Asynchronous, digital teaching in times of COVID-19: a teaching example from general practice

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Digital Health
• Academic Teaching

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated rapid digitization of academic teaching.
• General practice education at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) was significantly impacted.
• Ad hoc digital solutions were implemented for courses and clinical training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness and student acceptance of digital teaching methods in general practice education.
• To assess the impact of emergency remote teaching on student learning experiences.
• To explore preferred future teaching formats in medical education.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of an adapted inverted-classroom model for the main lecture.
• Development of asynchronous learning modules with podcasts and supervised forums for elective courses.
• Utilized video consultations and online forums for content reflection and interaction.

Main Results:

• The main lecture and annotated videos received "very good" ratings from students (n=115/170).
• Online forums and video consultations were rated "good."
• Students favored blended learning, with "Focus on virtual with in-depth presence phases" being the most desired format (n=54).

Conclusions:

• Digital restructuring of general practice education enhances student independence and requires self-regulation strategies.
• The shift towards interactive, digitally-supported teaching formats was well-received by students.
• Future medical education may benefit from integrating these digital methods and focusing on interactive learning.