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Accreditation/Certification Standards for Web-Based Educational Activities

Royal College MOC Section 1 Group Learning Activities

In addition to the organizational, educational and ethical standards established for accredited group learning activities, synchronous and asynchronous web-based group learning activities such as conferences, workshop and seminars, must provide an opportunity for interaction between participants and faculty/facilitators and enable participants to observe the interaction of other participants with the course faculty/facilitator.

Acceptable options to incorporate interactivity for accredited group learning activities delivered in an electronic format include:

• discussion forums/chat groups
• teleconference/videoconferencing/webinars
• Twitter

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CFPC Mainpro+ Self-Learning: Asynchronous Web-based Learning Activities

In addition to the organizational, educational and ethical standards established for accredited group learning activities, self-learning asynchronous web-based learning activities must meet the following requirements:

• the activity must be offered exclusively online
• participants must log in to the activity as individuals at any time from any location
• there is no specified venue for participation (i.e., there is not a group of physicians situated in a single location to log in to the program); participants log in from home, from work, etc.
• there is no food or beverage provided to participants
• participants must be able to register and receive a receipt or record of registration
• there must be a definitive period of time during which the program is available; this time frame should be mentioned before the start of the program
• there is no health care/pharmaceutical commercial interest involvement with logistics at the time of the event
• Conflict of Interest disclosure and mitigation statements should be done in an onscreen format or via a video clip to the learners before they access the educational content. Ensure the scientific planning committee members and program development faculty disclose relevant financial relationships. If conflicts are identified the conflict mitigation strategy used by the scientific planning committee must also be made clear to the learners.

Additionally, for asynchronous Self-study learning activities, there must be an opportunity for learners to interact with the material and with faculty or facilitator. If participants have questions regarding program content, there must be a means to submit questions and receive a response.

Acceptable options to incorporate interactivity with the material or content include:

• pre- and post-tests
• multiple choice questions built into the learning
• interactive cases

Acceptable options to incorporate interactivity with faculty include:

• chat rooms
• discussion boards
• Twitter
• using an email address to submit questions about the content

When developing an asynchronous learning activity, include video vignettes. This will create opportunities to increase personal connections with the learning and will allow faculty and learners to connect on a personal level.

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CFPC Mainpro+ Group-Learning: Synchronous Web-based Learning Activities

Aimed for programs delivered via the following methods:

• presented solely to a live audience
• presented to a live audience and broadcast in a synchronous fashion to participants at a remote location
• presented solely to a remote audience in a synchronous fashion (e.g., live webinar, video-conference, or teleconference)

In addition to the organizational, educational and ethical standards established for accredited group learning activities, online programs must meet all the requirements below:

• participants must be able to register and receive a receipt or record of registration
• there must be a definitive period of time during which the program is available; this time frame should be mentioned before the start of the program
• Conflict of Interest disclosure and mitigation statements should be done in an onscreen format or via a video clip to the learners before they access the educational content. Ensure the scientific planning committee members and program development faculty disclose relevant financial relationships. If conflicts are identified the conflict mitigation strategy used by the scientific planning committee must also be made clear to the learners.

Additionally, for synchronous and asynchronous group-Learning activities, there must be an opportunity for the participants to interact with other participants and with faculty or a facilitator.

Acceptable options to incorporate interactivity with other participants or faculty include:

• live virtual learning platforms such as, breakout rooms, chat rooms, and discussion boards

For asynchronous Group-Learning activitiesÌýinteractivity with faculty may include using an email address to submit questions about the content. However, when a discussion is closed, a summary of the discussion points, conclusions, and recommended additional readings should be provided.

We are available to answer your questions. Please submit questions to jenny.fazioli [at] mcgill.ca or cpdaccreditation.med [at] mcgill.ca.