Reactions of surgical program directors to a web-based interactive educational program focusing on cognitive skills

To assess reactions by program directors (PDs) to a preview of a scenario from the Fundamentals of Surgery Curriculum (FSC), which is a case-based interactive curriculum developed by the American College of Surgeons's (ACS) Division of Education and designed to be delivered online to first-year (PGY-1) surgical residents.

After previewing a scenario, each PD completed a questionnaire requesting age and ratings of comfort using computers, the scenario's utility in addressing 9 educational goals (eg, provides a solid foundation for future learning), and 6 separate features of the scenario (eg, ease of use and feasibility). All ratings were based on a 1-9 scale. For items related to educational goals, ratings were anchored: 1-3 = poor/needs revision; 4-6 = adequate/as good as current methods; 7-9 = excellent/superior to current methods. Informal discussions were also conducted and comments were collected.

October 2007 ACS Clinical Congress.

In all, 31 PDs participated in the study.

Most PDs perceived that the scenario addressed 8 of the 9 educational goals in a manner superior to current methods [eg, provides a solid foundation for future learning (97%), challenges residents (90%), and delivers content consistent with current practices and/or evidence (90%)]. The mean ratings of all scenario features were 7 or greater on the 9-point scale.

Most PDs reacted very positively to a preview of FSC perceiving that it can address several important educational goals in a manner superior to existing methods. Comments from PDs suggest a high level of interest in incorporating FSC into their residency programs as well as participating in a coordinated multi-institutional evaluation project. The results provide baseline data concerning PD expectations of the utility of FSC that will help to guide and evaluate further developments and applications of this curriculum.