Evaluation of an online postgraduate education programme

Information technology supporting training in medicine is unstructured and critical evaluation of its use is lacking. The objective of the paper was the evaluation of an Internet-delivered postgraduate training course in medicine. The work took place in the Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Institute for Learning and Research Technology, University of Bristol. Postgraduate trainees were invited to participate in an Internet delivered training programme over 5 months. Tutors and the participants were interviewed, inter-participant emails were collected and post-course evaluation of all trainees was undertaken at 2 and 6 months. Of 18 enrolled participants, 11 actively participated (mean: five each month). Participants were more likely to view other participants' responses or tutor feedback than respond themselves. The Internet is a suitable medium for courses of this nature. Satisfaction levels with the content of the course and with the medium used were high. Constructive criticism was incorporated into future courses.