Medical Student Development of K-12 Educational Resources During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Problem

Pandemic swept across the world, many medical students’ clinical duties were suspended and many K-12 schools closed. Parents and teachers of younger students were stretched thin with new responsibilities, and it was challenging to find accurate, engaging, and developmentally appropriate information about COVID-19 intended for children and adolescents. Paralleling the disruptions seen in K-12 schooling, medical students suspended from patient responsibilities found their education interrupted and sought ways to both contribute to public outreach efforts and augment their own learning in innovative ways.

Approach

A group of medical students at Harvard Medical School (HMS) created COVID-19 Classroom, a website with free online educational modules about COVID-19 for elementary, middle, high school, and college students. The materials were designed to 1) provide children with accurate and developmentally appropriate education about the COVID-19 pandemic, 2) help children express their emotions and cultivate effective coping strategies and resilience, and 3) facilitate effective communication about the COVID-19 pandemic between children, caregivers, and teachers. The medical students engaged in literature review and information synthesis, crafted pediatric educational materials, built collaborative relationships with classmates, connected with faculty mentors, and created outreach efforts to publicize their work. The website was reviewed by HMS physicians, including faculty in pediatrics, critical care, and child and adolescent psychiatry, as well as by pediatric social workers, teachers, parents, and children.

Outcomes to date

As of May 5, 2020, the COVID-19 Classroom website has been accessed by over 1200 users in 29 countries. It has been linked as a resource by the Maine Department of Education and the Massachusetts General Hospital Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds, and has been directly shared with over 20 school districts in the U.S. and Canada. The creators have received multiple testimonies of positive impact from students, parents, and educators, describing COVID-19 Classroom as an engaging and informative resource during a difficult time. COVID-19 Classroom has provided K-12 students worldwide with free, accurate, and developmentally appropriate educational materials about COVID-19. This project also provided medical students with a range of engaging educational and professional opportunities and allowed them to develop competence related to literature review, health education, curriculum development, web design, and leadership. Further, the medical students made a meaningful contribution through this public service project during a period when they did not have typical opportunities to make an impact through direct patient care.

Next Steps

The COVID-19 Classroom can be used as a resource for other medical students to deliver education about COVID-19 to students of all ages in their local school districts. Next steps include updating the material as the pandemic evolves, further expanding the reach of the website, connecting with other medical students to facilitate delivery of the educational modules to K-12 students, and identifying opportunities to translate the materials into other languages to make them accessible to more students worldwide. This project also provides a model for medical students to create any number of interactive online educational modules to engage students of all ages in free virtual learning experiences. Early involvement in curriculum development and education can position medical students to pursue these interests throughout their careers.

COVID-19 Classroom Website: https://kids.covidstudentresponse.org