Implementation of a digital semester for ophthalmology during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic posed great challenges for teachers and students, as teaching had to take place despite the restriction of classroom teaching. For attendance lessons and events with patient contact alternatives had to be arranged at short notice between mid-March and the beginning of the semester in mid-April. Objective Description of the concept and implementation in the student teaching at the Department of Ophthalmology of the University Medical Center Mainz in complete digital form in spring 2020. Presentation of concept Lectures, examination course and practical training in ophthalmology take place in the 5th and 6th semester of the study of human medicine. The basis of the new concept were the former course curricula. Implemented concepts included a complete revision and implementation of lectures as video podcasts, examination videos, online examination conferences, interactive patient cases, narrated videos of surgery, anamnesis videos of patients and the design of the virtual patient room, a live online practice with presentation and examination of patients including transmission of the slit-lamp image to reproduce anterior and posterior segment examination. An evaluation showed a very positive reception of the new concept by students. Discussion Within a tight timeframe of 4 weeks a complete revision of the ophthalmology course was achieved. The implementation was time-consuming, with the largest share in the media production of examination videos, interactive patient cases and video podcasts of the lectures. We consider a reduction of classroom teaching for parts of the learning objectives that can be represented by such videos to be possibly useful. An independent digital appropriation of such content may enable a more productive learning environment in face-to-face teaching.