Authors

Discussion

COVID19 compelled UK NEQAS Parasitology to rethink the delivery of its face-to-face parasite microscopy courses. The challenge was to adapt traditional laboratory sessions to an online environment and cater for an influx of new entrants to the discipline. 

The online teaching is divided into three one-hour parts. The first is a presentation on how to go about identifying parasites microscopically. In the second hour, the students practise the techniques taught in the first hour, using digital images provided in a bench manual to aid them in the process. They are encouraged to have discussions among themselves where it is convenient to do so. The last hour is devoted to reviewing the exercise.

An end of course evaluation of seventy-six faecal course participants produced an average score of 9.45 out of 10 when asked about their likelihood to recommend the event to others. Seventy seven out of 77 thought the learning activities used were effective. In a blood parasite course evaluation, 79 respondents, with an average evaluation score of 8.76 out of 10, said they were likely to recommend the event to others whilst 78 out of 79 also thought the learning activities used were effective. Asked if there was a need for a separate entry-level course, 51.4% said yes and 48.6% said no from the faecal course and from the blood course, 48.9% said yes and 51.1% said no.

Provision of online teaching has allowed many more people to access the course, including those with little experience in parasitology. This affects the depth of teaching provided online, as an attempt is made to cater for the different grades of attendees. This, notwithstanding, the participants’ views on the need for a separate course to cater for the needs of new entrants were not decisive. So, further work on the curriculum is being considered to plan for mixed level classes combining both online and face-to-face sessions for the delivery of courses.