Students as Educators: Enhancing Medical Education Through MOOC Creation

Marks, L., McFadden, D., Shuttleworth, E. and Glasgow, K. (2017) Students as Educators: Enhancing Medical Education Through MOOC Creation. Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) Annual Conference 2017, Helsinki, Finland, 26-30 Aug 2017.

Abstract

Background: A great deal of the 21st century medical community is online, and this medium provides an exciting opportunity for students to create medical teaching content for both colleagues and the public. In doing so, evidence suggests they consolidate their own knowledge and skills. Summary of Work: We ran a Student Selective Component in which a small group of MBChB4 students developed/ran a Massive Open Online Course on their chosen medical topic. Students were involved in all phases of MOOC development; pedagogical discussion, curriculum design, participant recruitment, filming video material and acting as a lead educators. Summary of Results: This SSC provided the opportunity to evaluate the impact of having a student-led teaching and learning environment. Students kept reflective diaries of the process and insights from these will be disseminated. High levels of student engagement and the effectiveness of teaching as a revision tool were two highlights reported. Discussion: We propose that by turning the ‘teachers as educators and students as consumers’ model around, and allowing students to become generators of educational content, we enable them to gain a huge variety of skills. The resulting MOOC “Basic First Aid; How to Be an Everyday Hero” is an excellent showcase. Conclusion: We believe that extending this content creation opportunity to a greater number of medical students will allow others to experience the rewards of being teachers as well as learners. Indeed the concept that the two are not mutually exclusive is one of the most significant points that our work highlights. Take-home Message: The doctors of tomorrow are likely to be increasingly engaged in the education of the following generation. Gaining an insight into effective teaching and learning is therefore crucial. Creating MOOCs for the public or for fellow students is a creative way to utilize this new online phenomenon.

• Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item
• Additional Information: Poster presentation.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Marks, Dr Leah
• Authors: Marks, L., McFadden, D., Shuttleworth, E., and Glasgow, K.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing

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