First Update Course Organized on a Webinar by the West African College of Surgeons (faculty of Radiology) During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Hosted by Ghana

Background: Teaching through virtual learning, such as webinars, has been found to be an effective medium in medical education, as well as many other professional training streams. The COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity to experiment with new teaching and learning methods by utilizing technology that allows for virtual online learning and education. Most scientific medical activities have shifted to online formats, in the form of webinars, to maintain continuing medical education. We aimed to assess the acceptance of webinar for delivering an update course in accordance with the Faculty of Radiology’s curriculum. Methods: This prospective study reviewed responses from 166 radiology resident trainees, who took part in an update course organized by the Faculty of Radiology of the West African College of Surgeons on 8th - 9th July 2020 via webinar. Participants were invited to respond to a 23-item questionnaire designed using Google Forms. Data obtained were analyzed with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Inc. Chicago, version 20). Results: From a total of 166 participants, males 88 (53.0%) constituted the majority. Majority of the respondents (95.2%) strongly agreed or agreed that the update course via webinar was really helpful and (99.4%) of the respondents indicated that the update course has enhanced their knowledge on the topics presented. Almost all the participants (94.6%) agreed to attend another update course on webinar, however, (5.4%) of the participants suggest they prefer a face-to face update course over an update course via webinar. Conclusion: Teaching in virtual mode (e.g. webinar) is a helpful technique for medical education, especially when social distancing is required. We found that the webinar was well-received and highly rated for educational objectives. Despite a few participants' stress and burden-related highlights, the majority of participants agreed that such a teaching mode would be beneficial.