Online Education Programs Research Articles

Coronavirus disease 2019 Critical Care Essentials course for nurses: development and implementation of an education program for healthcare professionals

Objective: To describe development, implementation, and evaluation of an evidence-based online critical care nursing education program to upskill a registered nurse workforce in response to Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: As Australian federal, and state governments prepared for the possible influx of critically ill patients associated with COVID-19, initiatives were sought to assist frontline healthcare workers meet the complex care requirements of these patients. Study design and methods: A team of experienced acute and critical care nursing, medical practitioners, and education specialists, online and mobile learning specialists, and front-line workers were assembled. This team developed 10 online educational modules for rapid delivery and upskilling of registered nurses in Victoria, Australia. Nurses undertaking these modules were invited to complete a satisfaction survey. Survey questions were answered in Likert style or free text. Quantitative data were summarised descriptively, whilst freeform answers were explored for themes. Results: An online Critical Care Essentials course was launched in May 2020. In its first month 2,875 students had accessed this course. Course evaluation (n = 395 students) found over 92% responded favourably (Strongly Agree or Agree) to all 14 Likert style questions. Qualitative course feedback revealed four core themes: applicability, accessibility, engagement, and endorsement. Discussion: This innovative project demonstrated how a university department of nursing collaborated with government and industry partners to rapidly respond to develop and implement an online educational program. This program was immediately responsive to local, national, and international urgency. Obtained student feedback was overwhelmingly positive. However, future areas for development and evaluation are presented. Conclusion: An inter-professional and interorganisational model is proposed for the development and implementation of future online programs. This focused online flexible learning, specific to care of critically unwell people with COVID-19, provides an approach to rapid upskilling of registered nurses. This approach appears favourably to its intended target audience. Furthermore, this program could be adapted for a national or international community. What is already known about the topic? Globally, Coronavirus disease 2019 quickly overran advanced healthcare systems with vast numbers of critically ill patients requiring specialist care. To address surging critical care numbers, healthcare staff require increased knowledge to care for higher acuity patients. Online educational packages can be one element of fulfilling healthcare staff training needs. What this paper adds: Description of development, implementation, and evaluation of a novel evidence-based online criticalcare nursing education program. Evidence of how an online education can be made accessible to frontline healthcare workers to support the demand for a scalable resource that is responsive to emergent global health pandemic. Using a tripartite model for knowledge translation is one potential approach for the future responses to urgent educative program development.

EFL Learners’ Performances on Associating English proverbs with Equivalent Turkish Proverbs: A Cross-Cultural Study

As verbal folklore genres, proverbs are an essential part of cultural, social, and linguistic patterns in a given language, yet with universal tendencies present in all languages. As cultural mirrors of a given culture, proverbs may pose a resemblance in meaning and structure across cultures. There are growing appeals for translation studies that revolve around contrasting and investigating equivalent proverbs in the source language and the target language. This is the focus of the current study that aims to examine the performance of Turkish learners of English in translating selected English proverbs in terms of their interlingual equivalents in Turkish based on the theory of re-conceptualization on a comparative basis. Through the study, as an initial step 15 English proverbs were selected and examined under the scope of their re-conceptualization degrees to indicate their level of equivalency in three distinct levels as highly equivalent, roughly equivalent, and non-equivalent proverbs. As a second step, 80 learners of EFL at A2 levels participated in translating 3 groups of proverbs, and later their performance in translating these proverbs was examined and analyzed. The study is a quantitative study and the data was collected through papers uploaded by the learners on an online education program that enables remote learning called AYDEP (Ahi Qualification-Based Education Program), administered by Kırşehir Ahi Evran University. The results indicated that learners performed better in translating maximally equivalent interlingual English proverbs than roughly equivalent proverbs, and they translated and interpreted non-equivalent proverbs differently. Given these points, intertwining an intercultural affinity between the source language and the target language, interlingual equivalent proverbs prove to have facilitating roles in associating English proverbs with Turkish equivalents.

Implementing Perioperative Cardiac Risk Assessment in an Internal Medicine Residency Program: Experience from a Community Hospital

BackgroundACGME requires all Internal Medicine training programs to structure the curriculum to optimize resident educational experiences, including perioperative medicine. Teaching residents about perioperative risk management is challenging in a community hospital with limited resources and low surgical volume.ObjectiveOur goal was to introduce an interactive educational module on perioperative cardiac risk assessment and management in a community residency training program.MethodsThe study was a single-center online education-based intervention from September 2020 to January 2021. 24 categorical internal medicine residents at MetroWest Medical center were included. A self-paced online education program followed by two sessions of a 30-minute, group modulated review and discussion were provided monthly. The pre- and post-evaluation with 20 questions were conducted to assess perioperative cardiac risk assessment and peri-operative cardiac risk management before and after education.Results20 out of 24 residents (83%) were included in the analysis. Medicine residents performed significantly better after involvement with the educational module by comparing the pre- and post-evaluation score (10.7 ± 2.7 vs. 13.8 ± 1.8, p < 0.001, respectively). The most significant improvement was noticed in postgraduate year PGY-1 residents (5.1 ± 2.5, p < 0.001), followed by PGY-2 (2.7 ± 1.6, p = 0.004), but not significant in PGY-3 residents (1.6 ± 2.3, p > 0.05).ConclusionImplementing an interactive multi-modular curriculum in a community hospital increased residents’ awareness and knowledge of perioperative cardiac risk assessment and management. We are confident that this will result in improved performance on the consult services.

A Learning Mindset Needed from Faculty in Online Program Management and University Partnership Business Model

Many universities are transforming themselves from single mode on-campus universities to dual mode universities after recognizing the importance of providing online education programs and the kinds of opportunities they offer. These universities often have their faculty work with instructional designers (ID) in-house or at times outsource online course development to an Online Program Management (OPM) provider. The ID process involves course development where faculty and instructional designer (ID) work together to build the online course. A gap exists in the literature around how faculty interact with such IDs provided by OPMs and what impact the ID process has in their teaching design, and their pedagogical knowledge and development. This research uses a Case Study to analyze how the nature and dynamics of the ID process in a business partnership between a research university and an OPM provider influence faculty. This case study included a private research university that had recently joined a partnership with an Online Program Management Provider (OPM) to develop and offer online Master’s degree programs. The Activity Theory conceptual framework was used to direct inquiry and analysis. Results show that the impact on faculty pedagogical knowledge and development is different for each faculty and is dependent on faculty assumptions, personality, attitudes, training in pedagogy and technology, and past online teaching experiences. A learning mindset from the faculty side is very important to get the best of this relationship. This research supports e-learning practice by guiding that faculty should not be participating just due to the pressure by their upper-level management but because they really want to teach online. Faculty should be ready to check their own assumptions and knowledge they have about pedagogy before getting into this process. This study is a novel approach to understand the impact on faculty teaching design using Activity Theory framework. It shows how Activity Theory could be a useful technique to solve problems in e-learning research and practice.

Development, acceptability and uptake of an on-line communication skills education program targeting challenging conversations for oncology health professionals related to identifying and responding to anxiety and depression

BackgroundAnxiety and depression screening and management in cancer settings occurs inconsistently in Australia. We developed a clinical pathway (ADAPT CP) to promote standardized assessment and response to affected patients and enhance uptake of psychosocial interventions. Health professional education is a common strategy utilised to support implementation of practice change interventions. We developed an interactive on-line education program to support staff communication and confidence with anxiety/depression screening and referral prior to the ADAPT CP being implemented in 12 oncology services participating in the ADAPT CP cluster randomised controlled trial (CRCT). The aim of this research was to assess acceptability and uptake of the education program.Patient Involvement: Although the wider ADAPT Program included patient consumers on the Steering Committee, in the context of this research consumer engagement included health professionals working in oncology. These consumers contributed to resource development.MethodsDevelopment was informed by oncology and communication literature. The five online modules were pilot tested with 12 oncology nurses who participated in standardised medical simulations. Acceptability and uptake were assessed across the 12 Oncology services participating in the ADAPT CRCT.ResultsDuring pilot testing the online training was reported to be acceptable and overall communication and confidence improved for all participants post training. However, during the ADAPT CRCT uptake was low (7%; n = 20). Although those who accessed the training reported it to be valuable, competing demands and the online format reportedly limited HPs’ capacity and willingness to undertake training.ConclusionsThis interactive on-line training provides strategies and communication skills for front-line staff to guide important conversations about psychosocial screening and referral. Building workforce skills, knowledge and confidence is crucial for the successful implementation of practice change interventions. However, despite being acceptable during pilot testing, low uptake in real world settings highlights that organisational support and incentivisation for frontline staff to undertake training are critical for wider engagement. A multimodal approach to delivery of training to cater for staff preferences for face to face and/or online training may maximise uptake and increase effectiveness of training interventions.Trial registrationPilot study ACTRN12616001490460 (27/10/2016). ADAPT RCT ACTRN12617000411347(22/03/2017).

Decoding and designing massive open online courses (MOOCs)

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the attributes of the online programme that are considered and compute their relative importance in the purchase decision. This study aims to identify the most lucrative bundling of these attributes and their levels that can be used by online education companies to craft their product design strategy to attract customers with the most attractive offering.Design/methodology/approachThis research paper endeavours to identify the attributes of online education, which customers consider for making a purchase decision. Exploratory factor analysis followed by confirmatory factor analysis was used to identify the key attributes of online education programmes. This paper uses the conjoint analysis technique to identify the most preferred bundling of attributes, which online education companies can package to attract customers.FindingsBased on various attributes and their respective levels, it is evident the most lucrative design for attracting customers to buy online education programmes is to provide certification from a reputed international university, which requires an investment to the tune of 3,000–5,000. The duration of four weeks with asynchronous pedagogy and access to course material vial uniform resource locator (URL) is a preferred feature. Access via a mobile application is more preferred over Web access. A phone application is known to be optimised, and most people are using mobile phones to access the internet. Online certification or degrees that are considered as valid employment qualifications were most preferred over other reasons.Originality/valueThere is a dearth of studies on massive open online courses (MOOCs) from a product design perspective. There is a gap in the context of the features to be included in the MOOCs package so that the customer can find more value in it, and the companies can benefit by expanding their customer base. The research question which this study endeavours to explore is what attributes consumers of MOOCs consider when making a purchase decision. This study will also find the relative importance of these attributes.

Nurse Preceptors' Experiences of an Online Strength-Based Nursing Course in Clinical Teaching.

Background: Online educational programs for nurse preceptors have been created based on various theoretical frameworks; however, no programs using a Strengths-Based Nursing (SBN) approach could be located. Purpose: This qualitative descriptive study explored the nurse preceptors' experiences in using a SBN approach to provide clinical teaching to nursing students after completing an online SBN clinical teaching course. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six nurses. Data was thematically analyzed. Findings: Although their levels of familiarity with SBN varied, all preceptors acknowledged that using a SBN approach in clinical teaching benefits both students and educators. They reported that it empowered students and that it allowed them to discover their strengths. Getting to know their students helped the preceptors provide tailored learning experiences and feedback. Using the SBN approach simultaneously enhanced the preceptors' self-confidence and created opportunities for shared learning. Conclusion: Using a strengths' approach offers nurse preceptors a powerful tool to facilitate student learning and skills development in clinical practice.

Impacts of COVID-19 on the Education, Life and Mental Health of Students in Bangladesh.

COVID-19’s unanticipated consequences have resulted in the extended closure of various educational institutions, causing significant hardship to students. Even though many institutions rapidly transitioned to online education programs, various issues have emerged that are impacting many aspects of students’ lives. An online survey was conducted with students of Bangladesh to understand how COVID-19 impacted their study, social and daily activities, plans, and mental health. A total of 409 Bangladeshi students took part in a survey. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, 13.7% of all participants are unable to focus on their studies, up from 1.2% previously. More than half of the participants (54%) have spent more time on social media than previously. We found that 45% of the participants have severe to moderate level depression. In addition, 48.6% of the students are experiencing severe to moderate level anxiety. According to our findings, students’ inability to concentrate on their studies, their increased use of social media and electronic communications, changing sleep hours during the pandemic, increased personal care time, and changes in plans are all correlated with their mental health.

Gender Differences in COVID-19 Lockdown Impact on Mental Health of Undergraduate Students.

Background: Prolonged university closures and social distancing-imposed measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic obliged students to at-home learning with online lectures and educational programs promoting potential social isolation, loneliness, hopelessness, and episodes of clinical decompensation.Methods: A web-based cross-sectional survey was carried out in a university institute in Milan, Northern Italy, to assess the COVID-19 lockdown impact on the mental health of the undergraduate students. We estimated the odds ratios (OR) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) using adjusted logistic regression models.Results: Of the 8,177 students, 12.8% reported depressive symptoms, 25.6% anxiety, 8.7% insomnia, and 10.6% reported impulsive tracts, with higher proportions among females than males. Mental health symptoms were positively associated with caring for a person at home, a poor housing quality, and a worsening in working performance. Among males compared with females, a poor housing quality showed a stronger positive association with depressive symptoms and impulsivity, and a worsening in the working performance was positively associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms. In addition, the absence of private space was positively associated with depression and anxiety, stronger among males than females.Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first multidisciplinary consortium study, involving public mental health, environmental health, and architectural design. Further studies are needed to confirm or refute our findings and consequent recommendations to implement well-being interventions in pandemic conditions.

Facilitating Culturally Responsive Teaching Through Online Courses and Coaching

Teacher professional development and education programs are enhancing job-embedded experiences to address the disparity between theory and implementation. Simultaneously, higher education is now offering online courses to attract geographically distant educators, especially in high-needs fields such as teaching English Learners and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse students. There is a need to investigate what online teacher professional development and education programs can do to promote teachers’ application of what they learn. This pilot study utilized the Inventory of Situationally and Culturally Responsive Teaching (ISCRT) to investigate 23 in-service teachers’ culturally responsive teaching (CRT) practices before and after receiving online coursework and coaching. When compared to the control group, treatment teachers’ scores on four of the five ISCRT standards—Joint Productive Activity, Language and Literacy Development, Challenging Activities, and Instructional Conversations—as well as the composite were statistically significant. Findings suggest online CRT coursework with complementary instructional coaching supports teachers’ implementation of new knowledge and pedagogy.

Streamlining online student library access

The article addresses how a traditional Public commuter college library in the Bronx began making strides to automate student ID barcodes so online library access was granted without in person registrations. How does a barcode number get generated for an individual student and what offices need to be included in automating a library account? The author discusses the College's expansion of its online education program, strategies to serve this community and the eventual development of a digital ID card allowing students instant access to online resources. The article also reports data from a trouble ticket system developed for patron log in issues using Libwizard from Springshare.

COVID-19 fears and e-learning platforms acceptance among Jordanian university students

Broadening the approval and usage of technology to study online education is not a novel study subject, and several researchers have addressed it. However, the production of a systematic Technology acceptance model capable of examining online education adoption in the current Covid-19 is seen as a vital research path. Literature research was conducted to evaluate the most used external influences of innovation adoption regarding online learning acceptance. The search revealed that computer self-efficacy, corona apprehension, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness are the external factors for technology acceptance. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the variables that online education programs' approval among students can influence. 185 students from Jordan's Al-Zaytoonah University and Applied Science Private University participated in the online research. The online questionnaire system in this report was analyzed using SmartPLS tools. According to the findings, perceived usefulness, behavioral intent of use, self-efficacy, and Corona fear all positively affect the adoption of online education programs. The findings of this study were used as a required input in the latest online education interactive analytical production that was used extensively during the pandemic.

Effective Development of a Remote Full-Day Summer Neuroscience Program at the University of Pennsylvania.

Online education programs are becoming increasingly prevalent, with the COVID-19 pandemic greatly accelerating their prominence. Even as colleges and universities have returned to in-person learning, the need for effective remote learning options remains relevant. Importantly, online programs can increase access for non-traditional students, international students, and under-represented minorities. While information has been published about methods to successfully transition traditional lecture and laboratory courses online, one area that has received less attention has been that of summer programs. Because these programs are typically full-day programs, they present a unique challenge for online engagement. In this study, I describe the development of an online full-day summer neuroscience program that was taught over a three-week period. The main goal of the program was to promote students' future interest in the field of neuroscience. Three additional goals were to introduce them to neuroscience content, give them exposure to reading scientific journal articles, and give them practice with oral presentations. In order to promote these goals, four complementary components were incorporated into each day's programming: 1. Synchronous full-group lectures, 2. Synchronous small-group Journal Clubs, 3. Synchronous small-group Neuroethics Clubs, and 4. Asynchronous lab activities. Student evaluation feedback showed that the program was successful in stimulating the students' future interest in neuroscience. These levels of interest were similar to past in-person versions of the program. Students also gained increased experience with neuroscience content, journal articles, and presentations. Therefore, this program can serve as a template for the design of an effective online neuroscience summer program.

Instructional Design in the Face of COVID-19: Learned Lessons and Pending Tasks

Faced with confinement due to COVID-19, educational institutions with face-to-face models had to continue their activities under conditions and with resources not used up to that moment. For this, the institutions formulated and put into operation continuity plans, which involved everything from remote education to hybrids between the latter and online education. Institutions that already had online or hybrid education programs were able to apply that experience to their face-to-face programs, allowing them to respond more quickly than those that did not. The stages of the teaching-learning process that were "adjusted" during this emergency in order to give continuity to educational activities were the last two, namely: the development of instructional material and teaching. In this work, an intervention is proposed in a previous stage of the process, that is, in the instructional design (ID), using the ASSURE model derived from the ADDIE model or approach. This intervention is based on the lessons learned during the pandemic, for the preparation or reformulation of study plans that consider information and communication technologies as a platform to enhance the effectiveness of learning, selecting them and establishing their use strategy from the stage in which the materials are designed, which may be useful considering that even if the students return to the classrooms, a virtual part will be preserved, that is, a hybrid model, in which the face-to-face-virtual ratio will be determined by the educational strategy of the institution.

The feasibility of an online educational lifestyle program for people with multiple sclerosis: A qualitative analysis of participant semi-structured interviews.

ObjectiveTo explore the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial of a multiple sclerosis online course (MSOC) via qualitative analysis of participant semi-structured interviews.MethodsThe MSOC was developed in two arms: intervention arm which contained evidence-based lifestyle modification recommendations, and standard-care arm which delivered information from MS websites reflecting standard advice. Participants were recruited via online advertisements, completed a baseline questionnaire, and randomised. Seven modules were delivered over six weeks. Course completers were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews. Within a qualitative paradigm, interviews were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.ResultsFourteen of the 17 course completers were interviewed: 86% (12/14) female; mean age 50 years; residing in Australia, New Zealand, and the USA, predominantly had relapsing-remitting MS, mean time from diagnosis 9.5 years, and patient-determined disease steps disability assessment distributed evenly across all three categories. Four themes were identified: 1) “Hearing our stories” (hope for the future, feeling represented, exploring the journey of others with MS, learning from diversity, and wanting to connect with others); 2) “Taking the plunge” (not wanting to be first, feelings of nervousness or reluctance and feeling confronted); 3) “The accessibility and safety of being online” (ease of access, going at your own pace, making it work and not letting others down); and 4) “unpacking the course” (ease of navigation, visuals, understandability, and length and timing).ConclusionParticipants felt represented, found the course accessible and content was easy to understand. These experiences provide important insights and considerations for this digital health intervention.

Toward Autonomous Learning: Exploring the Impact of Participating in an Online Second Language Learning Course

As online education programs increase their numbers, autonomous learning becomes more necessary to achieve academic success. The present research determines the impact that participating in an online course has on students’ language learner autonomy. To quantify this impact the Measuring Instrument for Language Learner Autonomy was applied in the second and last week of the course. By means of a paired samples t-test, it was confirmed that the students participating in the course increased their language learner autonomy. Additionally, the specific behaviors that changed were revealed to be associated with self-regulated learning. Therefore, it can be asserted that participation in the online learning course led to an increase of the level of autonomy of the students by means of increasing the frequency of behaviors related to taking charge of their own learning process.

Online Faculty Development on Curriculum Design in Simulation-based Education by International Collaboration - An Example from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Faculty development for procedural specialists is intended to improve clinical education and surgical/procedural skills. Despite challenging in under-resourced settings, this may be enhanced by developing international collaboration agreements and supported by online learning experiences. The Congolese Society of Ophthalmology and the International Council of Ophthalmology agreed to collaborate on implementing an online educational program to form a community of practice (CoP) of ophthalmologists educators and enhance competence in curriculum design and simulation-based education (SBE) on cataract surgery. Ten Congolese ophthalmologists, faculty for the "Centre de Formation Ophthalmologique pour l'Afrique Centrale" (CFOACF), participated in a group-mentored 12-webinar modular program on curriculum design, in 2019. Considering the geo-social-cultural learning environment, we developed a curriculum framework incorporating social constructivism and experiential learning principles to facilitate the implementation of learning. Educational strategies included flipped, practice-based and social learning, group mentoring, and individual and collective reflection opportunities. A CoP was virtually nurtured using WhatsApp. Program evaluation relied on (a) feedback survey per module and 3 months upon conclusion, (b) individual declarative knowledge assessment, and (c) group assignment to test competence improvement. The CFOACF formed a virtual CoP, commented on an enjoyable opportunity to develop scholar teaching competence, expressed intention in systematically building educational curricula design that includes active learning strategies and effective feedback and showed individual learning and team-competence improvement. This first iteration of our online faculty development program nurtured the formation of a CoP of ophthalmologists' educators and enabled to practice a scholar teaching approach, especially applied to SBE.

Coronavirus disease 2019 critical care essentials course for nurses: Development and implementation of an education program for healthcare professionals

Introduction: As Australian federal, and state, governments prepared for the possible influx of critically ill patients associated with Coronavirus disease 2019, initiatives were sought to assist frontline healthcare workers meet the complex care requirements of these patients. Objectives: To describe development, implementation, and evaluation of an evidence-based online critical care nursing education program to upskill a registered nurse workforce in response to Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Methods: A team of experienced acute and critical care nursing, medical practitioners, education specialists, online and mobile learning specialists, and front-line workers were assembled. This team designed, developed, and delivered, via an online platform, ten educational modules for upskilling Victoria, Australia’s registered nursing workforce. Results: An online Critical Care Essentials course was launched in May 2020. In its first month 2875 students had accessed this course. Course evaluation (n = 395 students) found over 92% responded favourably (Strongly Agree or Agree) to all 14 Likert style questions. Inductive qualitative course feedback revealed four core themes: applicability, accessibility, engagement, and endorsement. Conclusions: An inter-professional and inter-organisational model was proposed for the development and implementation of future online programs. This innovative project demonstrated how a university department of nursing collaborated with government and industry partners to rapidly respond to develop and implement an online educational program. This program was immediately responsive to local, national, and international urgency. Funding: Safer Care Victoria, a branch of the Department of Health and Human Services, supported course development and implementation. Initial funding enabled 2000 Victorian nurses to access this course without charge.

Online Education Program for Patient Safety with &quot;Patient Journey&quot; Perspective in a Medical School

Online Education Program for Patient Safety with &quot;Patient Journey&quot; Perspective in a Medical School

FlexFacs: An online training and educational resource for OMFS specialty trainees

Introduction: Whilst there are a number of online training resources available, as yet none are mapped to the OMFS curriculum. A pilot virtual national teaching for OMFS specialty trainees (STs) during COVID received very positive feedback from STs last year. There is an unmet need for a systematic OMFS online learning resource for OMFS STs. BAOMS 2020 President Mr Rob Bentley has used part of his Presidential Fund to set up and support this online education programme in direct response to the shift to online learning. Methods: The programme will deliver monthly live lectures, with content mapped to the OMFS curriculum. These lectures will then be made available for access online permanently. Over a three-year period, the lectures will cover the syllabus. Additionally, how to do it videos will be added to FlexFacs. Quizzes and games based around the recorded lectures will be made available also. There are plans to make ‘virtual reality’ surgery content available for trainees along with an indexed repository of webinar lectures on the FlexFacs website. Results: Feedback received from OMFS STs was very positive. 98 percent of the OMFS STs who attended the pilot webinars rated it as ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’ and 99 percent found the content ‘extremely useful’ or ‘very useful’. The inaugural lecture was delivered on 21st September 2021. Conclusions: FlexFacs is the innovative, brand-new online training and educational resource for OMFS STs launched by the BAOMS. We encourage all OMFS trainees, trainers and training programme directors to engage with FlexFacs. Introduction: Whilst there are a number of online training resources available, as yet none are mapped to the OMFS curriculum. A pilot virtual national teaching for OMFS specialty trainees (STs) during COVID received very positive feedback from STs last year. There is an unmet need for a systematic OMFS online learning resource for OMFS STs. BAOMS 2020 President Mr Rob Bentley has used part of his Presidential Fund to set up and support this online education programme in direct response to the shift to online learning. Methods: The programme will deliver monthly live lectures, with content mapped to the OMFS curriculum. These lectures will then be made available for access online permanently. Over a three-year period, the lectures will cover the syllabus. Additionally, how to do it videos will be added to FlexFacs. Quizzes and games based around the recorded lectures will be made available also. There are plans to make ‘virtual reality’ surgery content available for trainees along with an indexed repository of webinar lectures on the FlexFacs website. Results: Feedback received from OMFS STs was very positive. 98 percent of the OMFS STs who attended the pilot webinars rated it as ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’ and 99 percent found the content ‘extremely useful’ or ‘very useful’. The inaugural lecture was delivered on 21st September 2021. Conclusions: FlexFacs is the innovative, brand-new online training and educational resource for OMFS STs launched by the BAOMS. We encourage all OMFS trainees, trainers and training programme directors to engage with FlexFacs.