THE USE OF ONLINE TOOLS AND APPLICATIONS AS AN ADAPTATION FOR SCIENTIFIC EDUCATION IN ANDROLOGY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To determine online tools and applications for scientific education in andrology during the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Amid the COVID-19 pandemic and its ensuing restrictions, the American Center for Reproductive Medicine (ACRM) at Cleveland Clinic, organized several fully virtual programs, namely, the Online Summer Mentorship in Scientific Writing (June - August 2020, 28 participants) and Online Training in Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) (December 2020 - March 2021, 2444 participants). ACRM adapted its annual training programs to an entirely virtual platform, which was achieved using online communication tools such as WhatsApp, Dropbox, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Cisco WebEx, and email correspondence. To determine the perception of the participants towards the use of such tools in the organization and delivery of these online training programs, the participants answered surveys at the end of each program. This study reports the results obtained from 2472 respondents of these surveys. RESULTS: In terms of preference for online communication platforms between students, mentors and management, the 28 participants of the inaugural Online Summer Mentorship program rated their applications usage preference as WhatsApp (32.1%), Google Meet (28.6%), Skype (17.9%), e-mail (14.3%) and Zoom (7.1%). Similarly, more than 80% of the 2,444 participants of the Online Training in ART program rated the sharing of information using the various electronic platforms as either very good or excellent. Here, the preferred platform appeared to be WhatsApp, with a rating of 86% compared to Dropbox (85%), or Cisco WebEx (81%). A total of 58.1% of the participants strongly agreed that WhatsApp was used effectively to share detailed information and materials about the course. CONCLUSIONS: Among the various communication applications and tools used for the ACRM online programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, WhatsApp appeared to be one of the preferred tools by the participants for networking and collaborations. This study provides an example of utilization of online tools and applications to support organization and continuity in scientific education in Andrology, amidst the physical distancing and travel restrictions imposed during the current COVID-19 pandemic. IMPACT STATEMENT Routinely used online communication tools are valuable and accessible resources for delivery of knowledge, organization of training programs and sharing of data in academic and scientific education in Andrology during the COVID-19 pandemic.