Massive Open Online Courses on Health and Medicine: Review

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Abstract

Background

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have become immensely popular in a short span of time. However, there is very little research exploring MOOCs in the discipline of health and medicine.

Objective

We aim to provide a review of MOOCs related to health and medicine offered by various MOOC platforms in 2013, by analyzing and comparing the various offerings, their target audience, typical length of course, and credentials offered. We also discuss opportunities and challenges presented by MOOCs in health and medicine.

Methods

Health and medicine–related MOOCs were gathered using several methods to ensure the richness and completeness of data. Identified MOOC platform websites were used to gather the lists of offerings. In parallel, these MOOC platforms were contacted to access official data on their offerings. Two MOOC aggregator sites (Class Central and MOOC List) were also consulted to gather data on MOOC offerings. Eligibility criteria were defined to concentrate on the courses that were offered in 2013 and primarily on the subject of health and medicine. All language translations in this paper were done using Google Translate.

Results

The search identified 225 courses, of which 98 were eligible for the review. Over half (58%, 57/98) of the MOOCs considered were offered on the Coursera platform, and 94% (92/98) of all the MOOCs were offered in English. Universities offered 90 MOOCs, and the John Hopkins University offered the largest number of MOOCs (12/90). Only three MOOCs were offered by developing countries (China, West Indies, and Saudi Arabia). The duration of MOOCs varied from 3-20 weeks with an average length of 6.7 weeks. On average, MOOCs expected a participant to work on the material for 4.2 hours a week. Verified certificates were offered by 14 MOOCs, while three others offered other professional recognition.

Conclusions

The review presents evidence to suggest that MOOCs can be used as a way to provide continuous medical education. It also shows the potential of MOOCs as a means of increasing health literacy among the public.

Related collections

Most cited references 33

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Is Open Access

eHealth Literacy: Extending the Digital Divide to the Realm of Health Information

Efrat Neter, Esther Brainin (2012)

Background eHealth literacy is defined as the ability of people to use emerging information and communications technologies to improve or enable health and health care. Objective The goal of this study was to explore whether literacy disparities are diminished or enhanced in the search for health information on the Internet. The study focused on (1) traditional digital divide variables, such as sociodemographic characteristics, digital access, and digital literacy, (2) information search processes, and (3) the outcomes of Internet use for health information purposes. Methods We used a countrywide representative random-digital-dial telephone household survey of the Israeli adult population (18 years and older, N = 4286). We measured eHealth literacy; Internet access; digital literacy; sociodemographic factors; perceived health; presence of chronic diseases; as well as health information sources, content, search strategies, and evaluation criteria used by consumers. Results Respondents who were highly eHealth literate tended to be younger and more educated than their less eHealth-literate counterparts. They were also more active consumers of all types of information on the Internet, used more search strategies, and scrutinized information more carefully than did the less eHealth-literate respondents. Finally, respondents who were highly eHealth literate gained more positive outcomes from the information search in terms of cognitive, instrumental (self-management of health care needs, health behaviors, and better use of health insurance), and interpersonal (interacting with their physician) gains. Conclusions The present study documented differences between respondents high and low in eHealth literacy in terms of background attributes, information consumption, and outcomes of the information search. The association of eHealth literacy with background attributes indicates that the Internet reinforces existing social differences. The more comprehensive and sophisticated use of the Internet and the subsequent increased gains among the high eHealth literate create new inequalities in the domain of digital health information. There is a need to educate at-risk and needy groups (eg, chronically ill) and to design technology in a mode befitting more consumers.

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Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age

G. SIEMENS, G Siemens, George Siemens … (2005)

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MOOCs 101: an introduction to massive open online courses.

F Hoy (2013)

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are a new type of online class that allow anyone, anywhere, to participate via video lectures, computer graded tests, and discussion forums. This article will give a basic overview of what MOOCs are, how they work, and some of their inherent advantages and disadvantages. It will also explore what MOOCs mean for medical education and libraries. A list of MOOC-related resources is also included.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Tharindu Rekha Liyanagunawardena:

School of Systems EngineeringUniversity of ReadingWhiteknightsReading, RG6 6AYUnited Kingdom44 118 378 642344 118 975 1822t.r.liyanagunawardena@reading.ac.uk

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7499-0172

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): J Med Internet Res

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): J. Med. Internet Res

Journal ID (publisher-id): JMIR

Title: Journal of Medical Internet Research

Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc. (Toronto, Canada )

ISSN (Print): 1439-4456

ISSN (Electronic): 1438-8871

Publication date Collection: August 2014

Publication date (Electronic): 14 August 2014

Volume: 16

Issue: 8

Electronic Location Identifier: e191

Affiliations

[1] ¹School of Systems Engineering University of Reading ReadingUnited Kingdom

Author notes

Corresponding Author: Tharindu Rekha Liyanagunawardena t.r.liyanagunawardena@ 123456reading.ac.uk

Author information

Tharindu Rekha Liyanagunawardena http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7499-0172

Shirley Ann Williams http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5071-697X

Article

Publisher ID: v16i8e191

DOI: 10.2196/jmir.3439

PMC ID: 4155756

PubMed ID: 25123952

SO-VID: 613bd0e5-e4d6-437a-8394-69ee4aa76568

License:

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on http://www.jmir.org/, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.

History

Date received : 02 April 2014

Date revision requested : 14 July 2014

Date revision received : 23 July 2014

Date accepted : 25 July 2014

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