Blended (online and in‐person) Women’s Health Interprofessional Learning by Simulation (WHIPLS) for medical and midwifery students

Abstract

Background Blended teaching combines traditional in‐person components (simulation‐based training and clinical‐based placement) with online resources. Due to the COVID‐19 pandemic, we modified our Women's Health Interprofessional Learning through Simulation (WHIPLS) program – to develop core obstetric and gynaecological skills – into a blended teaching program. There is limited literature reporting the observations of blended teaching on learning. Aims To qualitatively evaluate the blended teaching program and explore how it contributes to learning. Materials and Methods This study was performed at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. A total of 98 medical students and 39 midwifery students participated. Data were collected by written survey and analysed by authors using a thematic analysis framework. Results Students reported that in‐person teaching remains a vital aspect of their curriculum, contributing an averaged 63.2% toward an individual's learning, compared with online. Five substantial themes demonstrate how students learnt and maximised education opportunities using a blended teaching program: ‘low‐pressure simulation environments’, ‘peer‐assisted learning’, ‘haptic learning’, ‘scaffolded learning’ and ‘the impact of online discourse’. Discussion In‐person teaching remains a cornerstone of obstetric and gynaecological clinical skills education, of which interprofessional simulation and clinical‐based placement are key components. Teaching via online discourse alone, is not sufficient to completely replace and provide comparable learning outcomes, but certainly plays an important role to prime students' learning and to maximise in‐person opportunities and resources. Our study reveals key pedagogies of a blended (online and in‐person) learning program, providing further evidence to support its ongoing utility as a feasible and warranted approach to learning.

Piloting an interprofessional virtual cadaveric dissection course: Responding to COVID‐19

“…Recent literature has reported clear benefits of using virtual learning components complementary to in‐person learning in areas such as course grades and self‐reported understanding of anatomy 21,22 . Overall, it seems that while virtual interprofessional courses may be a viable option to increase students' interprofessional skills when there is no alternative, they appear to be more effective when combined with traditional in‐person resources for mastering clinical skills 23,24 . Applying the knowledge generated by this investigation, we are now considering how to integrate hybrid anatomy dissection courses using the virtual learning material prepared in future IPE offerings.…”

“…21,22 Overall, it seems that while virtual interprofessional courses may be a viable option to increase students' interprofessional skills when there is no alternative, they appear to be more effective when combined with traditional in-person resources for mastering clinical skills. 23,24 to reuse the virtual material in future courses will not only optimize the great initial investment in course preparation but also reduce the faculty burden.…”

“…Students in the virtual course also provided written feedback. Thirty-two (24 women; Median: 24 [Q1-Q3: 22-25] years) and 23 students (18 women; 22 [21][22][23] years) attended the in-person and virtual courses, respectively. In the virtual cohort, the RIPLS total score (82 [76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86][87] vs. 85 [78][79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86][87][88][89][90]; p = 0.034) and the roles and responsibilities sub-score (11 [9-12] vs. 12 [11][12][13]; p = 0.001) improved significantly.…”