MBRU’s Experiences with Abruptly Transitioning Medical Programs to Distance Learning at the Onset of COVID-19

Presenters:
Professors Ritu Lakhtakia, Dr. Fatemeh Amir Rad, and Farah Otaki, MBRU

When the Mohammad Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) was confronted by the disruption of the pandemic, its staff swiftly swung into action. This webinar details how the postgraduate dental and medical faculty was able to put into place a swift changeover to distance learning, relying on an ongoing collaborative effort. This involved committing to a continual process of reflection and observation, while ensuring that existing resources and tools were utilized to their full effect. Ultimately, an effective set of mixed methods were adopted in order to realize this distance learning stance. The collection of data from both students and instructors was a key part of this process, being facilitated with Explorance’s Blue, with the survey process being particularly key to understanding this effort, its successes, and the more effective options that were and are available. This webinar will outline in detail the learnings that the team has gleaned during this transition.