Transforming improvement training at scale with essential digital training skills.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare education
• Digital learning technologies
• Professional development

Background:

• Healthcare systems face rising costs and an aging population, necessitating system-wide improvements.
• Large-scale training in improvement skills is required, with digitally delivered training, including Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), being an established method.
• Variations in digital education standards within the National Health Service (NHS) in England prompted the development of the MOOC School program.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the MOOC School training program's effectiveness in enhancing participants' online learning design, development, and delivery skills.
• To identify key success factors for a health educator digital upskilling program.
• To assess the impact of interactive, online learning techniques training on subject matter experts and trainers.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods approach was employed for the evaluation.
• Data were collected from application and attendance records.
• Surveys and interviews were conducted with participants who applied the learned skills.

Main Results:

• The MOOC School program trained 96 participants in formal cohorts and 14 in informal cohorts over three years.
• 97% of participants rated the course as good or very good.
• Courses created by participants after training led to over 30,000 enrolments, demonstrating a significant impact and skill enhancement.

Conclusions:

• Participant feedback and future plans underscore the necessity for creative training practices and digitally literate health educators.
• The study identifies essential skills and knowledge for creating high-quality digital learning at scale.
• The MOOC School program provides a model for effective digital upskilling in healthcare education.