Massive Open Online Courses Combined with Flipped Classroom: An Approach to Promote Training of Resident Physicians in Rheumatology

Abstract

Background

This study aims to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of massive open online courses (MOOCs) in combination with flipped classroom teaching in the standard training of resident physicians (resident physician trainees).

Methods

A total of 110 resident physician trainees enrolled in 2018, with a major in Internal Medicine, were selected and divided into a control group (n = 55) who experienced traditional teaching methods and an experimental group (n = 55) who experienced MOOCs plus flipped classroom teaching. Their post-class test scores and satisfaction questionnaires were compared.

Results

The test scores (80.60 ± 7.65) of resident physician trainees in the experimental group were higher than those of the control group (77.05 ± 8.08), and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The experimental group trainees were highly satisfied with the MOOC + flipped classroom program.

Conclusion

MOOCs in combination with flipped classroom teaching can increase the effectiveness of teaching in the standard training for resident physicians and trainees’ comprehensive clinical diagnosis and treatment ability.

Keywords:

• MOOC
• flipped classroom model/flipped class model
• rheumatology
• standard training of resident physicians
• questionnaire

Ethics Approval

The current study met the requirements of the Declaration of Helsinki of the World Medical Association. Since this study did not require any intervention or experiment related to patients, no informed consent was required after review by the Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College.

Acknowledgments

We are particularly grateful to all the people who have given us help on our article.

Disclosure

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by: College Teaching Quality Engineering Project of Anhui Educational Committee (2018jyxm0832, 2019mooc589). Humanity and Social Science Research Project of Anhui Educational Committee (SK2019A0179).