title: Review and evaluation of online tobacco dependence treatment training programs for health care practitioners.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Training health care professionals is associated with increased capacity to deliver evidence-based smoking cessation interventions and increased quit rates among their patients. Online training programs hold promise to provide training but questions remain regarding the quality and usability of available programs.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim was to assess the quality of English-language online courses in tobacco dependence treatment using a validated instrument.
  
  
  METHODS
  An environmental scan was conducted using the Google search engine to identify available online tobacco dependence treatment courses. The identified courses were then evaluated using the Peer Review Rubric for Online Learning, which was selected based on its ability to evaluate instructional design. It also has clear and concise criteria descriptions to ensure uniformity of evaluations by trained experts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 39 courses were identified, of which 24 unique courses were assessed based on their accessibility and functionality during the period of evaluation. Overall, the course ratings indicated that 17 of 24 courses evaluated failed to meet minimal quality standards and none of the courses evaluated could be ranked as superior. However, many excelled in providing effective navigation, course rationale, and content. Many were weak in the use of instructional design elements, such as teaching effectiveness, learning strategies, instructor's role, and assessment and evaluation. Evaluation results and suggestions for improvement were shared with course administrators.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on the courses evaluated in this review, course developers are encouraged to employ best practices in instructional design, such as cohesiveness of material, linearity of design, practice exercises, problem solving, and ongoing evaluation to improve existing courses and in the design of new online learning opportunities.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Addictions Division, Toronto, ON, Canada. peter.selby@camh.ca.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5401-2996
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Selby
authors.forename: Karina
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5735-4123
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Goncharenko
authors.forename: Megan
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2774-4395
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barker
authors.forename: Myra
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2240-878X
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fahim
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0722-7991
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Timothy
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8539-1762
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dragonetti
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8908-4903
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kemper
authors.forename: Marilyn
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9333-5664
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Herie
authors.forename: J Taylor
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6110-3121
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Hays
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004496:Education, Continuing / Q000379:methods*; D020375:Education, Distance; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D016540:Smoking Cessation; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000628:therapy*
keywords: continuing medical education; distance education; health care; program evaluation; smoking cessation; tobacco dependence; tobacco use