Implementing effective digital learning and teaching in higher education beyond the Covid-19 pandemic. Aligning key players' needs, bringing distant communication close and supporting students' individual learning

Recent developments show a pressing need to implement 'digital learning and teaching' (DLT) in higher education. Research shows that DLT implementation has progressed slowly and current solutions are not well aligned with the requirements and needs of the key players: institution, lecturers, students. Emerging literature from the COVID-19 pandemic sheds light on obstacles for DLT implementation, uncovering three main issues: First, optimal implementation of DLT calls for alignment between key players' requirements and needs. The need for alignment is evident in the literature on a number of levels, particularly also in medical schools. Literature reports a lack of institutional structures, communication, digital competences and literacy, teaching strategies, as well as a theoretical foundation for DLT implementation. Lecturers report missing institutional support, DLT training, technical competencies and assigned teaching time. Although many lecturers show enthusiasm for DLT, traditional teaching is the main source of experience. Students feel isolated and poorly supported. Second, we need to attend to the challenging aspects of practical training in a DLT context. There is a significant DLT-research gap in the field of medical education, specifically the role of DLT in practical training underlining the essential role of patient interaction. During the COVID-19 pandemic onsite practical training remains interrupted, creating challenges that must be solved in the future. Third, for DLT to be effective, learners must be supported to learn effectively by distance. DLT imposes 'high learner control' to the students, a drawback is, however, reduced guidance. Yet, DLT can be successfully implemented when learner guidance through cognitive learning support mechanisms is offered. Implemented well, DLT has the potential to increase students' learning engagement, performance, while also promoting clinical skills acquisition and students' motivation to improve patient care. With this project, we address the following research question across three studies: How can medical schools effectively support teachers and students with DLT? I) Literature shows salient factors relevant for alignment of requirements and needs between key players in medical schools. In this context, cultural differences must be considered. We, therefore, aim at exploring how requirements and needs are aligned between the key players in Swiss medical schools, to set the stage for future developments. We will apply a mixed-method approach with a particular focus on experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic. II) In all Swiss medical curricula, students are trained to communicate with patients. Such practical trainings were particularly difficult during the spring of 2020. The need for solutions to offer quality alternatives with DLT has become essential. We investigate the impact of students' simulated patient encounters with video vs. face-to-face on perceived 'social presence', acceptance and performance. III) Various means to provide learning support to students in a DLT context will be investigated in a randomized controlled trial including factors 'deep cognitive support' vs. 'surface cognitive support' vs control (no support). Effects on various learning outcomes will be measured (e.g. factual knowledge, deep understanding).This project has the potential to inform on requirements, needs and possible solutions for DLT applied to the Swiss field of medical education. As the reported challenges related to DLT are not only rooted in medical education, we expect the results to be relevant for DLT of complex knowledge and social competencies in higher education in general, including healthcare, social sciences, technology and engineering. The planned project has the potential to enrich the current state of research in DLT, add key insights for Swiss higher education settings and offer solutions to newly presented challenges for all learners in an era ever more reliant on digital learning technology.