The Digital Classroom: How to Leverage Social Media for Infectious Diseases Education

Abstract

Social media (SoMe) platforms have been increasingly used by infectious diseases (ID) learners and educators in recent years. This trend has only accelerated with the changes brought to our educational spaces by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Given the increasingly diverse SoMe landscape, educators may find themselves struggling with how to effectively use these tools. In this Viewpoint we describe how to use SoMe platforms (e.g., Twitter, podcasts, and open-access online content portals) in medical education, highlight medical education theories supporting their use, and discuss how educators can engage with these learning tools effectively. We focus on how these platforms harness key principles of adult learning and provide a guide for educators in the effective use of SoMe tools in educating ID learners. Finally, we suggest how to effectively interact with and leverage these increasingly important digital platforms.

Impact of the Febrile Podcast and Learning Resource as an Infectious Diseases Education Platform

“…Infographics were used to teach on the fly or during rounds in most cases, but other methods, such as inclusion in didactic materials, were described as well. Febrile has been noted in previous publications as a well-received multimedia project for ID learners [ 1 , 11 , 24 ].…”

“…Digital medical education platforms can create robust online communities of practice that simultaneously deliver accessible and trusted educational content; foster a forum for interactive discussion; promote diversity, equity, and inclusion; and provide mentorship and sponsorship. Multimodal online platforms leverage the principles of self-directed learning, technology-enhanced learning, and various cognitive learning strategies to engage learners [ 1–3 ]. Multiple medical subspecialties have modeled this successfully, such as nephrology and cardiology [ 4–8 ].…”

The Effect of Social Media-Supported Learning on the Academic Achievement of Nursing Students and the Levels of Use of Social Media in Nursing Education: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Advanced technology and digital education concepts are becoming more and more widespread in nursing education, which requires both theoretical and psychomotor knowledge (Car et al, 2019). Digital education types such as computer-based, open online lessons, virtual reality, augmented reality, virtual patients, games, and gami cation that support education for nursing students are among the currently adopted areas (Nematollahi et al, 2022).…”

The Top 100 Twitter Influencers in Infectious Diseases

“…For the infectious disease field, there are multiple possibilities for using Twitter, ranging from medical education to surveillance of infectious diseases 5,6 . Twitter is being used by infectious disease professionals for medical education, educational games, discussions of disease outbreaks, antimicrobial stewardship, journal clubs, promoting vaccination, and expansion for other possibilities 6–8 . Accounts and content can be found using the various popular hashtags, such as #IDTwitter, #idmeded, #idboardreview, #iddailypearl, #TwitteRx, #microrounds, #globalhealth, and #COVID19.…”

“…5,6 Twitter is being used by infectious disease professionals for medical education, educational games, discussions of disease outbreaks, antimicrobial stewardship, journal clubs, promoting vaccination, and expansion for other possibilities. [6][7][8] Accounts and content can be found using the various popular hashtags, such as #IDTwitter, #idmeded, #idboardreview, #iddailypearl, #TwitteRx, #microrounds, #globalhealth, and #COVID19. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Twitter has been extensively used because of the demand for rapid global dissemination of information.…”