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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Journal of Academic Ophthalmology 2022; 14(01): e18-e22
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1740327
Research Article

A Double-Flipped Virtual Classroom Format for Medical Students Learning Ophthalmology: An Approach to Clinical Rotations in the Context of COVID-19

S. Taylor Brady
1   University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah
,
Srav Vegunta
2   Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Moran Eye Center, Sciences University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
,
Lenora M. Olson
3   Division of Critical Care, Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
,
Ben J. Brintz
4   Division of Epidemiology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
,
Jeff H. Pettey
5   Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
,
Griffin J. Jardine 
5   Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
› Author Affiliations Funding This investigation was supported by the University of Utah Study Design and Biostatistics Center, with funding in part from the National Center for Research Resources and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, through Grant 8UL1TR000105 (formerly UL1RR025764).
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Abstract

Purpose The aim of this study was to assess efficacy of a virtual, double-flipped clinical rotation in ophthalmology for medical students during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Methods We instituted a virtual, reverse-classroom clinical elective for eight medical students interested in ophthalmology as a career. The course included required prework, interactive case-based discussions, and follow-up quizzes (first flip) entirely prepared and delivered by the students as teachers (second flip). After completion of the course, we surveyed students on five domains: (1) Autonomy and Leadership, (2) Self-Efficacy, (3) Impact on Career Selection, (4) Quality of Educational Experience, and (5) Clear Goals and Feedback using a Likert scale of 1–5 (5 being the most positive). We also asked open-ended questions regarding the overall experience, that is, strengths, weaknesses, and future recommendations for the course. Due to the small N and exploratory nature of the study, no formal statistical inference was performed.

Results Seven students responded to the survey. Aggregated mean survey scores for each domain are represented in parentheses. Responses were very positive in regard to “Autonomy and Leadership” (4.5), “Impact on Career Selection” (4.1), “Quality of Educational Experience” (5.0), and “Clear Goals and Feedback” (4.4). “Self-Efficacy,” which had an emphasis on ability to perform an eye exam and basic knowledge of ophthalmology, had a lower mean (3.4). The subjective responses were also very positive, but similarly alluded to the limitation of learning examination skills virtually.

Conclusions A medical school clinical elective can be successfully executed in a virtual format with an emphasis on student-directed learning. The novel “double-flipped” approach was highly rated by our small sample size. However, there remained a glaring limitation in the ability to transfer clinical skills in the virtual format. In the context of limited in-person contact due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we believe that the double-flipped, virtual format was a viable replacement for a traditional clinical rotation.

Keywords

medical education - flipped classroom - ophthalmology - COVID-19 pandemic education - medical students - residents - virtual learning - online learning - clinical rotation


Publication History

Received: 13 March 2021

Accepted: 12 October 2021

Article published online:
02 February 2022

© 2022. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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