e-Teaching in pediatric cardiology: A paradigm shift

Abstract

Background:Training of postgraduate students has traditionally been done in person in a hospital setting with hands-on training with each faculty member imparting knowledge to 2 to 4 students per year. Supplementing their practical education with online instruction could make a significant difference in standardizing pediatric cardiology education in India.Objective:To present the rationale, methods and survey results of a live e-Teaching methodology implemented for Pediatric cardiology trainees in association with the National Board of Examinations, India.Materials and Methods:Between March 2010 and March 2014, 310 e-classes were conducted in the Pediatric cardiac sciences by 24 e-teachers. Content of the e-Learning program was based on a 2-year pediatric cardiology curriculum and included twice-weekly live online video training sessions, a library of recorded sessions and online test quizzes for the students. A total of 231 students accessed the program at various times over the 4-year period.Results:In our study, requests for access to the e-lectures increased from 10/year the first year to 100/year by the fourth year with feedback surveys conveying a high satisfaction level from the students and a high need for this knowledge. The advantages of virtual live e-Learning included the fact that one teacher can teach multiple students in multiple geographic locations at the same time, obviating the issue of quality teacher shortage and the same content can be disseminated to all students undergoing specialist training so there is a national consensus on diagnostic and management approach among all trainees. Additionally, the e-classes can be recorded and replayed so they can be viewed repeatedly by the same group or new trainees.Conclusion:This is the first sustained use of e-Teaching in a medical super-specialty in India. We believe that e-Teaching is an innovative solution that can be applied, not just to Pediatric Cardiology as we have done, but to all branches of specialist and super-specialist medical training in India and globally.

Perceptions of students regarding E-learning during Covid-19 at a private medical college

“…However, in spite of its multiple advantages there are quite a few limitations of e-learning such as social isolation, lack of studentteacher interaction and connectivity issues etc. [7][8][9] Despite the wide-based adoption of e-learning the world over, it was never considered as a part of formal education in Pakistan by majority of the institutions until the spread of Covid-19 recently. 9,10 Due to the lockdown situation however, now a lot of schools, colleges and even undergraduate medical and dental institutes across the country are moving towards e-learning.…”

“…so that continued education can be provided without getting much affected during the quarantine period. 7,8,11 Also various e-teaching softwares are being explored by teachers to bring maximum possible ease for their students.…”

“…25 Another study conducted in India by Sunita and Colleagues revealed that e-teaching increased students' satisfaction level towards learning. 8 One of the studies also pointed out that students were misusing the user identity during online teaching. It was noted that online teaching was not secure as incivility was considered as a major issue that was detrimental to students' privacy, as is evident in our findings also.…”

Students’ satisfaction and continued intention toward e-learning: a theory-based study

“…Students can take their online courses anytime and anywhere, enabling them to become lifelong learners [ 10 ]. Nevertheless, e-learning has few drawbacks, like social isolation, lack of communication and interaction, and network problems [ 11 ].…”

Heart University: a new online educational forum in paediatric and adult congenital cardiac care. The future of virtual learning in a post-pandemic world?

“…This is especially true regarding specialty and sub-specialty education. 6,7 These barriers often have identifiable solutions. 8 For instance, even in areas with limited access to computers and poor physical infrastructure, a break-even cost analysis by Maloney and colleagues 9 found that the web-based approach to learning was superior to the traditional face-to-face education.…”