Development and application of a massive open online course to deliver innovative transplant education

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) offer an entirely new course concept for delivering content and engaging learners. This method of teaching has huge potential for the field of transplant education. In this study we describe the development and implementation of the MOOC “Clinical Kidney, Pancreas and Islet Transplantation”. Three and a half years after the introduction of the course, the learning demographics have been analyzed. The majority of learners were from Europe, North America and Asia. The course has been offered at several different stages of education at Leiden University Medical Center from undergraduate to continuous medical education. The level of engagement with the content was associated with the background and motivations of the learners. 74% had a bachelor's degree or higher. 48% of the undergraduate students participated in other content than instructed. Learners reported having liked the design of the course. Personal growth was the main motivation for 93% of worldwide learners. 69% considered the content of the MOOC to be relevant to their job. In general student's intentions focused more on reasons of personal growth, general interest, and relevance to school or degree program. Overall the integration of the MOOC in different settings of formal transplant education offered an added value to the on-campus program.