subscription (24 months); (ii) discounts on textbooks via Blackwell's online bookshop; (iii) an event at the RCSE (STEP™ College Day); and (iv) discounts on the RCSE's Intercollegiate MRCS examination preparatory courses. Bearing in mind the results of the survey, the team is actively involved in producing a new edition of STEP™ (including an updated version of the eSTEP™ website) for release later in 2008. STEP™ will provide the surgical trainee with a distance learning resource combining the didactic elements as well as a complementary interactive website. The latter will allow peer-led discussions as well as a conduit for rapid responses to changes in the surgical trainees' environment. With this programme, the surgical trainee will have access to an up-to-date resource that will be responsive to the inevitable changes in surgical training. Computers are incredibly fast, accurate, and stupid. Human beings are incredibly slow, inaccurate, and brilliant. Together they are powerful beyond imagination. Albert Einstein, 1879–1955