Table 2.

Excerpts from student and tutor responses regarding synchronous online learning

Interactive student engagement	“The skills lecturers went out of their way to ensure we understood the skills, and I feel like my theoretical knowledge is solid and sufficient” – [S76] “The online Zoom sessions feel more interactive than [traditional] class sessions” – [S13]
Foundational concepts through innovative teaching design	“They learned an approach to a patient and formulating a differential diagnosis, better than when they attended the skills training in person” – [T4] “There should always be breakout rooms, just as it is in the clinical skills lab” – [S94] “[The home-made simulation] was the closest I’ve gotten to having the experience as if we were taught the skill in person” – [S102] “I enjoyed the history taking online, which was very similar to history taking in real life” – [S76].
Spaced learning and consolidation of knowledge through constructive instructional design	“We studied the material well before the zoom practical as we knew we would be questioned on it during the session. It also helped us consolidate & identify gaps in our knowledge” – [S102]. “Students were given course material in advance as pre-reading and attended lectures prior to having small group zoom [practical] sessions, where information was repeated. The idea was for students to interactively apply that knowledge, which would re-enforce the information” – [T4]. “Repetition helps a lot, and there’s a big difference in the way I understand the 3rd year syllabus compared to 2nd year. I also really like the quizzes because it tests how much I understand from the theory” – [S23]. “I couldn’t really gauge body language and facial expressions from the patient, and this made empathizing with the simulated patient difficult” – [S11].
Immediate feedback and remediation	“The tutor guided us through the process and helped us with our mistakes” – [S30]. “We observed the interaction and were offered real-time comments by the tutor” – [S44]. “Positive criticism from the tutor and classmates did help motivate me to go back and practice more” – [S57].
Preparedness for demonstration of clinical skills	“I know the theory very well, but I have had no practice applying it”, – [S76] “The active learning, continuous revision and tutor engagement were key factors contributing to my preparedness; however, no amount of online learning would allow you to feel totally confident in performing these skills for the first time in real-life on a simulated patient.” – [S44]