Methods in distance learning and how it helps in enhancing knowledge quickly to a large audience

1. Distance Learning: Same content, flexible
delivery methods
The Underserved Pathway – University of Washington School of
Medicine
David Evans, MD
Sharon Dobie, MD, MCP
Jaime Fitch

2. • The presenters have nothing to disclose

3. Underserved Pathway Requirements
Phase 1: Foundations
(~ 18 months)
Phase 2: Patient
Care
(~ 12 months)
Phase 3: Career
Exploration and Focus
(~ 14 months)
Underserved:
Community experience
Non-clinical selectives and/or
Intercessions (2 credits)
Scholarly project
Clerkships at underserved sites
(12 credits or 6 weeks)
Service learning, advocacy, community service or engagement (24 hours)
Mentorship (4 meetings/year of medical school)
Modules (10 total: on-line or in-person)

4. 3 new on-line modules!
 Incarcerated Healthcare
 Rural Health Module – Part 1: Living and
Working in Rural Communities
 Rural Health Module – Part 2: Service
Structure and Access to Care in Rural
Communities
NOW A TOTAL of 23 ON-LINE MODULES,
including.....
Community
Health
Public Health
Epidemiology

5. Challenges of the new curriculum
• Increased number of
students
• Students are never
all in the same
location
• Emphasis on
consistency across
campuses for
required and
extracurricular
courses.
– Content & Context
– Assessment
– Evaluation

6. Facilitators Guide:
Assist with delivery of WWAMI in-person
modules
Faculty facilitated
interactive module
session
Most students
complete modules
online
Faculty led
discussion session
Methods for completing modules:
 Focusing on the UP Health Literacy Module

7. Small Group Activity
• Break up into three groups
– Asynchonous minimodule
– Facilitated minimodule
– In-person activity
• Debrief from small group activity

8. 3.5 (n=11)
3.8 (n=11)
3.5 (n=11)
3.6 (n=11)
4.4 (n=60)
4.4 (n=60)
4.3 (n=60)
4.0 (n=59)
4.5 (n=4)
4.3 (n=4)
3.8 (n=4)
3.8 (n=4)
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0
Likely to work with underserved
Impact future work
Effectiveness
Contributes to knowledge
Asynchronous Interactive In-person Modified In-person
Student Evaluations: Health Literacy
Average Likert by method

9. Need for more distance learning options
Barriers to WWAMI In-person sessions
• Limited time for students to complete modules
• Time constraints on faculty
• Students are geographically spread out
Needed more content delivery tools…
• ZOOM:
– Online conferencing technology similar to Adobe Connect
– Up to 50 participants
– Limitations for small group breakout sessions

10. Future Plans:
• Continue to recruit more regional faculty to run
WWAMI In-person sessions
• Gather more data and do more formal analysis
• Work with UWSOM IT to test new conferencing
technologies available for engaging students
• Request additional features directly to ZOOM
software engineers.

11. Please evaluate this presentation using the
conference mobile app! Simply click on the
"clipboard" icon on the presentation page.
Evaluation

12. Questions?
David Evans evansd9@uw.edu
Jaime Fitch fmclerk@uw.edu
Underserved Pathway
https://depts.washington.edu/fammed/education/programs/upath/
LINKS:
• Health Literacy Facilitators Guide and Recipes  https://goo.gl/Sr60iN
• UP Mini-Module Case, Health Literacy  https://goo.gl/6cDphw
• UP Mini-Module Brochure, Health Literacy  https://goo.gl/bdz6uq