Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: Oct 9, 2024
Open Peer Review Period: Oct 8, 2024 - Oct 21, 2024
Date Accepted: Jun 18, 2025
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Needs for technology enhanced health professions education (TEHPE) in Eastern and Southern Africa: a descriptive, cross-sectional survey protocol
ABSTRACT
Background:
The use of technology in its various forms has long been a feature of the education and training of health professionals in the industrialized world. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic health professions educations institutions suddenly adopted ‘emergency remote teaching’ and this experience exposed the vulnerabilities of countries in eastern and southern Africa regarding modes of teaching and learning. In this region, the needs to migrate to effective technology enhanced learning are not explicit.
Objective:
The aim of this study is to assess the needs for technology enhanced HPE in Eastern and Southern Africa. This will lead to the development of a tool reflecting different technologies used in HPE mapped against a curriculum framework.
Methods:
This will be a descriptive, cross-sectional survey. The model Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition (SAMR) underpins our study and serves as an organizing framework for the different types of technology in current use in the institutions under study. The SAMR model is a tool which provides guidance in describing and categorizing uses of educational technology in the classroom. The model is intended to guide educators to enhance their teaching and learning through the adoption, adaptation or transformation of educational approaches using technology. Data will be collected from medical and nursing programs at bachelor’s degree level recognized by national professional bodies and/or government structures offered at tertiary institutions in Eastern and Southern Africa countries.
Results:
Since this will be a multi-institution study, we envisage multi-phase data analysis. The quantitative data will be analyzed descriptively for each program. Data will then be organized according to the SAMR framework to portray the types of technology in use and challenges encountered.
Conclusions:
The study will reveal gaps that lead to the identification of needs for enhancing technology in health professions education.
Citation
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