TY  - JOUR
AU  - Jones, Jennifer
AU  - Johnston, Jamie Sewan
AU  - Ndiaye, Ngouille Yabsa
AU  - Tokar, Anna
AU  - Singla, Saumya
AU  - Skinner, Nadine Ann
AU  - Strehlow, Matthew
AU  - Utunen, Heini
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/6/19
TI  - Health Care Workers’ Motivations for Enrolling in Massive Open Online Courses During a Public Health Emergency: Descriptive Analysis
JO  - JMIR Med Educ
SP  - e51915
VL  - 10
KW  - massive open online course
KW  - MOOC
KW  - online learning
KW  - online courses
KW  - online course
KW  - health care education
KW  - medical education
KW  - education
KW  - training
KW  - professional development
KW  - continuing education
KW  - COVID-19 training
KW  - infectious disease outbreak response
KW  - emergency
KW  - public health
KW  - crisis
KW  - crises
KW  - outbreak
KW  - pandemic
KW  - COVID-19
KW  - SARS-CoV-2
KW  - coronavirus
KW  - humanitarian emergency response
KW  - health care workers
KW  - nurse
KW  - nurses
KW  - practitioner
KW  - practitioners
KW  - clinician
KW  - clinicians
KW  - health care worker
KW  - medic
KW  - low-income
KW  - lower-middle income
KW  - LIC
KW  - LMIC
KW  - developing country
KW  - developing countries
KW  - developing nation
KW  - developing nations
KW  - case study
KW  - survey
KW  - surveys
KW  - descriptive analysis
KW  - descriptive analyses
KW  - motivation
KW  - motivations
KW  - lower-middle–income country
KW  - low-income country
AB  - Background: Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are increasingly used to educate health care workers during public health emergencies. In early 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed a series of MOOCs for COVID-19, introducing the disease and strategies to control its outbreak, with 6 courses specifically targeting health care workers as learners. In 2020, Stanford University also launched a MOOC designed to deliver accurate and timely education on COVID-19, equipping health care workers across the globe to provide health care safely and effectively to patients with the novel infectious disease. Although the use of MOOCs for just-in-time training has expanded during the pandemic, evidence is limited regarding the factors motivating health care workers to enroll in and complete courses, particularly in low-income countries (LICs) and lower-middle–income countries (LMICs). Objective: This study seeks to gain insights on the characteristics and motivations of learners turning to MOOCs for just-in-time training, to provide evidence that can better inform MOOC design to meet the needs of health care workers. We examine data from learners in 1 Stanford University and 6 WHO COVID-19 courses to identify (1) the characteristics of health care workers completing the courses and (2) the factors motivating them to enroll. Methods: We analyze (1) course registration data of the 49,098 health care workers who completed the 7 focal courses and (2) survey responses from 6272 course completers. The survey asked respondents to rank their motivations for enrollment and share feedback about their learning experience. We use descriptive statistics to compare responses by health care profession and by World Bank country income classification. Results: Health care workers completed the focal courses from all regions of the world, with nearly one-third (14,159/49,098, 28.84%) practicing in LICs and LMICs. Survey data revealed a diverse range of professional roles among the learners, including physicians (2171/6272, 34.61%); nurses (1599/6272, 25.49%); and other health care professionals such as allied health professionals, community health workers, paramedics, and pharmacists (2502/6272, 39.89%). Across all health care professions, the primary motivation to enroll was for personal learning to improve clinical practice. Continuing education credit was also an important motivator, particularly for nonphysicians and learners in LICs and LMICs. Course cost (3423/6272, 54.58%) and certification (4238/6272, 67.57%) were also important to a majority of learners. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that a diverse range of health care professionals accessed MOOCs for just-in-time training during a public health emergency. Although all health care workers were motivated to improve their clinical practice, different factors were influential across professions and locations. These factors should be considered in MOOC design to meet the needs of health care workers, particularly those in lower-resource settings where alternative avenues for training may be limited. 
SN  - 2369-3762
UR  - https://mededu.jmir.org/2024/1/e51915
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/51915
DO  - 10.2196/51915
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/51915
ER  -