Bridging the gap: implementation of an online induction course to support students’ transition into first year medicine

Students transitioning into medical school encounter a series of transitions on their journey towards graduation. In the context of undergraduate medicine, students must develop new skills common to all incoming undergraduates (e.g. academic writing, digital skills), as well as subject-specific knowledge, e.g., regarding professionalism or anatomical dissection governance. Whilst the University of Glasgow School of Medicine provides on-campus induction activities, for example to prepare students to participate in problem-based learning, other induction material has traditionally been delivered in a didactic manner. We developed a five-unit online induction course using existing resources available under creative commons licensing. The course used an interactive approach to deliver teaching and signpost key resources related to digital and academic skills (e.g. referencing, avoiding plagiarism), and professionalism. The course was released to incoming students via the institutional public Moodle site prior to their arrival at Glasgow. Student engagement and perception was assessed using quizzes, an online anonymous survey and focus group. Student engagement with the induction course was high: 95% (301/316) of students accessed the course, and 89% (280/316) of students completed the course by achieving 100% in all five end-of-unit quizzes. Students placed particular value on content relating to professional expectations and highlighted that inclusion of current students’ testimonies would improve the course. However, the requirement to engage with sections relating to fundamental digital skills was sometimes a barrier to engagement. Overall, the online induction course benefitted students by helping them understand institutional expectations and creating an opportunity to identify their digital skills needs for them to succeed in their studies. These insights will be of key importance in supporting transition as we prepare for remote induction of our students in September 2020, and should be applicable to others interested in adapting and implementing this induction course in their own settings.