key: cord-0753757-wr6yx2fd
authors: Ahmed, Sakir; Zimba, Olena; Gasparyan, Armen Yuri
title: Diversifying online rheumatology education options in the era of COVID-19
date: 2020-10-19
journal: Clin Rheumatol
DOI: 10.1007/s10067-020-05468-8
sha: 838ff44cffccf7e69c50ba4361c670c8b9d493a8
doc_id: 753757
cord_uid: wr6yx2fd

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We are grateful to Mehul Sinha and co-authors for their interest [1] in our article on online education in the era of COVID-19 [2] . They have reiterated the point that online education may lack emotional connect and suggested how to get around it. Also, they have suggested psychometric modelling for personalized learning. This may be the ultimate expression of Huxley's dream of free and empowering education [2] . However, this is a resource intense strategy, and there is an urgent need to balance resources with demand least online education does not become limited to a privileged few [3] .

At the individual level, the onus is both on the teacher and the students not to limit their interactions to online classes only. Strategies recommended for this include formation of small groups of students for peer support, interaction via phone calls, emails or messages and regular feedback evaluation [4] .

At In our index article, we have exemplified diverse online education initiatives of some, but not all, rheumatology societies. Definitely, there are many other options variably employed by regional and national societies, depending on their research infrastructure, publication outlets and networking [7] . There is a need to build an international network across societies that can incorporate unexploited resources and ensure equitable distribution of rheumatology education.

Arguably, diversifying online education methods is required to meet various challenges across the globe. Didactic classroom lectures are no longer viable options. Social media platforms, webinar software, online research and consultation websites are now offering much more for all rheumatology fellows. The challenge is not just to incorporate human touch in online resources, but how to be inclusive and still diversify as per individual needs.

Human touch in digital education -a solution

Sakir Ahmed sakir005@gmail

Moving towards online rheumatology education in the era of COVID-19

Online learning cannot just be for those who can afford its technology

Five tips for moving teaching online as COVID-19 takes hold

Comprehensive approach to open access publishing: platforms and tools

Sarajevo declaration on integrity and visibility of scholarly publications

Rheumatology in Egypt: back to the future

Publisher's note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations

Disclosures None.