E-learning programme development
E‑learning offers an effective way to expand access to high‑quality education at scale, particularly in low‑resource settings where opportunities for in‑person training may be limited. It supports flexible, self‑directed learning that complements existing clinical training pathways, with its impact shaped by how closely it reflects local contexts, needs and educational priorities.
We adopt a participatory, co‑creation approach to e‑learning programme development, working in close collaboration with partners to ensure that content is relevant, context‑appropriate and responsive to the realities of practice. Programmes are shaped through shared decision‑making and collaboration, recognising that expertise exists across the full spectrum of those involved in surgical education.
A core aim of this work is to build capacity within local training institutions. By involving partners at every stage of development, e‑learning programmes promote long‑term sustainability and support local ownership of educational content and delivery.
Through participatory co‑creation, programmes become more than collections of modules, contributing to the development of connected learning communities that foster collaboration, shared learning and innovation across regions and disciplines.
In practice, we support partners across the full e‑learning programme development lifecycle. This includes conducting needs analyses; developing project plans; supporting curriculum mapping and co‑creation; coordinating and supporting authors and editors; guiding module development and evaluation; managing uploading, maintenance, and curation on learning platforms; and organising synchronous learning components where appropriate.
Programmes
The Paediatric Anaesthesia Training in Africa (PATA) E‑learning Programme supports the expansion of high‑quality paediatric anaesthesiology training across Sub‑Saharan Africa.
Launched in November 2025, the programme responds to a significant unmet need for specialist anaesthesia providers trained to care for children, particularly in low‑resource settings where paediatric populations are growing rapidly and access to structured training remains limited.
PATA E‑learning is designed to complement existing in‑person training pathways, providing a shared academic foundation that can be accessed consistently by trainees across diverse institutions and training environments. It is not intended as a standalone qualification, but as an integrated component of established paediatric anaesthesiology training programmes delivered by partner institutions.
Design and delivery
The programme is built as a blended learning model, combining self‑directed online modules with regular live teaching sessions. This approach allows trainees to engage flexibly with core academic content while benefiting from synchronous discussion, expert input, and peer interaction. Given the geographic dispersion of trainees, e‑learning provides an effective and scalable way to deliver a shared academic curriculum across multiple training sites.
The PATA programme is developed through collaboration among clinicians and educators from a wide range of training contexts, supporting shared learning and the exchange of expertise in paediatric anaesthesia.
It is developed through partnerships spanning low, middle, and high‑income countries, with content contributed by experts from over 20 countries. This collaborative approach strengthens the relevance, quality and long‑term sustainability of the programme, while supporting more connected training systems for those involved in the care of children.
The RCSI Institute of Global Surgery plays a central role in the design, coordination and delivery of the PATA E‑learning programme. This includes project and process management, instructional design support, copy‑editing and technical expertise. We work closely with clinical and educational partners to ensure the programme is educationally robust, sustainable, and responsive to local needs.
The programme is funded by Kids Operating Room and Smile Train.
The team
The programme is delivered by a large, collaborative team across partner organisations, including over 70 content authors and editors. Instructional design is led by ELearnSol.
RCSI project management is undertaken by Ines Perić.
The Pan‑African Paediatric Surgery E‑learning Programme (PAPSEP) is a continent‑wide, intercollegiate initiative designed to strengthen paediatric surgical training across Africa.
Launched in May 2021, the programme responds to ongoing challenges in access to training, workforce shortages and limited protected teaching time for trainees working in low‑resource settings.
PAPSEP is delivered through a partnership between Kids Operating Room, the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA), and the West African College of Surgeons (WACS), with academic and technical support from the RCSI Institute of Global Surgery.
Together, these partners provide a standardised, Africa‑relevant academic curriculum that complements in‑person surgical training.
Design and delivery
The programme follows a blended learning model, combining self‑directed online modules with regular live discussions. Trainees engage with interactive, self‑guided content each month, supported by live online sessions that promote case‑based learning, peer exchange and cross‑regional discussion.
Course content spans core paediatric surgical topics, case discussions and professional practice, including non‑technical skills. All material is mapped to regional training curricula and developed with a strong emphasis on contextual relevance, reflecting the realities of paediatric surgical care in low‑resource settings.
PAPSEP is developed through a collaborative, pan‑African approach to content development, bringing together paediatric surgeons and educators from across the continent and beyond. This intercollegiate model supports shared ownership of the curriculum, promotes consistent training standards and fosters a connected learning community across COSECSA and WACS training programmes.
The programme is funded by Kids Operating Room.
Reach and impact
Since its launch, PAPSEP has demonstrated steady growth and strong engagement. Hundreds of paediatric surgical trainees from over 20 African countries have participated in the programme.
Feedback consistently highlights the value of African case‑based content, practical guidance and the programme’s contribution to exam preparation, clinical decision‑making and trainee confidence.
To broaden accessibility and better support trainees in Francophone countries, French‑language content has been launched in May 2025, further extending the programme’s reach and inclusivity across diverse training contexts.
The team
The programme is delivered by a large, collaborative team across partner organisations, including over 60 content authors and editors. Instructional design was led by ELearnSol.
RCSI project management is undertaken by:
The Perioperative Nursing E‑Learning Foundational (PeN) Programme was developed to address critical gaps in access to perioperative nursing education, particularly in low and middle‑income countries where specialist training opportunities remain limited and inconsistent.
Nurses make up a substantial proportion of the global health workforce, yet access to perioperative subspecialty education has historically been uneven, despite its importance for safe surgical care.
The PeN Programme is delivered through a partnership between the RCSI Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery and the East, Central and Southern Africa College of Nursing and Midwifery (ECSACONM), with academic and technical support from the RCSI Institute of Global Surgery.
The programme forms part of the broader RCSI/COSECSA Collaboration Programme, supported by Irish Aid. Together, these partners deliver a context‑relevant educational programme that complements clinical perioperative nursing practice.
Design and delivery
The PeN Programme is delivered through an asynchronous e‑learning model, designed to complement existing clinical roles and training pathways. It consists of 30 self-guided modules covering core perioperative knowledge, clinical practice and leadership, aligned with World Health Organization recommendations and informed by regional needs.
The programme was launched in September 2022, following a multi‑country needs analysis conducted in 2021, which identified limited formal training pathways, a lack of standardised curricula and minimal opportunities for continuing professional development in perioperative nursing. In response, the PeN Programme provides a flexible learning model that can be accessed alongside clinical work.
The programme was co-developed by more than 20 perioperative nurses from nine countries, reflecting a participatory approach that values regional expertise and practical experience. This collaborative authorship model supports contextual relevance and encourages shared ownership of the curriculum.
By bringing together contributors and learners from multiple countries and training contexts, the PeN Programme also contributes efforts to the development of a growing community of perioperative nursing practice, supporting peer learning, professional connection, and leadership development.
The programme is funded by Irish Aid. The translation of the programme is funded by Operation Smile.
Reach and impact
The PeN Programme was first delivered through ECSACONM’s e‑learning platform, where it supported over 400 trainees across seven African countries. In February 2024, the programme was added to the United Nations Global Surgery Learning Hub (SURGhub), enabling wider dissemination through an open‑access global platform dedicated to surgical, anaesthetic, and perioperative nursing education for low‑resource settings.
Since joining SURGhub, the programme has reached a broader global audience, with learners accessing content across multiple regions and reporting high levels of satisfaction, usability and relevance. Engagement data indicates sustained uptake beyond the programme’s original regional scope, highlighting the value of open‑access dissemination for scaling perioperative nursing education.
With support from Operation Smile, the programme has also been translated into Spanish, with the Spanish‑language version available on SURGhub, further extending access to perioperative nursing education beyond its initial regional focus.
The team
The programme is delivered by a large, collaborative team across all partner organisations. Instructional design was led by ELearnSol.
RCSI project management is undertaken by: