# Twelve tips for online synchronous small group learning in medical education

## TL;DR

This paper provides 12 tips for effectively delivering small group medical education online, especially in response to sudden circumstances like the pandemic.

## Contribution

The paper offers practical recommendations based on real experiences of transitioning medical education to online synchronous small group learning.

## Key findings

- The pandemic necessitated a rapid shift to online small group teaching in medical education.
- Experiences from students and facilitators led to actionable recommendations for remote teaching.
- Online synchronous delivery can uphold teaching standards and meet learning outcomes.

## Abstract

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Undergraduate medical education relies on a variety of small group learning formats to deliver the curriculum, support collaborative learning, encourage critical thinking, as well as the development of a number of professional, clinical and generic attributes. However, the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic of 2020 reminded us that unanticipated circumstances may necessitate a rapid and abrupt switch to delivering medical education through alternative means, while still upholding teaching standards and meeting learning and graduate outcomes. For many medical schools, the pandemic resulted in small group teaching being moved to an online format. The experience of students and facilitators moving small group learning tutorials to online synchronous delivery forms the basis for a set of recommendations when considering the delivery of small group teaching remotely.