Design and Implementation of a Learner-Centered Self-Paced Peritoneal Oncology Education Program.

Area of Science:

• Surgical Education
• Oncology
• Medical Informatics

Background:

• Current educational programs for peritoneal surface malignancies (PSM) lack structure and often cater to advanced learners.
• A structured, self-paced online course was developed at a high-volume PSM center to address these limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and implement a structured, learner-centered online educational course for peritoneal surface malignancies (PSM).
• To assess trainee engagement with the online course across different training levels.

Main Methods:

• A learner-centered course was created on the Canvas platform, featuring disease-specific modules and multimedia resources.
• Trainee engagement was measured by online time spent during their PSM service rotation.
• Engagement was compared across medical students, residents, staff, and fellows.

Main Results:

• The course required 71 hours for design and management between 2020 and 2022.
• An 83.9% overall engagement rate was achieved, with 100% engagement from staff and fellows.
• Fourth-year medical students and clinical fellows spent significantly more time online than other trainees (p = 0.001).

Conclusions:

• Implementing a PSM-specific online course is feasible and sustainable.
• Higher engagement levels were observed in more invested learners.
• Further investigation into non-technical factors is needed to enhance future course iterations and improve engagement.