Assessment of Virtual Peer Learning by Peer Feedback: A Pilot Project

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Virtual Learning Modalities
• Peer-Assisted Learning

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of virtual learning in health education.
• Peer learning strategies are increasingly recognized for their educational benefits.
• Combining these approaches offers a novel method for health professions training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a virtual health education model incorporating peer-assisted learning.
• To assess learner feedback on various aspects of the virtual educational experience.
• To determine the suitability of this model for different participant cohorts.

Main Methods:

• A formal educational course on Health Professions Education was utilized.
• Eight virtual teaching sessions were delivered by multi-disciplinary educators.
• Learner feedback was collected using a six-item Likert scale survey, with subsequent analysis of item and domain averages.

Main Results:

• All 53 participants provided feedback, with high average ratings across all items (above 3/5).
• The highest-rated item was slide legibility (4.8/5), while the lowest was assessment of prior knowledge (4.2/5).
• Teaching material received the highest domain rating (4.6/5), and session planning received the lowest (4.4/5).

Conclusions:

• Virtual health education facilitated by peer-assisted learning is an effective strategy for small groups.
• The model demonstrated positive peer feedback, indicating its potential for broader application.
• Further testing in larger cohorts is recommended to validate these findings.