AO Spine has again clearly demonstrated why it continues to be the premier knowledge provider in spine surgery and at the forefront of education and research. Even with the COVID-19 pandemic raging worldwide during the AO's annual flagship event, the fully online AO Davos Courses 2020 evolved and turned into a huge success and an unprecedented learning experience.
Large parts of the AO Davos Courses 2020 virtual world were freely accessible to everyone, including several scientific webinars, a library with AO publications, a 24/7 AO TV broadcast, and a networking lounge with attractive soft skills discussions. More than 300 visitors stopped by at the virtual AO Spine booth to find out about the current opportunities on offer.
Recordings of the scientific webinars and the networking sessions are available for AO Spine members in the AO video hub. The AO TV programs are open to all registered users.
AO Spine delivered three highly engaging courses at the AO Davos Courses 2020 in Adult Deformity, Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (MISS) in Degenerative Spine Conditions and Spine Trauma, and Endoscopy. All featured several weeks of self-directed asynchronous learning followed by live days in December.
The AO Spine courses attracted more than 60 participants from all Regions around the world and inspired rave reviews from faculty and learners. Here, AO Spine's Course Director Emre Acaroğlu shares his personal impressions and learnings.
I shall start by stating that I am particularly happy with the overall experience. In the end, we had to use a fully online course format, one part of which was asynchronous, the other live [synchronous]. The feedback we received from the participants, as well as all faculty members involved, suggests extremely high levels of satisfaction and learning.
Although not comparable, I would say that the overall subjects and the faculty performance ratings are similar to—if not better—than in the previous years. I must also highlight that almost all subjective feedback was very positive, which has not always been our experience.
By far, the biggest challenge was the uncertainty we experienced throughout the preparation due to the pandemic. Even if we had planned blended learning courses from the start, where the face-to-face parts would be executed in Davos, we still had to change our plans several times.
What was exceptional, was the level of participation in both the asynchronous and the live parts. We were pleasantly surprised to see that almost all registered participants and members our esteemed faculty used the entire seven-week period, conducted, and took part in lively discussions. You should have seen people's faces at the live events! They were so enthusiastic that the only criticism we received, was that they could not get enough of it!
The most important learning from this year's courses is the successful proof of concept. I must confess, that we had to improvise with the concept and the format as there was no precedent that we could refer to. But I can now safely state that we were able to develop and execute a unique course format.
We want to use the format of the fully online courses in the future as well, regardless of whether face-to-face meetings become possible or not.
Wait for the 2021 program to be announced to see it implemented again!
To the participants of our future educational offerings, I strongly recommend looking for events with substantial online portions. This will afford them ample time to come together with faculty and experts and to learn a lot. Furthermore, most of this learning will happen at their own pace and convenience.
To all potential faculty including chairpersons and educational advisors, again, I strongly recommend that they explore the potential of online education. They will be pleasantly surprised by the level of interaction they may achieve with the participants and the potential for expressing themselves fully. This is where the future of education lies!
Osaretin O Ugbo, a consultant orthopedic and spine surgeon in Nigeria, took part in the endoscopy course.
“I had planned to commence endoscopic spine surgeries and was looking for a course that could give me a strong foundation of principles and practical tips. The travel restriction from the pandemic was a significant impediment to available options. After going through the AO Spine endoscopy course, I was convinced that it was just the right course I needed,” he explained, adding that his AO Davos Courses 2020 experience proved that he made the right choice.
“The weekly learning materials together with a blend of highly experienced, friendly faculty, and participants at various levels of the spine endoscopy learning curve created a unique learning discussion platform for six weeks before the live event. The simplification of each procedure into well-defined phases combined with numerous practical tips from faculty was a special highlight,” Ugbo said. “The live event was the icing on the cake.”
Prarthan Amin, an orthopedic surgeon in Gujarat, India, calls the MISS course "a game-changer". He relished what he called a “powerful way of learning” as well as the opportunity to interact with and learn from the best.
The faculty “was very good in guiding us to think about the nuances of the case[s] and covering small intricacies in each case as well. At the end of the four rigorous days of brainstorming…I woke up the next day feeling saddened that I will not be able to have discussions on cases with my friends,” he said, referring to course faculty members as newfound buddies. “I also made some really good friends [in] my fellow participants as well.”
Amin was equally impressed by the AO’s virtual online educational platform.
“The AO did a fantastic job in making the entire conference experience into a virtual environment, which I believe is very difficult to implement properly. I got access to high level publications at the virtual library at the AO virtual library [and] access to some really great talks on AO TV. The discussion about leadership in surgery in the networking lounge was also highly motivating and influencing!” he said. “I had a fantastic time at the AO Davos 2020, and never for a second did I feel disconnected from the event, even though it was a virtual one.”
Like the participants, AO Spine faculty for the AO Davos Courses 2020 could not have been more pleased with the event.
“Limited by the pandemic, we have evolved a lot in the concept of online education. In the end we were able to learn and teach in an extremely interactive environment where the proximity between participants and faculty was the greatest, I have ever observed. The future has come sooner than we might have expected,” said Luiz Gustavo, educational adviser for the AO Spine Online Course—Adult Deformity.
“The online AO Davos Courses 2020 were a wonderful opportunity for us not to give up despite the challenges presented by the pandemic. This paradigm shift enabled us to meet no matter where we are in the world. We experienced the positive features of online education,” added Alpaslan Senkoylu, cochairperson, AO Spine Online Course—Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (MISS) in Degenerative Spine Conditions and Spine Trauma.
John C France, cochairperson for the MISS course, agreed. “The Davos spine courses were undertaken during a challenging time in the world for continuing education. It was proven that with persistence, dedication, and desire, that the AO can excel as the educational leader in spine even under the toughest of circumstances,” France said. “The courses offered an excellent opportunity for interactive learning and proved that it can be accomplished even under extreme conditions.”
Atiq Uz-Zaman, Pakistan, educational advisor for the endoscopy, said AO Spine’s offering at the AO Davos Courses gave both faculty and participants a glimpse of the future of education. "Online learning was an excellent learning tool, but the present COVID-19 wave made it a necessity. The AO Davos Courses experience revealed outstanding outcomes and benefits of this learning method,” he said. “We learned that learning is effective when learners and mentors are active. Online learning is a wise investment and the future of education.”
To learn more about upcoming AO Spine courses and events, visit https://aospine.aofoundation.org/education/courses-events#.
