Impact of transitioning to an online course – A report from the ESTRO gyn teaching course

Highlights • Converting the ESTRO gyn teaching course to an online version did not affect participant numbers. • Participant satisfaction and engagement remained high despite less direct contact time with faculty. • The number of participants submitting contouring and dose planning homework was higher than for live courses. • Viewing of pre-course lecture content was variable which may reflect self-perceived learning needs based on different levels of experience.
Introduction In 2020, the ESTRO course on image-guided radiotherapy and chemotherapy in gynaecological cancer was converted into an online version due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper describes the change process and evaluates the impact on participants compared with previous live courses. Methods and materials The 2019 live course contained 41 h of educational content, comprising 33 h of synchronous activities (lectures, interactive activities, videos) and 8 h of homework (contouring, dose planning). For the online course, the lectures were provided as pre-course material (11 mandatory, 22 optional). Contouring/dose planning homework was unchanged. The synchronous sessions were reconfigured as six 2-hour webinars (total educational content ~38 h). Participant numbers/characteristics, engagement and satisfaction for six live courses and the online course were compared. Results Participant numbers for the online and live courses were similar (90 vs. mean 96). There were more participants from outside Europe (28% vs. mean 18%) and more non-doctors (47% vs. mean 33%). Proportion of participants responding to the pre-course questionnaire was similar (77% vs. mean 78%) but post-course questionnaire response was lower (62% vs. mean 92%). 43% participants viewed ≥75% of mandatory lectures before the webinars. 86% viewed the optional lectures. Submissions of contouring and dose planning homework was higher (contouring 77%–90% vs. 56%–69%, dose planning 74%–89% vs. 29%–57%). 96% (47/49) participants rated the online course as Excellent (43%) or Good (53%). Overall satisfaction was similar (4.4 vs. mean 4.6). Conclusion Participant satisfaction and engagement with the online course remained high despite less contact time with faculty.