Development and evaluation of an online course about the social accountability of medical schools

Objectives: The objective of this communication is to describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of a pioneering online course about the social accountability of medical schools intended to develop the skills of academic staff at medical schools in the eastern Mediterranean region.

Methods: This four-module course was developed using a six-step approach for curriculum development. Three faculty members with vast experience in social accountability delivered the course online through the MOODLE platform to participants. The content and appropriateness of the course were evaluated using Kirkpatrick's evaluation model, by offering a self-administered questionnaire that assesses the participants' opinions and feedback besides the analysis of the responses of the participants to the discussion points.

Results: Sixteen participants from four countries were admitted to the course. An overall 75% of the participants completed four modules. The mean number of online discussion threads was reported to be 36 responses per module. All participants regarded the course as having a clear take-home message. The majority agreed that the course introduced new concepts and corrected some of their misunderstandings about social accountability in medical schools. The main problems that participants experienced were time constraints and technical Internet problems.

Conclusion: The application of the concept of social accountability in the day-to-day work of medical schools requires faculty to be informed and trained. The online course provides a flexible way to conduct faculty development programmes.