Bichronous scientific writing course for medical faculty during Covid-19: a SWOT analysis experience
IntroductionWriting and publishing scholarly articles in international peer-reviewed journals can be a challenging undertaking for medical and healthcare professionals in universities, especially in non-English speaking countries. Surprisingly, very few faculty members report receiving guidance on s...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Education |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2024.1327087/full |
| _version_ | 1797302391016521728 |
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| author | Laleh Khojasteh Nahid Zarifsanaiey Zahra Karimian |
| author_facet | Laleh Khojasteh Nahid Zarifsanaiey Zahra Karimian |
| author_sort | Laleh Khojasteh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionWriting and publishing scholarly articles in international peer-reviewed journals can be a challenging undertaking for medical and healthcare professionals in universities, especially in non-English speaking countries. Surprisingly, very few faculty members report receiving guidance on scientific writing. To encourage more faculty engagement in professional development courses aimed at enhancing their writing abilities, we have revamped scientific writing courses to incorporate bichronous (a combination of asynchronous and synchronous) teaching methods.MethodsAfter forming a team, we performed a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) study of the medical faculty’s present programs and proposed alternatives to prior course issues. In this interventional study, fifty-nine eligible medical educators selected by purposeful sampling underwent a two-and-a-half-month bichronous scientific writing course from March to August 2021. The perspectives of the participants were evaluated through a SWOT analysis. The data were collected through online semi-structured interviews, and data collection continued until data saturation was achieved (40 participants). Data were then coded and analyzed based on conventional qualitative content analysis principles.ResultsOur planned blending sequence and e-feedback increased the medical faculty’s drive to learn, self-confidence, and autonomy while improving their writing skills. Poor ICT and network infrastructure hindered course adoption. Due to the course’s time and the faculty’s own online teaching, many battled with computer vision syndrome, self-discipline, and distractions. Our participants struggled with self-discipline and distractions, so setting a daily time limit may help them concentrate.DiscussionGiven the faculty’s demanding professional lives, this designed course provided a learning opportunity for many that would not have been feasible otherwise. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T23:37:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-20fa06c60e14432582a121d908b98db0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2504-284X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T23:37:09Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-20fa06c60e14432582a121d908b98db02024-02-20T05:52:14ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Education2504-284X2024-02-01910.3389/feduc.2024.13270871327087Bichronous scientific writing course for medical faculty during Covid-19: a SWOT analysis experienceLaleh Khojasteh0Nahid Zarifsanaiey1Zahra Karimian2English Department, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, IranE-learning Department, Virtual School, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, IranDepartment of E-learning in Medical Sciences, Virtual School and Center of Excellence in E-Learning, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, IranIntroductionWriting and publishing scholarly articles in international peer-reviewed journals can be a challenging undertaking for medical and healthcare professionals in universities, especially in non-English speaking countries. Surprisingly, very few faculty members report receiving guidance on scientific writing. To encourage more faculty engagement in professional development courses aimed at enhancing their writing abilities, we have revamped scientific writing courses to incorporate bichronous (a combination of asynchronous and synchronous) teaching methods.MethodsAfter forming a team, we performed a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) study of the medical faculty’s present programs and proposed alternatives to prior course issues. In this interventional study, fifty-nine eligible medical educators selected by purposeful sampling underwent a two-and-a-half-month bichronous scientific writing course from March to August 2021. The perspectives of the participants were evaluated through a SWOT analysis. The data were collected through online semi-structured interviews, and data collection continued until data saturation was achieved (40 participants). Data were then coded and analyzed based on conventional qualitative content analysis principles.ResultsOur planned blending sequence and e-feedback increased the medical faculty’s drive to learn, self-confidence, and autonomy while improving their writing skills. Poor ICT and network infrastructure hindered course adoption. Due to the course’s time and the faculty’s own online teaching, many battled with computer vision syndrome, self-discipline, and distractions. Our participants struggled with self-discipline and distractions, so setting a daily time limit may help them concentrate.DiscussionGiven the faculty’s demanding professional lives, this designed course provided a learning opportunity for many that would not have been feasible otherwise.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2024.1327087/fullmedical facultyEnglish languagescientific writingonline learning/teachingbichronous online learning/teachingSWOT analysis |
| spellingShingle | Laleh Khojasteh Nahid Zarifsanaiey Zahra Karimian Bichronous scientific writing course for medical faculty during Covid-19: a SWOT analysis experience Frontiers in Education medical faculty English language scientific writing online learning/teaching bichronous online learning/teaching SWOT analysis |
| title | Bichronous scientific writing course for medical faculty during Covid-19: a SWOT analysis experience |
| title_full | Bichronous scientific writing course for medical faculty during Covid-19: a SWOT analysis experience |
| title_fullStr | Bichronous scientific writing course for medical faculty during Covid-19: a SWOT analysis experience |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bichronous scientific writing course for medical faculty during Covid-19: a SWOT analysis experience |
| title_short | Bichronous scientific writing course for medical faculty during Covid-19: a SWOT analysis experience |
| title_sort | bichronous scientific writing course for medical faculty during covid 19 a swot analysis experience |
| topic | medical faculty English language scientific writing online learning/teaching bichronous online learning/teaching SWOT analysis |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2024.1327087/full |
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