title: Evaluation of a National Online Educational Program in Geriatric Psychiatry.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study provides evaluation results of an online study group (OSG) for geriatric psychiatry continuing professional development.
  
  
  METHODS
  The OSG is an interactive, expert-facilitated, asynchronous educational experience for psychiatrists and residents in Canada. A retrospective web survey assessed self-efficacy, knowledge in geriatric psychiatry, comfort with online learning, and perceived effectiveness of the instructional methods. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and descriptive statistics were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-nine (of 50) participants (58 %) completed the questionnaire. Although only 48 % of respondents reported improved perceived knowledge, 79 % reported improved efficacy beliefs, and 76 % reported improved comfort with online learning. Most (79 %) would consider taking OSG again, and 93 % would recommend it to others.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The OSG was well-received, with greater benefits for self-efficacy with the material and comfort with online learning than for perceived knowledge itself. Further research is needed to ascertain actual knowledge change in the context of online learning in medical education.
authors.affiliation: University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. marcus.law@utoronto.ca.
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Law
authors.affiliation: Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Mark J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Rapoport
authors.affiliation: Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Dallas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Seitz
authors.affiliation: University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
authors.forename: Marla
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.affiliation: University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Madan
authors.affiliation: University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wiens
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002170:Canada; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction; D003479:Curriculum; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D005260:Female; D005852:Geriatric Psychiatry / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020377:Self Efficacy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Career development; Evaluation; Faculty development; Geropsychiatry; Licensure; Residents