Professor Anne Herrmann-Werner – Dr Teresa Festl-Wietek | An Innovative Approach to Medical Education Developed During the Pandemic

Professor Anne Herrmann-Werner, Dr Teresa Festl-Wietek and their colleagues at the University of Tübingen migrated their psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy course online to a digital learning environment. In a recent article, they outline the novel strategies they used and evaluate the course’s successes and challenges.

When it became clear that teaching would need to be moved online, the team conducted a needs assessment, defined goals and objectives for their curriculum and implemented the course immediately.

Their psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy course incorporated several ongoing opportunities for evaluation and feedback, and students were encouraged to ask questions at any time. Teaching was designed as a combination of both guided and self-directed learning. The course included both synchronous and asynchronous online teaching, which was supplemented with many new materials, such as videos, quizzes, fact sheets, and gamified virtual hospital environments. After teaching had finished, the students evaluated their course.

Herrmann-Werner, Festl-Wietek and their colleagues compared the course evaluation and exam results to pre-COVID times to explore the success of their new curriculum.

Remarkably, they found that there was no significant difference in student satisfaction compared to that before COVID-19. Their teaching even received a student award for ‘best digital teaching concept’. Students particularly valued the opportunity to conduct self-directed learning combined with guidance from mental health experts.

For their practical exam, there was a slight difference in grades, with those in the post-COVID-19 cohort receiving worse grades. For the written exam, however, there was no significant difference in results between pre- and post-COVID cohorts.

The results of the team’s work show that high-quality learning is possible in online environments. It should be acknowledged that innovative digital teaching is difficult to implement, and that practical skills should generally be taught in person. However, online teaching works well for the transfer of factual knowledge and prepares students for the rise in telemedical consultations.

The true effects of the pandemic on medical students are yet to be determined. However, online learning during the pandemic forced the development of innovative new teaching techniques, which can now be shared amongst educators.