1165 National Surgical Undergraduate Peer-to-Peer Teaching Course. Analysis and Insight From Feedback for Predictors of Teaching Success
J Zhang, A Stevenson, C Boylan, E Rawlins, J Zhu- Surgery
Abstract
Aim
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, ward-based teaching to medical students has been disrupted. Remote teaching platform options have emerged and encourage inter-regional collaborations in learning. This style is likely to remain. We report on our course and elucidate factors that could guide iterative improvement.
Method
The authors organized a 12-week, 36-session teaching course for medical students nationally. Each week, one university representative recruited three students to deliver topics on a surgical specialty to a national audience. Anonymized information about pre/post-session subject confidence, quality of teaching, relevance and usefulness was collected in a Likert type 1-10 scale and analysed.
Results
A total of 176 responses were noted for the first 9-week portion of the course. On paired t-test, there was an increase (mean = 2.9,s.d = 1.5,p<0.001) in confidence post seminar. Pre-(p<0.001) and post-(p<0.001) course confidence, perceived quality of teaching (p = 0.029), relevance to course (p<0.001), usefulness for exam preparation (p<0.001), and right level taught (p<0.001) were all positively associated with higher year groups. Percentage increase in confidence was negatively associated with year group (p = 0.001). Single teacher sessions had higher absolute (p = 0.011) / percentage (p = 0.020) change in confidence, perceived quality of teaching (p<0.001) compared to two teacher led sessions.
Conclusions
Online, inter-regional peer-to-peer teaching provides an invaluable way of providing medical education during and beyond the global pandemic. Our analysis elucidates different factors that may have an effect on teaching effectiveness and outcome. We hope these insights will guide us for the remainder of the course, as well as similar courses for the readers organised in the future.