Utilization and Perceived Effectiveness of a Web-Based Faculty Development Seminar for International Medical Science Educators

Abstract

The goal of this study was to examine the utilization and perceived effectiveness of the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) Webcast Audio Seminar Series (WAS) by participants at the individual and institutional levels. The Webcast Audio SeminarSeries User Survey (WASUS) included multiple quantitative and qualitative measures of user perceptions of their experiences and overall quality. Data was collected using a 42-item survey that examined user identification, utilization, and perceived effectiveness of the IAMSE WAS as a faculty development tool. Quantitative measures were summarized using descriptive statistics, including frequencies, means, and standard deviations. Qualitative data was investigated using an iterative, inductive thematic coding method. Qualitative themes were summarized and applied to quantitative trends as explanatory mechanisms with the intent to provide a more nuanced narrative of the data. The survey was sent to all 2012-2017 WAS participants which provided a cross-sectional snapshot of WAS user perceptions over a substantial period of time. Fifty-two participants responded. Survey participants were asked to rate WAS sessions on twelve different quality components. Quality ratings were explored by user subscription types and user experiences with other web-based conferences. Users rated the WAS program very highly on all components from 2012 to 2017. The high level of perceived quality by users is likely an important reason why WAS participation has continued to grow since its implementation. Since the quality ratings were consistently high over a 5-year period in which the number of users also grew and organizers continue to add new interactive features for users, it is expected that this growth is sustainable.