These may not be the courses you are seeking: a systematic review of open online courses in health professions education

Rowe, Michael; Osadnik, Christian; Pritchard, Shane; Maloney, Stephen

doi:10.1186/s12909-019-1774-9

Cited by 21 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…In a finding that appears counter to the above, Rubio [ 38 ] found that improvement in language comprehensibility was greater in a MOOC compared to a face-to-face course. Finally, in their review, Rowe et al [ 17 ] looked specifically at the effectiveness of MOOCs in health professions education; they concluded that it cannot be said that MOOCs “enhance student learning” despite the proliferation of MOOCs and the “hype” about their potential. These contradictory findings suggest that when comparing MOOCs to other learning formats, the benefits of MOOCs remain unclear.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A number of systematic reviews have examined MOOCs [ 4 , 10 - 17 ]. These reviews indicate that much research on MOOCs focuses on evaluating noncompletion rates and retention vs attrition; learner motivation and engagement as well as other behavioral elements, and how these relate to retention and achievement; implications of the latter for MOOC design; and learners’ own assessments of the courses [ 3 , 4 , 10 , 12 , 16 , 18 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another systematic review by Rowe et al [ 17 ] investigated the utility of open online courses (OOCs, including MOOCs) in health professions education. They evaluated the available research with a framework that included five “outcome” categories, including effectiveness (increase in learner knowledge), learner experiences, feasibility, pedagogy, and economics; they concluded that the available evidence neither unequivocally supports nor refutes the use of such courses.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Their “effectiveness” category further highlighted the absence of research on benefits to MOOC learners, specifically in the health professions. They argued that the application of MOOCs in health professions education should be limited until a great deal more quality research is performed [ 17 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, there is consistent evidence that learners who use MOOCs, and indeed those who are more likely to complete them, are generally more educated and affluent [ 1 , 23 , 24 ]. There is also insufficient evidence that MOOCs are useful in areas such as health professions education [ 17 ]. MOOC learners are heterogeneous along numerous dimensions, including native language, prior training, age, economic status, and geographic location [ 24 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Benefits of Massive Open Online Course Participation: Deductive Thematic Analysis

Blum¹,

Stenfors²,

Palmgren³

2020

J Med Internet Res

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Background Massive open online courses (MOOCs), as originally conceived, promised to provide educational access to anyone with an internet connection. However, the expansiveness of MOOC education has been found to be somewhat limited. Nonetheless, leading universities continue to offer MOOCs, including many in the health sciences, on a number of private platforms. Therefore, research on online education must include thorough understanding of the role of MOOCs. To date, studies on MOOC participants have focused mainly on learners’ assessment of the course. It is known that MOOCs are not reaching the universal audiences that were predicted, and much knowledge has been gained about learners’ perceptions of MOOCs. However, there is little scholarship on what learners themselves gain from participating in MOOCs. Objective As MOOC development persists and expands, scholars and developers should be made aware of the role of MOOCs in education by examining what these courses do offer their participants. The objective of this qualitative synthesis of a set of MOOC evaluation studies was to explore outcomes for MOOC learners, that is, how the learners themselves benefit from participating in MOOCs. Methods To explore MOOC learners’ outcomes, we conducted a qualitative synthesis in the form of a deductive thematic analysis, aggregating findings from 17 individual studies selected from an existing systematic review of MOOC evaluation methods. We structured our inquiry using the Kirkpatrick model, considering Kirkpatrick levels 2, 3, and 4 as potential themes in our analysis. Results Our analysis identified six types of Kirkpatrick outcomes in 17 studies. Five of these outcomes (learning/general knowledge, skills, attitudes, confidence, and commitment) fit into Kirkpatrick Level 2, while Kirkpatrick Level 3 outcomes concerning behavior/application were seen in four studies. Two additional themes were identified outside of the Kirkpatrick framework: culture and identity outcomes and affective/emotional outcomes. Kirkpatrick Level 4 was not represented among the outcomes we examined. Conclusions Our findings point to some gains from MOOCs. While we can expect MOOCs to persist, how learners benefit from the experience of participating in MOOCs remains unclear.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Benefits of Massive Open Online Course Participation: Deductive Thematic Analysis

Blum¹,

Stenfors²,

Palmgren³

2020

J Med Internet Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Massive open online courses (MOOCs) in genomic variant interpretation: An innovative education strategy for the growing genetic counselor workforce

Coad,

Joekes,

Rudnicka

et al. 2023

Journal of Genetic Counseling

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The growth in genomic testing in healthcare requires a highly trained specialist workforce to ensure evidence based clinical germline variant interpretation. Genetic counselors form a core part of the clinical genomics multidisciplinary team (MDT) and represent a growing workforce participating in variant interpretation from data analysis to the patient consultation. Standardized, high‐quality variant interpretation training for Genetic Counselors has historically been ad hoc and variable, with existing programs lacking capacity to reach the entire workforce. To address the requirement for scalable variant interpretation training for genomics healthcare professionals (HCPs), two Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) were developed. We analyzed the data from 17 Genetic counselors, as part of an evaluation cohort completing the first run of these MOOCs. Overall genetic counselors enjoyed the courses, felt they were clinically relevant and would recommend them to colleagues. Common challenges amongst the genetic counseling workforces included utilizing relevant databases and finding time in the workday to complete training. These findings suggest MOOCs could be an acceptable option to ensure a consistent and transferrable high standard of training, complimentary to existing curricula. They also hold the potential to facilitate large‐scale education to update the genetic counseling workforce when changes in variant interpretation guidance occur.

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Massive open online course adoption amongst newly graduated health care providers

Duncan

2022

Adv in Health Sci Educ

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Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are flexible offerings that deliver content to a large audience in a virtual platform. MOOCs are increasingly accessed by health professionals to support their own professional development. Despite the agreed usefulness of MOOCs, the rates of adoption are still extremely low. This study sought to understand the personal and social factors associated with MOOC adoption. Participants were newly graduated occupational therapists who registered for a leadership skills development MOOC. Qualitative interviews were conducted to understand unique perspectives of participants who did and did not complete the MOOC. Data were analyzed using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) framework. Participants reported they found the MOOC content beneficial in providing a foundational framework on which to develop their leadership skills. Even though MOOC content was organized into multiple small components, participants shared that they would engage with the material once a week for up to two hours. Participants reported a high level of comfort accessing the technology to complete the MOOC, however they reported that they would have preferred more interactive or synchronous learning opportunities. MOOCs are an efficient way to offer a wide variety of educational offerings to health professionals. Despite their asynchronous nature, MOOC developers should consider maximizing opportunities for learner interaction and content application learning opportunities within MOOCs to increase their overall adoption.

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These may not be the courses you are seeking: a systematic review of open online courses in health professions education

Cited by 21 publications

References 63 publications

Benefits of Massive Open Online Course Participation: Deductive Thematic Analysis

Benefits of Massive Open Online Course Participation: Deductive Thematic Analysis

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) in genomic variant interpretation: An innovative education strategy for the growing genetic counselor workforce

Massive open online course adoption amongst newly graduated health care providers

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