Continuing Education During Uncertainty
Resources to help faculty adapt to distance education so you can keep students engaged and on track
Go the Distance With Online Learning
Due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, millions of students worldwide have seen their education interrupted. Academic institutions are now making necessary arrangements to move their curriculums online so that students can fulfill their educational goals. We know that there is a lot of uncertainty about how long the COVID-19 crisis will last and the impact that it will have on our community.
Also, this has become challenging for medical schools to provide preclinical and clinical training while also keeping their students, faculty, and patients safe. Therefore, many programs have temporarily suspended classes and clinical rotations and are adopting distance, online-based learning. Adapting to a distance learning environment can be challenging for your students. They may have difficulty staying engaged with lectures and assignments and are unable to see clinical patients.
How can UWorld help during this trying time? Our question bank (QBank) learning platform has thousands of questions that teach high-yield concepts. These concepts help prepare medical students not only for their USMLE Step 1 and 2 examinations but can be used as a supplement to their coursework to help prepare them for clinical practice. Our team of physicians writes and updates content daily to provide the most up-to-date practice guidelines and realistic clinical scenarios to help students master relevant content.
By using the UWorld QBank, your students can still stay actively engaged in online learning and continue developing their medical knowledge. By studying this way, students can learn information more readily and remember the scenarios for the future. Our faculty portal allows you to keep track of student progress throughout the QBank and monitor their performance. It also helps you identify any areas of weakness to help your students better prepare throughout the year for their examinations and the USMLE.
As school systems continue to pivot to distance learning, several instructors and students may find it challenging to switch to online education. That’s why we’ve put together this page on distance learning. We will be updating this page regularly with even more helpful resources.
What Is Distance Learning?
Distance learning, commonly referred to as e-learning, or online learning, is a method of education whose primary feature is the instruction of students from a distance (or remotely) using technology. With distance learning, digital tools and online platforms replace live lectures in a classroom setting. Distance learning has become increasingly popular in the digital age as a flexible means for students to receive instruction from academic institutions or achieve other academic pursuits such as preparing for high-stakes exams, without having to set foot in a classroom.
What Are Some Advantages of Distance Learning?
Flexibility
Today’s students want educational tools that fit their busy lifestyles. With COVID-19 confining them to their homes, digital exam prep means students can access learning resources conveniently for them. This remote access accommodates their need for flexibility as well as today’s circumstances, thus improving overall confidence that they can continue their education.
Unlimited Access
Learning via digital platforms means students have unlimited access to materials and resources. This unrestrained access is especially important when students need to focus on weaker subjects. Repetition gives students the practice they need to master new skills by improving speed, increasing confidence, and improving retention.
Cost-Effectiveness
eLearning reduces significant training time and costs associated with traditional education – from commute expenses to offline lectures to money spent on printed exam prep materials.
Timeliness
Using eLearning, you can give your students real-time feedback during an online training course. With everything connected online, you can also receive up-to-date analyses on student progress.
Accommodating
Online training resources are often available in multiple languages, thanks to built-in translation software. Also, instead of finding classroom space to learn, all your students need is access to a computer or mobile phone.
Global Scope
eLearning solutions are available 24/7 for an increasingly global and remote workforce. And with stay-at-home orders currently in effect in the U.S. and other parts of the world, students get to access training on their own time, no matter where they are.
Consistent Quality
eLearning ensures that students will receive the same high-quality instruction anywhere in the world, and no matter what application they use to access the learning resources.
Distance Learning With UWorld
At UWorld, we’ve long bought into eLearning and believe in its positive impact on education. During this challenging time that compels students to continue learning from home, we want to be a go-to resource for you. We aim to that sustain your efforts to keep your students engaged and on the right track. Our products are already suited for distance learning as we develop them with an all-digital interface, including mobile app functionality. Below are some of our product features that align with online learning modalities.
Thousands of Practical Questions
We recognize that there is no substitute for seeing patients in-person in a clinical setting. However, our questions are clinically relevant, with concepts simulating real-life clinical scenarios that test high-yield basic science concepts. Our content is created by practicing physicians with extensive experience, and our Qbank is continuously updated to maintain high standards of excellence. Students can get a feel for the actual exams with each QBank featuring an exam-like software interface and questions at or above exam-level difficulty.
In-Depth Explanations
Our explanations give students a detailed understanding of important preclinical and clinical concepts while minimizing the need for memorization. The descriptions teach students the critical thinking skills necessary to succeed on the USMLE Step exams. Plus, vivid illustrations help students retain and better understand the concepts.
Faculty Portal
Currently, our faculty portal enables you to monitor student progress to identify relative strengths and weaknesses and see peer-to-peer comparisons. Sometime this year, we will launch a learning platform that will allow you to assign questions that correlate with any type of lecture you develop. As soon as we have a demo ready, we will let you know and update this page accordingly.
Advanced Note-Taking Functionality
Technology has made note-taking in online learning platforms more seamless than ever. Using digital flashcards, students can create their own study sets for quick review. They can also flag/highlight questions so they can quickly review them later.
Self-Assessments
Step 1 & Step 2
Our Step 1 and Step 2 self-assessments closely replicate the experience of the actual exams to help students prepare and boost their confidence on test day. By completing these self-assessments successfully, your students will know when they are ready to take the exam.
- Similar to NBME®, each exam consists of four blocks of 40 multiple-choice questions that span multiple subjects and are distinct from the regular QBank
- The detailed explanations are accompanied by vivid illustrations and charts that are easy to understand and remember
- Know your relative ranking as compared to other users who have already taken our self-assessments
- After completing each self-assessment, receive an approximate 3-digit USMLE score based on UWorld historical data
Step 3
Our Step 3 Computer-based Case Simulations (Step 3 CCS) are an integral part of the exam and are designed to evaluate your ability to diagnose, treat, and monitor simulated patients in an interactive setting. A familiarity with the interface is crucial to help you improve your score on this section of the exam.
- Review with the first and only interactive Step 3 CCS software.
- Read through 40+ classic Step 3 CCS cases that cover high-yield topics in multiple specialties
- Practice using 50+ interactive cases in an interface that closely mimic the cases you are likely to see on the actual exam
- Boost your confidence on exam day with an interface that uses free-text order entry features similar to those on the official exam
- Assess your understanding with comprehensive explanations that include tips on the recommended clinical approach, optimal scoring features, and clock management