Best practices for effective implementation of online teaching and learning in medical and health professions education: during COVID-19 and beyond

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused worldwide disruption to the entire educational system, including medical and health professions education. Considering the critical situation due to COVID-19, academic institutions shifted the entire pedagogical approach to the virtual learning mode. While delivering online teaching, educators experienced numerous challenges, including access to the internet, poor connectivity, and other technical issues. Some students did not have laptops and necessary devices to attend the Class. Besides, many educators were not confident enough to manage the online mode of delivery. In this perspective, we reviewed the evidence of best practices for the medical and health professions educators to deliver the curriculum through an online platform. Therefore, the current study aimed to review the best practices for effective online teaching and learning in medical and health professions education during COVID-19 and beyond. We reviewed the technical aspects of online teaching and educational strategies required for educators to provide quality training not just during the pandemic but beyond this crisis. The online literature search was performed on Medline, PubMed and google scholar databases for studies on online teaching in medical and health profession education and what are the best practices of teaching globally Online teaching and assessment must balance the requirements of technology, learning outcomes, delivery modes, learning resources, and learning resources. The study concludes that medical and health professions institutions strengthen technical infrastructure, promote continuous faculty development programs, and support indigent students to access digital technology.