Effective e-Tutorial Design

Ayman Ewies
StratOG Editor-in-Chief (Gynaecology)
Faculty of RCOG Medical Educators Summit
6 October 2018
What makes an effective e-tutorial?
18/08/2020 1Effective StratOG e-tutorial

Background

Why e-learning is great?!
1. Comprehensive/inclusive!
2. Accessible!
3. Responsive!
4. Up to date!
5. Greener

1. Comprehensive!
2. Accessible!
3. Responsive!
4. Up to date!
5. Greener

1. Flexibility. Learning can be scheduled around other commitments such as work,
family and patients. Learners can study anywhere they have access to a
computer and Internet connection.
2. • Convenience. Rather than having to travel in to the College, it is possible to
undertake learning in the convenience of the home, hospital or practice.
3. • Learning can be individualised and accommodates many learning styles. Self-
paced learning modules allow learners to work through materials at a pace that
suits them.
4. • Active learning. eLearning encourages learners to take responsibility for their
own learning and encourages a more immersive learning environment which
engages the learner’s attention
5. . • Learning can be compressed and more efficient
6. To promote equity in education by providing a high-quality education regardless
of location/teacher.
18 August 2020 8Developing High Quality Online Education Resource

1. Mobile Learning
As I mentioned before, nowadays elearning can be delivered
also via mobile devices. This means that people can start
learning pretty much everywhere, any time they want.
Learners can take courses during their morning commute to
their workplace by simply bringing their smartphones along
with them!
18 August 2020 9Developing High Quality Online Education Resource

E-learning Best Practice
1. Focus on educational value and the needs of learners.
2. Include interactive activities + opportunities for user
reflection.
3. Allow users to track their progress + provide certificates of
completion.

StratOG

11 Modules
97 e-tutorials
Became live in 2007

Editorial Board – All Volunteers Clinicians + 2 FT administrators!
o 22 including 2 Editors in-Chief!
o For every module, there is a consultant and a trainee !
oA trainee for SBA control !
Trainees pay £28.80 for 2-year access per tutorial.
RCOG members have free access!

Tutorials 3-year life cycle
The tutorials first developed by consultants O&G who are expert in the topic
Peer-reviewed by independent clinicians before launch - 2007
Reviewed by editorial board members (consultant + trainee) every 3 years
(unless there are any urgent changes e.g. new guidelines)
Updated by authors
Peer-reviewed by independent clinicians

How to get started?!

Who?
oWho is the audience?
oWhat do they want?
oWhat do they need to know?
oLevel of the content !

Who?
1. Trainees: To help achieve the knowledge of the core
curriculum + to help prepare for the Part 2 and 3 MRCOG.
2. Consultants: To support by providing core O&G knowledge.
Not just for trainees, but also for tutors!

Why?

How?
oThe StratOG e-learning content is structured to conform to Fleming’s
‘VARK’ learning model, which emerged from neuro-linguistic
programming!
o It explains that learning styles differ by a learner’s preferred modality of
sensory intake:
1. Visual (V)  (Graphics, animations, charts)
2. Aural/auditory (A)  (Audio clips, e-lectures)
3. Read/write (R)  (Reading and reflective writing)
4. Kinesthetic (K)  (Video clips, simulation, case studies)

What?
oFocussed on a particular topic !
oClear layout to facilitate navigation through a particular
subheading without necessarily going through the whole
tutorial !
oFactually correct and up-to-date !

What?
oConsider Patient perspective !
oConsider other material available externally !
oThink about a varied audience e.g. some learners
find images easier to learn from than a lot of text !

Tutorials General Characteristics
Engaging and Interesting

1- Learning outcomes!
o Should appear on every introductory page !
o Should highlight what the learner will achieve by completing the tutorial !
o Should be approximately 4–6 outcomes !

2. Interesting
o Encourage reflective learning!
o Make the content real (e.g. practical case studies) !
Case-based learning allows students to apply knowledge gained by
the theoretical component of the e-tutorial and increases insight.
o Interactive tasks!

2. Interesting

2. Interesting
1. Encourage reflective learning
2. Illustrates best practice
3. Provide a real world context

2. Interesting – Case Studies
https://stratog.rcog.org.uk/liver-and-gastrointestinal-disease/case-
study

2. Interesting

2. Interesting – Interactive tasks
https://stratog.rcog.org.uk/preparation-patient-theatre/practical-
points

3. Assessment
o The established consensus among the e-learning community that there
must be a balance between factual knowledge and assessment in an e-
tutorial.
o The best way to consolidate learning is through assessment!
o Helps users to track progress!
o Preliminary and Final !

3. Assessment - Good Questions
1. Limit them to the learning objectives/content of
tutorial !
2. Provide explanations for answers !
3. Follow MRCOG style: EMQ and SBA !

3. Assessment - SBA

3. Assessment - EMQ

3. Assessment – T & F and MCQ
o No longer included in the Part 2 MRCOG so are of limited value
as a form of assessment.
o Try and rewrite any current ones as SBAs.
o Always include and explanation as to why the answer is correct.

4. Use videos, animations and graphics
o Enhance educational value!
o Draw attention to an important point!
o Aid understanding!
o Make content more interesting!

o Not just a pretty video/animation/graphics ! They need to be
informative and to add value.
o Connection with text to enable the user to move back and forth
between both.
o Consider videos for practical sessions like MDT, counselling
patients, appraisal, and patients discussing their experience.

oWe can purchase copyright !
o Do not cut and paste from Google!!!
oExternal graphics company !

4. Videos
Operation:
https://stratog.rcog.org.uk/uterine-cavity-surgery/hysteroscopic-
myomectomy/hysteroscopic-resection
Scenario:
Video scenarios | StratOG
Personal Experience:
https://stratog.rcog.org.uk/preparation-patient-theatre/clinical-human-factors-personal-
experience-health

4. Animations
Animations can be used to either illustrate the mechanisms of a process or
There are three types of animation you can use:
1. Run-through
2. Click and reveal
3. Drag and drop

4. Animations
https://stratog.rcog.org.uk/abdominal-surgery/diathermy/monopolar-
and-bipolar-diathermy-animation
1. Run-through
2. Click and reveal
3. Drag and drop

4. Animations
1. Run-through
2. Click and reveal
3. Drag and drop

4. Graphics - charts, diagrams, pictures, photos

5. Comprehensive
o Referencing – GTG, NICE, SIGN, TOG, Cochrane, +/- RCT, +/-
Meta-analysis !
o Enables user to access all relevant information from one site !
https://stratog.rcog.org.uk/perineal-surgery/essential-reading

6. Highlight contents above core training level
o Indicate any ‘advanced’ content
o Use a separate ‘advanced’ section

7. Key points
o The end of every section in a tutorial should have a ‘Key points’ page!
o Provides a short summary of between 5 and 8 key facts that have been made
on a topic!

8. User Feedback
Mandatory v Not Mandatory
https://stratog.rcog.org.uk/diabetes-and-other-
endocrinopathies/user-feedback

9. Other Tips
Information included should be extracts and summaries of other
resources rather than a hyperlink to another resource.
For example relevant information extracted from a Green top guideline
and properly referenced rather than just sign posting to the relevant
Green top guideline.
.

What are we looking for?

Good Authors
Deliver!
Up to date!
?experts!

Good Authors - respond to feedback
Feedback may include:
oDiscrepancy within the e-learning resource!
oDiscrepancy with other sources / guidelines!
oDisagreement about assessment answers!
You need to be responsive to this

Logistics & Support
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Effective StratOG e-tutorial

Support to authors
 Document: StratOG Author Guidelines
 Proforma for updating.
 Proforma for Peer-reviewing.
 Writing SBAs.
 Incentives: CPD recognition!
 Portfolio on RCOG website !

Support to authors
 Writing SBAs.

Support to authors
 Writing SBAs.
WritingSBAsfortheMRCOG

Support to authors
 Document: StratOG Author Guidelines.
 Writing SBAs.

Editorial Board Administration Team
oContact and chase up authors!
oFormatting!
oPermission for images and other materials!
oArrange board meetings three times a year!

Challenges

Challenges
1. Ensuring quality!
2. Copyright!
3. Plagiarism
4. Increasing users number!

Challenges - Ensuring quality!
1. Only credible if updated.
2. Needs ongoing guardianship.

Challenges - Quality assurance processes
1. The 3-year updating and peer-reviewing!
2. A trainee perspective is sought being on the Editorial Board.
3. User feedback surveys at the end of each tutorial - Comments are
dealt with on weekly basis.
4. The product is evaluated (by external reviewer) every 5 years to
ensure that it continues to fit purpose.

Challenges - Copyright
We may be able to purchase it or get permission!

Challenges - plagiarism
 Plagiarism is taking the work of another, and presenting it as
one’s own without crediting the source.
 Whether published or unpublished work !
 Words, data, images and ideas can be plagiarised.

Effective e-Tutorial Design

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