When educators are locked down: transitioning an international faculty development program from in-person to online during the COVID-19 pandemic in China

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic forced international faculty development programs in medical education to forgo in-person activities and transition to online learning. We sought to examine changes in international medical educators’ evaluations of our faculty development program as it transitioned due to the pandemic. Methods: We compared survey responses from participants in our International Medical Educators Program between 2019 (in-person) and 2020 (online). The 43-item survey addressed aspects such as program evaluation and self-assessment of curriculum development and teaching skills. We analyzed data using t-tests to compare means and chi-square test for categorical variables, and performed thematic analysis of open-ended responses. Results: We found that trainees in both cohorts rated the program highly with regard to overall program quality and self-assessed learning outcomes, but the 2019 group reported stronger relationships with peers and instructors. Some scores for self-assessed outcomes were lower for the 2020 class, but no statistically significant differences were found in pre- and post- training scores between the two cohorts. Four themes emerged from the feedback: positive program utility, IMEP as an example of good curriculum design, timing issues, and online learning environment challenges. Conclusions: Despite pandemic challenges, the transition to online faculty development was favorably evaluated, with high confidence in the applicability of learned skills. Future efforts should focus on fostering community and optimizing interaction times to enhance learning experiences. The study contributes insights for global medical education communities in pandemic circumstances.