Addressing Challenges of Undergraduate Medical Education in India Through Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

Abstract

Context: Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have much potential in higher education, including medical education. This paper explores the challenges and potential solutions through planning, developing, and integrating MOOCs into the medical curriculum. Evidence Acquisition: A non-systematic review study was conducted in March and April 2021. A comprehensive literature search was done on Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and websites to retrieve articles on MOOCs and medical education using relevant search terms. Results: With their wide availability, open access, and affordability, MOOCs have attracted the attention of several educationalists and learners. Indian medical undergraduates face several problems, such as introducing the new competency-based curriculum, information overload, the COVID-19 pandemic, and increased health care demand. The advantages of MOOCs can be leveraged to solve some of the problems in medical education. They can be effectively used to educate and empower the general public and provide patient education and continuous professional development. Conclusions: With embedded advanced interactive tools, MOOCs have the potential to reshape medical education. Sustained commitment, promotion competition, and collaboration can help overcome the common barriers to MOOC development and integration into the undergraduate medical curriculum.