Digital learning strategies in residency education

New digital learning environments have transformed medical education and training, allowing students and teachers to engage in synchronous, real-time interactions and asynchronous learning activities online. Despite extensive research on the role of digital technologies in education, understanding the interplay between digital technology, work, and learning, especially in complex fields like healthcare, remains a challenge.

The objective of this study is to examine resident physicians' perceptions and experiences of using a digital learning environment as part of their specialist medical training. The paper focuses on digital learning through video conferencing (virtual lectures and seminars) and related learning technologies. It aims to understand how resident physicians perceive pedagogical opportunities and challenges in digital learning environments during their medical training and what strategies they use to address these.

The methodological approach is qualitative, aiming to capture and understand participants' experiences and views of digital learning. The empirical data gathered from open-ended responses to four course evaluation surveys and semi-structured interviews with nine physicians from a cohort of participants enrolled in two or more digital courses were analyzed through thematic analysis. The analysis revealed three main themes related to digital transformation of learning: sociotechnical, educational and administrative.

The results suggest that (i) sociotechnical aspects and understanding of the context in which the learning takes place contribute to enhancing digital learning for resident physicians; (ii) insights into participants' perceptions of digital learning emphasize that interactive communication and group discussions are significant for their learning, and (iii) administrative aspects related to course design, lecture management, and instructional support are more important in digital learning environments compared to traditional teaching and learning.

Findings from this study confirm and extend prior studies on digital learning in healthcare, contributing to a better understanding of how digital learning environments, especially virtual lectures and seminars, can be developed and integrated into residency programs and health professions education to increase their usefulness.