Development of the distance education course Principles and Practice of Clinical Research: 9 years of experience in the Dominican Republic

Abstract

Introduction: Critical thinking is an ideal tool for evaluating information as a guiding action. With the conjunct use of the internet and applied pedagogy, PPCR looks to develop its alumni’s superior cognitive skills. We aim to characterize alumni and their experiences in the Dominican Republic for over nine years.

Method: This descriptive, cross-sectional study used a survey instrument formatted with closed and semi-closed questions, which was sent to each participant’s email. The survey had two segments, the first with twelve questions related to the participant’s personal information and characteristics related to their background education and profession. The second section evaluated satisfaction during their participation in the PPCR course.

Results: Out of a total of 62 graduates from 2012 to 2019, data was collected from 52 participants, of which 92% are medical doctors. The mean age was 36 years, with a predominance of the female gender (56%). The vast majority of participants are Dominican (90%), with a postgraduate program (61.2%). More than half carry out university teaching activities (54%), and a part of them continued to be affiliated in the program as Teaching Assistants, performing pedagogical assistance tasks (38%). The global satisfaction rate was high (92%), with a low dropout rate (2%).

Conclusions: Based on our study’s characteristics, this course is estimated to be a novel element capable of promoting scientific production and promoting clinical research activities in developing countries. It creates connections and exploits virtuality to improve knowledge through the critical analysis of information. This experience plays a prominent role in the enrichment of many teachers by providing them with methodological tools, developing the excellent training of educators.