How to... train your skills goes digital! A project report on the development and implementation of practice-oriented digital student tutorials

Objective: This project report outlines the development and implementation of digital tutorials (“How to... train your skills goes digital!”) by peer tutors (TUTs) based on previously established in-person tutorials, as well as the subsequent combination of both approaches. The TUTs' objective, in spite of corona-related restrictions and strict hygiene requirements during the pandemic, was to provide fellow students with the opportunity to learn, practice and reflect on clinical-practical skills. Methodology: In a collaborative undertaking, the TUTs first analyzed the learning objectives of the in-person tutorials in order to be able to design content-matched digital tutorials without entirely abandoning the practical aspect. The Moodle learning management platform was selected as the appropriate tool for delivery of the relevant theoretical knowledge. Practical exercises are embedded in the digital tutorials during online meetings. The participants (PTs) create their own models in the sense of a home skills station based on instructions provided via Moodle. Acceptance was systematically documented via questionnaires. Results: The digital tutorials were well accepted by the PTs (n=64). Evaluation (response rate: 37.5%) outcomes were consistently positive. Both course implementation and the PTs' own progress were rated “good” to “very good”. Nevertheless, the PTs do not yet feel well-prepared to carry out the various activities practiced independently. In the winter semester of 2020/21, the in-person tutorials were also reintroduced in a combined format. The marked demand for the tutorials may indicate the PT preference for practice on the simulation center models. Conclusion: The systematic combination of digital and in-person tutorials using the flipped classroom approach would appear to make sense in the long run. The effectiveness and sustainability of this approach in comparison with in-person tutorials only should be further investigated.