Online Faculty Development: An African Lusophone Ophthalmic Society Experience During the COVID-19 Pandemic

PURPOSE: Faculty development for procedural specialists aims at developing both their medical education and surgical competence. This has been challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in under-resourced settings and African Lusophone ophthalmology community has been no exception. The Mozambican College of Ophthalmology (MOC) and the Continuing Professional Development Committee of the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) established a collaboration to enhance simulation-based clinical teaching competence in cataract surgery. METHODS: Ten Mozambican ophthalmologists experienced in teaching cataract surgery participated in a group mentoring assisted 6 month/11 flipped-learning online experience on curriculum design, which included practice-based and social learning strategies, continuous bidirectional feedback, individual and group reflection opportunities, and the demonstration of declarative and procedural competencies. Program evaluation consisted of pre and post-test knowledge assessment; individual homework, informed by curated reading and a recorded lesson; feedback surveys for each module and one month after the program's conclusion, and a longitudinal project on creating a simulation-based education session on one step of cataract surgery. RESULTS: Participants a) highlighted the opportunity to advance their scholarly teaching skills as facilitators; b) showed an increase in knowledge post-test, expressed commitment to improve their learning experiences´ design, include interactive educational methods, and provide constructive feedback; and c) formed a sustained community of practice of ophthalmologists educators (CoP). CONCLUSION: This online faculty development program, assisted by group mentoring, held during the COVID-19 pandemic, facilitated the development of a CoP and was effective in enhancing teaching competence in curriculum design to apply in simulation-based learning environments.