Healthcare Workers’ Motivations for Enrolling in Massive Open Online Courses During a Public Health Emergency: Evidence from a Case Study of COVID-19 Training (Preprint)

Abstract

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are increasingly used to educate healthcare workers in low-income and lower-middle-income countries (LICs/LMICs). Early in 2020, the World Health Organization developed a series of MOOCs for COVID-19, introducing the disease and strategies to control its outbreak, with six courses specifically targeting healthcare workers as learners. In August 2020, Stanford University also launched a MOOC, the “COVID-19 Training for Healthcare Workers”, designed to deliver accurate and timely education on COVID-19 for healthcare workers across the globe, improving their ability to provide healthcare safely and effectively to patients suffering from the novel infectious disease. While MOOCs in LICs/LMICs have expanded during the COVID-19 public health emergency, more descriptive data is needed in the literature regarding healthcare participants' characteristics and motivations for enrolling in MOOCs.

In this study, we conducted a descriptive analysis of the types of healthcare workers who enrolled in COVID-19 MOOCs. Furthermore, we sought insight into healthcare workers' motivations for enrolling in and completing COVID-19 MOOCs. Previous studies have shown that a primary intrinsic motivator for MOOC enrollment generally is for their personal interest or knowledge acquisition; however, there is minimal available data on motivating factors for enrollment in healthcare-specific MOOCs. We aimed to understand better the types of learners who enroll in healthcare-related MOOCs and their motivations for participation.

Surveys were distributed to all course completers of six OpenWHO COVID-19 courses and Stanford’s “COVID-19 Training for Healthcare Workers” course. This study combines enrollment data, with survey responses, including demographic data, ranked motivations for course enrollment, and perceptions of the MOOCs.

Among healthcare workers, the primary motivator for COVID-19 MOOC enrollment generally and across subgroup analyses was to improve clinical practice and for personal learning. To earn a certificate ranked consistently as a middle-tier motivator. However, 70% of respondents reported they chose to earn the certificate, with 59% indicating they would provide a copy to their employer and 63% indicating they would use the certificate to fulfill continuing education requirements.

The results demonstrate that the primary reason most healthcare workers enrolled in COVID-19-related MOOCs was for clinical practice improvement and personal learning. Furthermore, most healthcare workers used course certificates professionally. Identifying the motivations for specific groups of learners, like those in LICs/LMICs, will help the future design of MOOCs to encourage participation and completion.