School of Health Systems and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
S Afr Med J. 2024 Jun 24;114(6b):e1385.
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the weakness of relying on in-person tuition in higher education. Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have been a successful addition to higher education. In this study, educators had to replace a planned elective in the medical curriculum with an online option during the pandemic. The roles of the competency framework of the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) (Leader and Manager, Health Advocate, Professional, Communicator, Collaborator, Scholar, and Healthcare Practitioner) were used to guide its development. This elective emphasised the non-clinical roles of medical practitioners and was offered in 2020 and 2021.
To describe the choices of third-year medical students and time spent participating in a modified online elective in 2020 and 2021.
A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used, involving the participation of 629 medical students. Data were collected and analysed from three primary sources: registration data from LinkedIn Learning, data from the Foundation for Professional Development, and self-reported estimates by students of the average time spent on selected courses. Data included identification of the associated competency acquired. Data analysis was conducted using Python, version 3.10.11.
The course choices of 629 students were analysed. In 2020 there were 300 participants and in 2021 there were 329. All the students had one compulsory inclusion in the elective (Management and Leadership Short Course for Undergraduate Healthcare Students). Students in both years reported spending the most average time on courses related to clinical knowledge (Healthcare Practitioner), followed by financial literacy and management (Professional), diversity management (Collaborator), and priority actions to identify and/or respond to (Health Advocate). The most popular courses related to the Leader and Manager role were around decision-making in human resources, problem-solving, and managing healthcare teams. Based on the top 10 LinkedIn Learning course selections of both cohorts, there appeared to be a preference for courses that were consistent with the role of medical professionals in practice. The most popular LinkedIn Learning course was The Six Morning Habits of High Performers.
Students gravitated toward courses aligned with their role as professional doctors within the HPCSA competency framework. More studies are needed to understand how medical students develop the six non-clinical roles in the HPCSA framework and the effectiveness of MOOCs in a medical curriculum.
COVID-19 大流行凸显了高等教育依赖面授教学的弱点。大规模在线开放课程（MOOC）是高等教育的成功补充。在这项研究中，教育工作者不得不将医学课程中的一门选修课程在大流行期间替换为在线课程。该课程使用了南非卫生专业委员会（HPCSA）的能力框架（领导者和管理者、健康倡导者、专业人员、沟通者、合作者、学者和医疗保健从业者）来指导其发展。该选修课程强调了医疗从业者的非临床角色，并于 2020 年和 2021 年开设。
描述 2020 年和 2021 年三年级医学生选择并参与修改后的在线选修课程的情况。
采用描述性横断面研究设计，涉及 629 名医学生的参与。数据来自三个主要来源：LinkedIn Learning 的注册数据、专业发展基金会的数据以及学生对所选课程平均花费时间的自我估计。数据包括确定所获得的相关能力。使用 Python 版本 3.10.11 进行数据分析。
对 629 名学生的课程选择进行了分析。2020 年有 300 名参与者，2021 年有 329 名参与者。所有学生都必须参加一门选修课程（本科医疗保健学生管理和领导力短期课程）。这两年的学生都报告说，他们在与临床知识（医疗保健从业者）相关的课程上花费的平均时间最多，其次是金融知识和管理（专业人员）、多样性管理（合作者）以及确定和/或应对的优先行动（健康倡导者）。与领导者和管理者角色最相关的课程是人力资源决策、解决问题和管理医疗保健团队。根据两个队列的前 10 个 LinkedIn Learning 课程选择，似乎更倾向于与医疗专业人员实践角色一致的课程。最受欢迎的 LinkedIn Learning 课程是《高绩效者的六个早晨习惯》。
学生倾向于选择与 HPCSA 能力框架中作为专业医生的角色相一致的课程。需要进一步研究如何让医学生在 HPCSA 框架中发展出六个非临床角色，以及 MOOC 在医学课程中的有效性。
