Abstract:

The School of Health Professions at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas was forced by the pandemic, as were other academic institutions, to transition in-person courses to a totally online platform. One of the biggest challenges was a course for interprofessional graduate health care students which included a curriculum created from a social constructivist perspective and incorporated face-to-face active learning strategies and methods. The problem was, could we successfully transition this course to a totally online format and maintain the active social learning in a meaningful way in order to achieve successful outcomes? We were able to use a strategy including best practices for online learning, and supporting educational technologies, to successfully transition the in–person active learning group activities to online active learning. Results from assessments and evaluations demonstrated successful outcomes from the online active learning sessions and positive evaluations from students. This strategy could be used as a model for others to transition face-to face active learning educational activities and courses, to a successful online active learning format.

The HCS5106 course, Interprofessional Development, Education, Active Learning, offers interprofessional education to health professions students through interaction with students from other healthcare disciplines and faculty facilitators in a small group setting. Topics include communication skills, team dynamics, conflict management, cultural competency, and other professional skills necessary to succeed in a collaborative healthcare work environment. Students participating in the active learning activities are interprofessional (medical, nursing, pharmacy, physician assistant, physical therapy, occupational therapy, prosthetics-orthotics, and clinical nutrition) and interact in small groups with facilitators. Some of the more complex active learning activities needing to transition online included: an assisted living facility visit incorporating an interprofessional team interview and assessment of an elder person living at the facility; a large symposium-like activity with small interprofessional breakout groups using an escape room activity to build communication and teamwork skills; and a simulation of an interprofessional team meeting for discharge planning of an elderly patient, and incorporating a “standardized” family member trained with scripted responses. These interprofessional activities are challenging enough in face-to-face settings. Transitioning the activities to an online format, while maintaining successful active learning, took recognizing and strategically adapting best practices for online learning and identifying the best educational technology and methods to support active learning. Assessments included pre and post quizzes, a rubric, and surveys to measure activity outcomes. Student evaluations were also used for formative feedback and summative review of the activities.

We were able to successfully transition a face-to-face and interprofessional active learning course for health profession students to an online format. The successful transitioning of the course took a strategic approach incorporating best practices for online learning and utilizing educational technology in an intentional and thoughtful manner. Others could use this strategy as a model at their institutions.

Keywords:

Active learning, interprofessional, online format, educational technology.