Abstract:

Challenge-based learning has consolidated as an excellent learning system in courses where students have a professional profile. However, in fields as healthcare, the high specialization level makes difficult it uses for the training of some subject out of its field of application.

That is the case of “Leadership, Communication and Digital Marketing”, a subject taught in the Master of Digital Health. The students are health professionals, - doctors and nurses – with responsibilities for the diagnosis of pathologies and the application of treatments to patients.

In these circumstances, it is really hard to motivate students to take a course that offers the knowledge and skills considered out of their work environment (Bunner et al., 2018).

However, COVID-19 has changed the working conditions of healthcare professionals. Technology applications become in a current tool (Perez-Escoda et al., 2020), and the professional-patient relationships move to a digital environment, making communication one of the most necessary skills professionals should have.

In this context, challenge-based learning makes sense, due it offers students the opportunity to achieve the skills and knowledge need to lead communication processes where a wide range of messages have to be designed and transmitted to different audiences (Olofin, 2020).

This work shows the successful experience of how a business-oriented subject is taught in a digital environment to students in the field of health. Following a system based on Gamification and learning by doing, the subject proposes to the student to overcome the challenges that the professional environment presents (de Braún et al., 2016).

The results have been excellent, with the increase in students’ motivation and satisfaction rates. Also, the subject asses have increased, due they find it as a way to improve their knowledge and skills in an area that a priori seems far from their professional interest but their daily routine is really helpful. (Arni & Laddha, 2017).

References:
[1] Arni, P., & Laddha, S. (2017). Adoption of Digital Marketing in Health Industry. SIES Journal of Management, 13(1).
[2] de Brún, T., O’Reilly-de Brún, M., O’Donnell, C. A., & MacFarlane, A. (2016). Learning from doing: the case for combining normalisation process theory and participatory learning and action research methodology for primary healthcare implementation research. BMC health services research, 16(1), 346.
[3] Brunner, M., McGregor, D., Keep, M., Janssen, A., Spallek, H., Quinn, D., ... & Solman, A. (2018). An eHealth capabilities framework for graduates and health professionals: Mixed-methods study. Journal of medical Internet research, 20(5), e10229.
[4] Olofin, B. (2020). Health Information and Health Communication Technology: Impacts and Implications. West African Journal of Industrial and Academic Research, Forthcoming.
[5] Pérez-Escoda, A., Jiménez-Narros, C., Perlado-Lamo-de-Espinosa, M., & Pedrero-Esteban, L. M. (2020). Social Networks’ Engagement During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Spain: Health Media vs. Healthcare Professionals. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(14),

Keywords:

Challenge-based learning, Digital marketing, healthcare area, soft-skills.