CoRad-19 – Modular Digital Teaching during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

Abstract

Purpose During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, higher education worldwide had to switch to digital formats. The purpose of this study was to evaluate CoRad-19, a digital teaching tool created by the German Radiological Society for medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods A total of 13 German-speaking universities implemented CoRad-19 in their curriculum and partially or completely replaced their classes with the online courses. Previous experience and contact with radiology and the participantsʼ opinions regarding the medium of e-learning were surveyed using a custom questionnaire. The subjective level of knowledge regarding the individual modules was also surveyed before and after participation to measure learning effects. The data of 994 medical students from the participating sites were analyzed and compared intraindividually using the Friedman test. Results From 4/1/2020–10/1/2020, 451 complete data sets from a total of 994 surveys were included. E-learning was rated “very useful” both before and after course participation (4 [IQR 3–4], p = 0.527, r = 0.16). E-learning as a method was also rated as a “very good” medium both before and after participation (4 [IQR 3–4], p = 0.414, r = 0.17). After participation, participants rated radiology as particularly suitable for digital teaching (before: 3 [IQR 3–4] vs. after 4 [IQR 3–4], p = 0.005, r = 0.6). Significant learning gains were measurable in all course modules (p ≤ 0.009). Post-hoc analysis showed interest in radiology to increase significantly after course participation (p = 0.02). Conclusion In the representative survey, significant learning effects were observed in all course modules. In addition, it should be particularly emphasized that the studentsʼ interest in radiology was increased by course participation. Thus, the German Radiological Society provided significant support to German-speaking medical faculties with respect to maintaining excellent education using CoRad-19. Key Point: Citation Format