Exploring the role of dramatics in medical education through online listserv mediated mentoring and learning web sessions

BACKGROUND: Online learning environments are becoming more frequent in teaching and learning than ever before. Asynchronous learning provides “high degree of interactivity” between participants and helps them to reflect upon their ideas/thoughts, before sharing them with others leading to more insightful responses and in-depth learning. Moderating an online discussion is an art and challenging task, which needs meticulous planning and effective execution approaches. One of the major challenges in online discussion is to ensure active participation and interest among participants, and therefore, it reiterates the need for inclusion of interactive strategies to enable it meaningful and effective. The present article is to share our experiences in moderating session on “Dramatics in Medical Education” (DIME) as a part of ML web discussion of Foundation for Advancement in International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER) at one of the regional FAIMER institutes in India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-two FAIMER fellows participated in online discussion on DIME, supplemented with various engagement triggers including, sharing of real-life situation case scenarios, motivational quotes, competitions and rewards, script writing, script editing exercises by using Forum Theatre method, discussion on uploaded academic videos on “YouTube,” use of mnemonics, etc. RESULTS: Online discussion yielded improved knowledge and positive attitudes of participants toward DIME. Task-based exercises within authentic or realistic situations, teamwork, and interactions facilitated active learning of participants. CONCLUSIONS: Appropriate planning, well coordination, and interactive strategies can foster learning and reflective abilities as well as develop favorable perceptions of learners toward virtual mode of teaching-learning.