Abstract:
Traditionally there has always been a one-month elective opportunity for
third-year medical students at the Univesity of Pretoria, South Africa. In
pre-pandemic years, students have used this elective to explore a future
area of specialisation and/or gain practical experience at a self-selected
suitable health facility or placement. The completion mark for the elective
was based on the submission of a student-generated reflective report about
their experience. This practice was, however, severely challenged in the
prevailing COVID‑19 pandemic with movement restrictions and concerns
about transmission. Therefore, a decision was made and supported by the
Deanery to explore the possibility of a virtual self-paced online elective
for 300 medical students. Of note here is that not only were these students
adjusting to lecture-led online-synchronised classes, but they also had never
before been exposed to online learning in the form of massive open online
courses (MOOCs) as part of their formal qualification.
