Screen-time: ensuring excellence in online teaching

Online and virtual learning grew exponentially during the coronavirus pandemic in all areas, including medical education. It is now a well-established part of clinical teaching. This raises questions about which learning content should be delivered online; how it should be delivered and, crucially, how to engage learners in the online environment. We summarise a range of approaches and key considerations to enable appropriate clinical content to be delivered online and propose a number of teaching modalities for use within medical education. Preparation, including faculty training and development, is key to the ongoing effectiveness and success of online learning. We provide an online learning checklist and suggest ground rules to consider when approaching online teaching. Furthermore, we summarise a number of online platforms, applications and resources that aim to enhance learner engagement and encourage you to explore, innovate and reflect on your online teaching journey as an educator.