Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on teaching and learning in health professional education: a mixed methods study protocol

Abstract

Background Due to the complex nature of healthcare professionals’ roles and responsibilities, the education of this workforce is multifaceted and challenging. It relies on various sources of learning from teachers, peers, patients and may focus on Work Integrated Learning (WIL). The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many of these learning opportunities especially those in large groups or involving in person interaction with peers and patients. Much of the curriculum has been adapted to an online format, the long-term consequence of which is yet to be recognized. The changed format is likely to impact learning pedagogy effecting both students and teachers. This requires a systematic approach to evaluation of online teaching and learning adaptation, in comparison to the previous format, where, in person education may have been the focus. Methods The proposed study is a broad based evaluation of health professional education in a major Australian University. The protocol describes a mixed methods convergent design to evaluate the impact of online education on students and teachers in health professional courses including Medicine, Nursing, Allied Health and Biomedical Science. A framework, developed at the university, using Contribution Analysis (CA), will guide the evaluation. Quantitative data relating to student performance, student evaluation of units, quantity of teaching activities and resource utilization will be collected and subjected to relevant statistical analysis. Data will be collected through surveys (500 students and 100 teachers), focus groups (10 groups of students) and interviews of students and teachers (50 students beyond graduation and 25 teachers, for long term follow up to 12 months). Application of CA will be used to answer the key research questions on the short term and long-term impact of online education on teaching and learning approaches. Discussion The protocol describes the study, which will be widely implemented over the various courses in Health Professional Education and Biomedical Science. It will evaluate how students and teachers engage with the online delivery of the curriculum, student performance, and resources used to implement these changes. It also aims to evaluate longitudinal outcome of student learning attributes and impact on graduate outcomes, which is poorly reported in educational literature.

Nursing students' and faculty members' experiences of online education during COVID-19 across Southeast Asia: A Photovoice study

“…Due to the pandemic, overnight: 1) clinical activities were suspended; 2) nursing faculties were compelled to transition to online education; and 3) students were required to adapt to a self-directed/self-regulated learning model ( Ramos-Morcillo et al, 2020 ). This transition inevitably impacted nursing students' continuity of learning, and faculty members' adaptation to new teaching pedagogies ( Kumar et al, 2021 ). As online education is growing in prevalence and is anticipated to persist post-COVID-19, considerable attention must be paid to understand the experiences of navigating online education.…”

“…Recent advances in technology and the accessibility of devices have facilitated the adoption of online education platforms ( Bdair, 2021 ). Through online education, faculty members can engage large cohorts of students concurrently with both synchronous and asynchronous learning options ( Kumar et al, 2021 ). The main advantages of online education include increased accessibility, affordability, comfort, ease of management and use, flexibility and remote delivery ( Dhawan, 2020 ).…”

“…Contrariwise, significant challenges perceived include: 1) reduced engagement, interaction and feedback; 2) motivation and concentration difficulties, and lower academic achievement; and 3) nascent software infrastructures/tools and poor digital literacy ( Bdair, 2021 ; Dhawan, 2020 ; Masha'al et al, 2020 ). Traditionally, successful digital transformation of higher education requires many years of systematic, organised, and collegial design of the content and development of skills ( Kumar et al, 2021 ). However, these modi-operandi were not possible during COVID-19.…”

Online teaching and learning through the students’ eyes – Uncertainty through the COVID-19 lockdown: A qualitative case study in Gauteng province, South Africa

“…It can be defined as instruction delivered on a digital device that is intended to support learning. 10 , 11 , 12 Interestingly the transition to online within the health sciences has been gradual. 13 In response to the pandemic, a university in Johannesburg announced that the academic calendar would resume online given the nature of the pandemic.…”

Student and Educator Perspectives of Adapting to Remote Health Professions Education: A Mixed-Methods Study

“…The study reported is part of a larger project which evaluates longitudinally the impact of the change to teaching and learning approaches in selective health disciplines, including remote education and changes to work-integrated learning, during the COVID-19 pandemic ( 25 ). This study was underpinned by pragmatism, which suggests pluralistic approaches to address research questions ( 26 , 27 ).…”