Table 1.

Summary of the courses under evaluation

Course code Title – universities involved (Order of course in ARCADE courses)	Short description of the course	Mode of delivery	Assessment methods	Participating students (n)
Course 1 Improving Drug Use, Especially Antibiotics – KI; Ujjain Charitable Trust Hospital and Research Centre, India; Tongji Medical College (TJMC), Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), China; Hanoi Medical University (5)	The course introduced the scope and main methods of drug utilisation research, methods to estimate the level of self-medication, and people's beliefs and behaviour, with a particular focus on antibiotics	One week full-time studies (1.5 European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits). The course offered a combination of synchronous real-time interactive lectures and recorded lectures available via Ping Pong	Individual assignment describing an issue of antibiotic use or antibiotic resistance and suggestions for action	21
Course 2 Meta-Analysis of Diagnostic Accuracy Tools (MADAS) – MU, SU, KI (1)	The course was designed to teach students how to conduct a meta-analysis of a diagnostic accuracy study – from study design to manuscript preparation	One week full-time (1.5 ECTS). Almost 50% synchronous teaching. Lectures were recorded during the session and posted on the Moodle platform The rest of the course focused on reading articles shared on Moodle and practical training in meta-analysis	Multiple-choice exam	20
Course 3 Practical Approaches to Qualitative Research – SU, MU, KI (3)	The course aimed to give a general practical basis to researchers wishing to learn qualitative research methods	Thirteen weeks, part-time (7.5 ECTS). Students viewed lectures and read articles based on Moodle for 12 weeks and used a discussion forum. The course also included 1 week of face-to-face skill training at each site focusing on practical skills	Written assignments and participation in online discussions	27
Course 4 Qualitative Evaluation in Health Care – KI, Malawi University, Tongji Medical College of HUST (4)	The course focused on qualitative evaluation methods for health systems and services research. It provided a theoretical and practical orientation to qualitative evaluation	Two weeks (part-time, 1.5 ECTS), with 1 week of synchronous real-time online lecturing and recorded lectures available via Moodle and 1 week of self-study and project work to develop an evaluation protocol	Study protocols developed and multiple-choice quiz	12
Course 5 Randomized Controlled Trials – SU, KI, MU (2)	The course covered the principles of clinical trials in investigating effectiveness, efficacy, and safety of treatments/interventions	The course was given over 10 weeks at SU, and a more intensive version (1 week full-time studies) was offered over the last week at KI and MU. Students from all three sites participated in real-time lectures and question and answer sessions with an expert	Progressively developed protocol of an RCT through three assignments, an online quiz, and an examination	38

Adapted from Ref. (21). KI, Karolinska Institutet; MU, Makerere University; SU, Stellenbosch University.