An Asynchronous Curriculum: Learner Perspectives on Incorporating Asynchronous Learning Into In-Person and Virtual...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Emergency Medicine
• Curriculum Development

Background:

• Didactic education in Emergency Medicine (EM) residencies has evolved due to asynchronous learning and virtual conferences, accelerated by COVID-19.
• While asynchronous education's efficacy is known, resident perceptions of these changes remain under-explored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate resident perceptions of asynchronous and virtual modifications to a traditional in-person didactic curriculum.
• To assess how these changes impact convenience, information retention, work-life balance, enjoyability, and overall preference.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study surveyed EM residents after implementing a 20% asynchronous curriculum.
• A 5-point Likert scale questionnaire compared in-person vs. virtual learning and the impact of asynchronous substitution.
• Data analyzed resident opinions on various educational aspects.

Main Results:

• Residents favored virtual conferences for convenience (78.1%), work-life balance (78.1%), and overall preference (68.8%).
• In-person conferences were favored or seen as equivalent for information retention (40.6%) and enjoyability (53.1%).
• Asynchronous learning addition was perceived to increase convenience, work-life balance, retention, enjoyability, and preference, with all residents desiring its continuation.

Conclusions:

• Emergency Medicine residents value asynchronous learning in both in-person and virtual didactic settings.
• Virtual conferences are preferred over in-person for work-life balance, convenience, and overall preference.
• Residencies can integrate asynchronous or virtual components to enhance resident wellness and adapt educational strategies post-pandemic.