The Implementation of a MOOC-Based Flipped Classroom Teaching Method in the Context of Oncology Radiotherapy Residency Training.

The objective of this study is to examine the efficacy of the flipped classroom blended teaching method in the context of massive open online courses (MOOCs) for implementing standardized training and teaching of residents in oncology radiotherapy. A total of 48 junior residents who received standardized training at the Oncology Radiology Department of Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital between September 2021 and August 2023 were randomly divided into two groups-i.e., the research group (24 cases) and the control group (24 cases)-using the random number table method. The control group received conventional didactic training, whereas the research group participated in a blended learning approach based on the MOOC model. The assessment results, along with the evaluations of teaching effectiveness, self-learning ability, and teaching satisfaction questionnaires, were observed and compared for the two groups of students. Compared with the control group, the research group presented significantly higher scores on theoretical foundations, skill operation, and case analysis (P < 0.05). The research group also showed greater outcomes than the control group in terms of improved theoretical knowledge, problem-solving skills, self-learning ability, teamwork, and communication (P < 0.05). The students in the research group presented significantly higher scores on measures of self-motivation beliefs, task analysis, self-monitoring and adjustment, and self-evaluation than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The research group also demonstrated significantly higher levels of satisfaction than the control group in terms of improvements in learning interest and initiative, clinical thinking ability, problem-solving ability, team cooperation ability, and the level of radiotherapy target delineation (P < 0.05). The implementation of MOOC-based flipped classroom blended teaching was shown to have positive effects on the standardized training and teaching of residents in the field of oncology radiotherapy. This approach can undoubtedly enhance students' academic performance, problem-solving abilities, and self-learning aptitudes while effectively stimulating their learning interests and initiative. Therefore, MOOC-based flipped classroom blended teaching is a valuable candidate for clinical application and promotion.

Investigating the impact of virtual simulation experiment and massive open online course (MOOC) on medical students' wound debridement training: a quasi-experimental study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the impact of virtual simulation experiment teaching model and Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) teaching model on the teaching effect in debridement teaching. METHODS: The study adopted a quasi-experimental design and used virtual simulation technology to construct a virtual simulation experimental teaching platform for debridement. This study was conducted at the Second Clinical College of Wuhan University. The experimental group was composed of 135 third-year clinical medicine students in the 2020 grade, who received the virtual simulation experimental teaching model; the control group was 122 third-year students in the same major in the 2019 grade, who used the MOOC teaching model. The performance of the two groups of students was evaluated through theoretical tests and animal experiment operation. In addition, the effectiveness of the experimental teaching model and student satisfaction were evaluated through questionnaire surveys. RESULTS: The theoretical test scores and animal experiment report scores of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group, and the debridement animal experiment operation time of the experimental group was shorter than that of the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The post-class questionnaire survey of the experimental group showed that most students were satisfied with the virtual simulation experimental teaching model and believed that it represented the future teaching trend. CONCLUSIONS: In the teaching of debridement, virtual simulation experiment is an effective t teaching model, which not only helps to improve student performance, but also significantly reduces skill operation time and is recognized by students.

Development of a multi-level assistive technology focused technology translation training program.

A three-level training intervention was developed using the Quality Implementation Framework (QIF) to increase technology transfer of rehabilitation technologies to market. Thirty-two teams completed Level 1, 14 completed Level 2, and 6 completed Level 3. The validated Technology Transfer Readiness Assessment Tool (TTRAT) measured teams' technology transfer progress and the effectiveness of the training program. Teams that completed at least two training levels demonstrated increased technology transfer readiness. Additional team outcomes include receiving other federal awards, FDA designations, and generating sales. Future work includes measuring teams' progress relative to participant demographics and developing additional training content based on gaps in technology transfer readiness. The multi-level training initiative shows it is a promising foundation for training researchers and aspiring entrepreneurs on technology transfer and subsequent technology transfer outcomes.

Who is seeking information about traumatic brain injury? Characterizing online course participants.

Accessible, up-to-date information on traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be challenging to find and is needed to address TBI knowledge gaps and improve outcomes for people who experience a TBI. The Understanding TBI Massive Open Online Course (TBI MOOC) was developed to increase TBI knowledge across a diverse global audience. We sought to characterize the TBI MOOC participant cohort, to understand the reach of the course among this target audience. Examining the characteristics of TBI MOOC enrollees showed that participants came from a wide range of demographic backgrounds, had a variety of TBI experiences and had multiple reasons for enrolling in the MOOC. The majority of course participants shared some characteristics with other groups of health information seekers. Four distinct demographic profiles were identified among TBI MOOC participants (education seekers, TBI-aware participants, TBI care providers and retirees) using a novel approach combining chi-squared tests and network modularity. Participants assigned to the TBI-aware and retiree profiles were most likely to complete all modules of the MOOC, and the TBI-aware profile was more highly represented in more recent iterations of the MOOC. Together, these data indicate that the TBI MOOC provided information to a wide range of people, and particularly engaged participants with personal or family experience of TBI. However, engagement with this course was minimal among some hard-to-reach populations, including men and people with low levels of education, indicating that additional strategies are needed to ensure equity in health promotion.

Health Care Workers' Motivations for Enrolling in Massive Open Online Courses During a Public Health Emergency: Descriptive Analysis.

Background: Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are increasingly used to educate health care workers during public health emergencies. In early 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed a series of MOOCs for COVID-19, introducing the disease and strategies to control its outbreak, with 6 courses specifically targeting health care workers as learners. In 2020, Stanford University also launched a MOOC designed to deliver accurate and timely education on COVID-19, equipping health care workers across the globe to provide health care safely and effectively to patients with the novel infectious disease. Although the use of MOOCs for just-in-time training has expanded during the pandemic, evidence is limited regarding the factors motivating health care workers to enroll in and complete courses, particularly in low-income countries (LICs) and lower-middle-income countries (LMICs). Objective: This study seeks to gain insights on the characteristics and motivations of learners turning to MOOCs for just-in-time training, to provide evidence that can better inform MOOC design to meet the needs of health care workers. We examine data from learners in 1 Stanford University and 6 WHO COVID-19 courses to identify (1) the characteristics of health care workers completing the courses and (2) the factors motivating them to enroll. Methods: We analyze (1) course registration data of the 49,098 health care workers who completed the 7 focal courses and (2) survey responses from 6272 course completers. The survey asked respondents to rank their motivations for enrollment and share feedback about their learning experience. We use descriptive statistics to compare responses by health care profession and by World Bank country income classification. Results: Health care workers completed the focal courses from all regions of the world, with nearly one-third (14,159/49,098, 28.84%) practicing in LICs and LMICs. Survey data revealed a diverse range of professional roles among the learners, including physicians (2171/6272, 34.61%); nurses (1599/6272, 25.49%); and other health care professionals such as allied health professionals, community health workers, paramedics, and pharmacists (2502/6272, 39.89%). Across all health care professions, the primary motivation to enroll was for personal learning to improve clinical practice. Continuing education credit was also an important motivator, particularly for nonphysicians and learners in LICs and LMICs. Course cost (3423/6272, 54.58%) and certification (4238/6272, 67.57%) were also important to a majority of learners. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that a diverse range of health care professionals accessed MOOCs for just-in-time training during a public health emergency. Although all health care workers were motivated to improve their clinical practice, different factors were influential across professions and locations. These factors should be considered in MOOC design to meet the needs of health care workers, particularly those in lower-resource settings where alternative avenues for training may be limited.

Teaching effects of the online and offline flipped classroom model (FCM) in the post-epidemic era: Development and feasibility study.

With the rapid development of multimedia technology, the student centered flipped classroom model (FCM) and massive open online courses (MOOCs) have been increasingly introduced and implemented in higher medical education. However, comparative analyses of the offline face-to-face FCM and completely online FCM have been rarely reported. In this study, we focused specifically on a set of flipped classrooms in which prerecorded videos were provided before class. Using the Zhihuishu platform as the major online course platform, our team built a MOOC and evaluated the teaching effectiveness of the FCM in both the offline face-to-face class and the online electronic live class for medical genetics education. Questionnaires, paper-based and oral exams were used to collect data on the teaching effects of the different teaching methods. We found that student satisfaction and overall student performance in the offline FCM group was significantly higher than that in the completely online teaching group. Although online FCM allowed students to play back and review anywhere and anytime after class, students taught in offline FCM had a significantly higher degree of knowledge mastery, had a deeper understanding of theoretical knowledge, and were better at knowledge comprehensive application. The effects of their training on genetic disease clinical diagnosis and treatment skills were significantly better, and their capacity for scientific research was also significantly improved. Our research discussed the advantages of the online courses and the problems brought about by using these technologies, and it provided insight into online teaching practices in the era of internet-based medical education.

Assessing the Efficacy of a Novel Massive Open Online Soft Skills Course for South Asian Healthcare Professionals.

In healthcare professions, soft skills contribute to critical thinking, decision-making, and patient-centered care. While important to the delivery of high-quality medical care, soft skills are often underemphasized during healthcare training in low-and-middle-income countries. Despite South Asia's large population, the efficacy and viability of a digital soft skills curriculum for South Asian healthcare practitioners has not been studied to date. We hypothesized that a web-based, multilingual, soft skills course could aid the understanding and application of soft skills to improve healthcare practitioner knowledge, confidence, attitudes, and intent-to-change clinical practice.In September 2019 a needs assessment observing soft skills practices was conducted in several Indian states. We developed a communication-focused soft skills curriculum that comprised seven 10-minute video lectures, recorded in spoken English and Hindi. Participants consisted of any practicing healthcare professionals and trainees in select South Asian countries age 18 and over. Participant knowledge, confidence, attitudes, and intent-to-change clinical practice were evaluated using pre- and post-course tests and surveys. Statistical analyses were performed using STATA and SPSS.From July 26, 2021 to September 26, 2021, 5750 registered and attempted the course, 2628 unique participants completed the pre-test, and 1566 unique participants completed the post-test. Participants demonstrated small but statistically significant gains in confidence (𝑝<0.001), attitudes toward course topics relevance (𝑝<0.001), and intent-to-change clinical practice (𝑝<0.001). There was no statistically significant gain in knowledge. A digital soft-skills massive open online course for healthcare practitioners in South Asia could serve as a viable approach to improve the quality of soft skills training in low-to-middle income countries.

Digitising diabetes education for a safer Ramadan: Design, delivery, and evaluation of massive open online courses in Ramadan-focused diabetes education.

AIMS: Ramadan-focused diabetes education is critical to facilitate safer Ramadan fasting amongst Muslim people living with diabetes. We present the design, delivery, and evaluation of two parallel massive open online courses (MOOCs) in Ramadan-focused diabetes education for people with diabetes and HCPs. METHODS: Two Ramadan-focused diabetes education MOOCs were developed and delivered for Ramadan 2023: one for HCPs in English, and another for people with diabetes in English, Arabic and Malay. A user-centred iterative design process was adopted, informed by user feedback from a 2022 pilot MOOC. Evaluation comprised a mixed-methods evaluation of pre- and post-course user surveys. RESULTS: The platform was utilised by people with diabetes and their family, friends and healthcare professionals. Overall, a total of 1531 users registered for the platform from 50 countries, 809 started a course with a 48% subsequent completion rate among course starters. Qualitative analysis showed users found the course a user-friendly and authoritative information source. In the HCP MOOC, users reported improved post-MOOC Ramadan awareness, associated diabetes knowledge and ability to assess and advise patients in relation to their diabetes during Ramadan (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate the potential of MOOCs to deliver culturally tailored, high-quality, scalable, multilingual Ramadan-focused diabetes education to HCPs and people with diabetes.

Development, Feasibility, and Knowledge Impact of a Massive Open Online Course on Radiation Safety: A Multicentre Prospective Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: This study reports the development of an innovative, interactive Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) teaching radiation safety principles in the vascular workplace, using stepwise e-learning with multiple choice question tests (MCQs), educational videos, and a serious game. The aim was to study the MOOC impact on radiation safety knowledge and assess its feasibility and acceptability. METHODS: An international multicentre prospective study included team members active in the hybrid operating room. The MOOC was offered voluntarily via a secure online learning platform. A standardised MCQ test (15 questions) assessed radiation safety knowledge pre- and post-course (range 0 - 100%). Acceptability and feasibility were tested via the previously validated, Evaluating e-learning system success (EESS) model, using five point Likert scales. RESULTS: In eight centres across four countries, 150 of 203 invited endovascular team members consented. Over a seven week study period, surgeons (28%, including vascular surgery trainees and consultants), nurses (27%, including scrub, circulating and anaesthetic nurses), anaesthetists (43%, including trainees and consultants), and radiographers (3%) participated. Of those, 67% completed the course. The average radiation knowledge improved by 22.8% (95% CI 19.5 - 26.0%; p < .001) after MOOC completion, from 48% to 71% (standard deviation [SD] 14 and 15% respectively), requiring a mean time investment of 169 minutes (SD 89 minutes). In centres with a radiographer, mean knowledge gain after MOOC completion was significantly smaller (14%, SD 19% vs. 24%, SD 16%, p = .036). The course was deemed feasible and acceptable according to the EESS model with a total mean score of 3.68/5. CONCLUSION: This newly developed, multimodal MOOC was deemed feasible and effective across multiple international centres. The MOOC significantly contributes to radiation safety education of the entire endovascular team, improving radiation safety knowledge. The course may optimise workplace radiation safety behaviour and therefore enhance team and patient safety.

Designing a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in face-to-face sessions. A blended design to teach practical histology.

Teaching histology, through virtual microscopy in educational strategies, undeniably moved towards the digitization and distancing of teaching. The setting up of the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) entitled "Introduction to Histology: exploring the tissues of the human body" made it possible to exploit the potential to share digital resources with a wider audience while being integrated into the teaching on-campus students. This article described the pedagogical choices prevailing during the design of the MOOC and its combination with face-to-face sessions to achieve specific learning outcomes. The pedagogical alignment of learning outcomes described according to their cognitive levels, with online and face-to-face learning activities and evaluation methods has been demonstrated. The impact of such a blended design into an academic program has been ascertained using perception and performance data. Student satisfaction and engagement as well as motivational cues were identified. The level of performance was maintained in the educational strategy implemented and made it possible to achieve the objectives expected by the teachers. The benefits of integrating a MOOC with classroom-based teaching were highlighted, as well as barriers that could hinder the successful implementation.

Accelerating digital health literacy for the treatment of growth disorders: The impact of a massive open online course.

Background: Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is a rare disorder characterized by inadequate secretion of growth hormone (GH) from the anterior pituitary gland. One of the challenges in optimizing GH therapy is improving adherence. Using digital interventions may overcome barriers to optimum treatment delivery. Massive open online courses (MOOCs), first introduced in 2008, are courses made available over the internet without charge to a large number of people. Here, we describe a MOOC aiming to improve digital health literacy among healthcare professionals managing patients with GHD. Based on pre- and post-course assessments, we evaluate the improvement in participants' knowledge upon completion of the MOOC. Methods: The MOOC entitled 'Telemedicine: Tools to Support Growth Disorders in a Post-COVID Era' was launched in 2021. It was designed to cover 4 weeks of online learning with an expected commitment of 2 h per week, and with two courses running per year. Learners' knowledge was assessed using pre- and post-course surveys via the FutureLearn platform. Results: Out of 219 learners enrolled in the MOOC, 31 completed both the pre- and post-course assessments. Of the evaluated learners, 74% showed improved scores in the post-course assessment, resulting in a mean score increase of 21.3%. No learner achieved 100% in the pre-course assessment, compared with 12 learners (40%) who achieved 100% in the post-course assessment. The highest score increase comparing the pre- and the post-course assessments was 40%, observed in 16% of learners. There was a statistically significant improvement in post-course assessment scores from 58.1 ± 18.9% to 72.6 ± 22.4% reflecting an improvement of 14.5% (p < 0.0005) compared to the pre-course assessment. Conclusion: This "first-of-its-kind" MOOC can improve digital health literacy in the management of growth disorders. This is a crucial step toward improving the digital capability and confidence of healthcare providers and users, and to prepare them for the technological innovations in the field of growth disorders and growth hormone therapy, with the aim of improving patient care and experience. MOOCs provide an innovative, scalable and ubiquitous solution to train large numbers of healthcare professionals in limited resource settings.

The irreplaceable role of medical massive open online courses in China during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have become innovative open-learning approach in medical education. This study aimed to evaluate the dynamic changes in the construction and application of medical MOOCs before and after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in China. METHODS: The dynamic changes of usages about medical MOOCs before and after 2020 were mainly searched on the Smart Education of China Higher Education platform, and the detailed learning profiles and outcome indicators were further analyzed using 40 national first-class medical MOOCs from 'zhihuishu' platform. RESULTS: A total of 2,405 medical MOOCs were exported from the Smart Education of China Higher Education platform, of which 1,313 (54.6%) were launched since 2020. The total and average numbers of participants of 141 national first-class medical MOOCs peaked during the initial spread of COVID-19 in 2020. We further analyzed the dynamic usage of MOOCs from 2018 to 2022 based on 40 national first-class medical MOOCs launched on the 'Zhihuishu' platform. The findings revealed that the number of registered learners (3,240 versus 2,654), questions and answers (27,005 versus 5,116) and students taking the final examination (2,782 versus 1,995) per semester were significantly higher since 2020 compared to these before 2020. Especially, the number of registered learners, registered schools, questions and answers, and students participating in online discussion, taking the unit quiz, taking final examinations and passing final examinations all peaked in the 2020 spring-summer semester. Pearson's correlation analysis found that the number of questions and answers and the number of learners who participated in online discussion were both positively correlated with the number of students who passed the final examination, and the correlation was especially strong since 2020. Moreover, the number of publications on medical MOOC research has soared since 2020 and has maintained a continuous upward trend. CONCLUSIONS: High-quality medical MOOCs have been launched rapidly since the COVID-19 pandemic in China. The number of participants and online interactions of medical MOOCs peaked during the initial spread of COVID-19 in 2020. MOOCs are reliable and valid digital sources that facilitate medical higher education and play irreplaceable roles in emergency management.

[Development of an on-line and off-line blended teaching practice for Biochemistry Experiments].

On-line and off-line blended teaching is one of the directions for future experimental teaching mode reform in universities. Blended teaching is characterized by systematic course design, repeatable knowledge nodes, autonomous learning and frequent interaction between teachers and students. The on-line and off-line blended teaching course of Biochemistry Experiments in Zhejiang University includes massive open online course (MOOC), off-line comprehensive series of experiments and independent experiments design and practice. The blended teaching practice of this course expanded experimental teaching content, developed standardized preparation, process and assessment mechanism, and promoted shared application of the course.

Online or on-campus? Analysing the effects of financial education on student knowledge gain.

This paper describes the results of an experiment conducted in a technical university in Italy in 2019, involving the implementation and evaluation of an innovative short course on financial education. The programme applied a novel approach based on online learning and its effectiveness is compared against the effects of a traditional on-campus lecture, within an experimental setting. The findings indicate that the programme is effective: one week after taking the course, the students improved their pre-course test scores by about 4 points out of 10. No statistically significant difference in gains is found between students assigned to the online vs the on-campus mode of learning, suggesting a potential positive role of digital learning in this specific setting. An exploratory analysis of factors associated with the outcome reveal that the course has been particularly beneficial for those students initially less interested in finance.

Semi-flipped classroom-based learning interventions in a traditional curriculum of oral medicine: students' perceptions and teaching achievements.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, flipped classes have emerged and become popular in college medical education. However, due to the huge medical learning system and the limited pre-class study time of students, it is difficult to implement in all courses. And then we adopted the semi-flipped classes (SFCs) to evaluate its teaching effect. This study analysed three educational methods that can be used in oral medicine courses: online education, offline education, and semi-flipped classes. METHODS: We used two surveys to evaluate the three educational methods. In the first survey 46 teachers and 238 undergraduates shared their experience of the live-streaming and traditional offline courses offered in the different oral medicine curricula; we used anonymous questionnaires to evaluate their class experience. In the second survey 94 students shared their experience of the semi-flipped and traditional classrooms. Students who attended the SFCs in the experimental group learned about the oral mucosa disease by themselves using an online video course and then participated in offline interaction with teachers. The evaluation of the above educational methods was conducted using the anonymous questionnaires and final exam assessment. RESULTS: According to the first survey, teachers and students both agreed that the overall teaching experience and learning effectiveness in offline education are superior to those in online education. According to the second survey, students who participated in the SFCs performed better in the final exam than those who participated in the simple offline classes. Additionally, the survey showed that the new teaching method helped students gain more knowledge and positively influenced their clinical practice. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the online and offline educational methods, the SFC showed better results in both the questionnaire and final exam assessment. Hence, the effectiveness of medical education can be improved by adopting a teaching mode that combines online and offline teaching methods. Scientific and logical SFCs designs, along with their effective implementation, would eventually make SFCs an important tool for medical education.

Development of an on-line and off-line blended teaching practice for Biochemistry Experiments / 生物工程学报

On-line and off-line blended teaching is one of the directions for future experimental teaching mode reform in universities. Blended teaching is characterized by systematic course design, repeatable knowledge nodes, autonomous learning and frequent interaction between teachers and students. The on-line and off-line blended teaching course of Biochemistry Experiments in Zhejiang University includes massive open online course (MOOC), off-line comprehensive series of experiments and independent experiments design and practice. The blended teaching practice of this course expanded experimental teaching content, developed standardized preparation, process and assessment mechanism, and promoted shared application of the course.

The application of improved team-based learning based on the training goal of excellent doctors in ophthalmology internship class / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Objective:To evaluate the effect of the improved team-based learning (TBL) teaching method in the undergraduate probation course of ophthalmology based on the goal of cultivating excellent doctors.Methods:The undergraduates of clinical medicine were randomly divided into experimental group and control group. The control group ( n=50) was given conventional ophthalmology probation teaching, while the experimental group ( n=50) was given ophthalmology probation teaching of improved TBL teaching method. The theoretical examination performance and skill assessment results of students in the two groups were compared, and the subjective evaluation of the students on the teaching was also compared. SPSS 23.0 was used to conduct t-test and Wilcoxon's rank sum test. Results:The theoretical examination performance of experimental group (29.68±4.52) was better than that of control group (27.84±4.33), with significant differences ( P<0.05); the skill assessment results of experimental group (32.88±5.05) were also better than those of the control group (30.88±6.99), with significant differences ( P<0.05); the subjective evaluation of teaching effect in each item of experimental group was better than that of control group ( P<0.05). Conclusion:The improved TBL teaching method can not only improve students' theoretical knowledge and experimental skills, but also improve students' self-study and teamwork ability, which will provide a feasible educational reform plan for achieving the goal of cultivating excellent doctors.

The application of MOOC combined with peer mutual assistance in cardiopulmonary resuscitation teaching / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Objective:To explore the application effect of massive open online course (MOOC) combined with peer mutual assistance in cardiopulmonary resuscitation teaching.Methods:A total of 140 students in the same class of Batch 2015 were divided into the experimental group and the control group. In the teaching of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the experimental group was based on the MOOC teaching platform, watched videos and topic tests before class, and used the peer mutual assistance in class. While the control group adopted traditional classroom teaching mode. The teaching effect of the two groups were evaluated by comparing the operation assessment scores and questionnaire survey of students' satisfaction with teaching. SPSS 22.0 was used for t-test and Chi-square test. Results:The operating assessment score of the experimental group was (82.20±2.31), and the operating assessment score of the control group was (75.80±1.72). The difference was statistically significant ( t=3.27, P<0.05). The questionnaire survey showed that the course satisfaction and learning motivation of the experimental group were better than those of the control group. In learning burden, the two groups had similar results ( P=0.739). Conclusion:MOOC combined with peer mutual assistance in cardiopulmonary resuscitation teaching can help students better master skills, improve students' course satisfaction and learning motivation, without increasing their learning burden.

Application of the teaching model of massive open online course combined with small private online course in the teaching of Fundamentals of Surgery / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Objective:To investigate the application effect of the teaching model of massive open online course (MOOC)+small private online course (SPOC) in the undergraduate clinical teaching of Fundamentals of Surgery.Methods:A total of 30 undergraduate medical trainees in the five-year program were randomly divided into experimental group and control group, with 15 trainees in each group. With the chapter of basic surgical procedures as an example, the trainees in the control group received traditional teaching, and those in the experimental group received MOOC+SPOC teaching. Theoretical assessment and surgery simulation were performed at one week after the course to evaluate the teaching effect. SPSS 17.0 was used for the t-test and the chi-square test. Results:The experimental group had a theoretical assessment score of (92.5±6.4) points and a basic skill operation score of (91.7±2.2) points, while the control group had a theoretical assessment score of (85.3±7.3) points and a basic skill operation score of (83.6±6.4) points. The experimental group had an excellent rate of 60% (9/15) in theoretical assessment and 66.7% (10/15) in basic skill operation test, while the control group had an excellent rate of 40% (6/15) in theoretical assessment and 33.3% (5/15) in basic skill operation test. The experimental group had significantly higher scores and grades than the control group ( P<0.05). Conclusion:MOOC+SPOC teaching can significantly enhance the understanding of theoretical knowledge and the mastery of operational skills among trainees and improve teaching effect, and therefore, it has a good application prospect.

Training in eight low-and middle-income countries: lessons learned from a pilot study using the WHO-TDR dissemination and implementation massive open online course.

Introduction: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in low-and middle- income countries (LMICs). Despite this, a lack of funding, training and mentorship for NCD investigators in LMICs exists. In an effort to gain knowledge and skills to address these gaps, participants from the Global Research on Implementation and Translation Science (GRIT), a consortium of studies in eight LMICs and their networks, attended the dissemination and implementation (D&I) massive open online course (MOOC) developed by the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases at the World Health Organization to strengthen D&I capacity building. Here, we report on the pilot of this MOOC, which was implemented during the SARS COVID-19 pandemic from April- November 2020. Methods: Participants completed pre-and post-training questionnaires to assess self-reported D&I competencies, general research skills, and research mentor access and quality. D&I competencies were measured by use of a scale developed for a US-based training program, with change in competency scores assessed by paired t test. We used univariate statistics to analyze the data for all other outcomes. Results: Of the 247 participants enrolled, 32 (13%) completed all course requirements, 21 (9%) completed the pre-and post-surveys and are included in the analysis. D&I competency scores suggest improvement for those who had complete pre- and post-assessments. Trainee's average score on the full competency scale improved 1.45 points (0-5 scale) from pre- to post-test; all four subscales also showed evidence of improvements. There were small but not significant increases in competencies for grant writing, proposal/ manuscript writing and presentations from pre- to post-test assessment. 40% of trainees reported access to a research mentor and 12% reported access to a D&I specific mentor. Participants reported barriers (e.g., unstable internet access and challenges due to COVID-19) and facilitators (e.g., topical interests, collaboration with colleagues) to completing the MOOC. Conclusions: Although COVID-19 affected program usage and completion, the MOOC was feasible. We also had signals of effectiveness, meaning among LMIC participants completing the course, there was improvement in self-report D&I competency scores. Recommendations for future D&I trainings in LMICs include (1) adding more topic specific modules (i.e., NCD research, general research skills) for scalability; (2) fostering more collaboration with participants across LMICs; and (3) establishing partnerships with D&I mentors for course participants.