A Best-practice Model for Online Teaching With Feedback Driven Video Analysis in Surgical Skills Training

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate an online surgical skills course integrating structured video-based self-, peer-, and tutor feedback designed to enhance individualized feedback during early surgical training. DESIGN: Prospective observational study evaluating 4 course iterations following an iterative course development phase conducted between 2020 and 2023. SETTING: Online surgical skills course delivered at the Department of General, Visceral, and Vascular Surgery, Universitätsklinikum Jena, Germany. PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-three undergraduate medical students participated in 4 course iterations between February 2024 and March 2025. Sixty-seven students who submitted more than 1 video recording met inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. RESULTS: Submission compliance varied across tasks and appeared influenced by perceived clinical relevance and exercise complexity. Higher engagement was observed for authentic tissue-based exercises compared with synthetic training tasks. Students reported high satisfaction with the course structure and strongly endorsed structured video-based feedback. Recording and reviewing performances facilitated explicit error recognition, reflective practice, and peer-supported learning. Despite reliance on low-cost materials and student-owned devices, the online format enabled close visual supervision and individualized tutor feedback within small-group sessions. CONCLUSIONS: The educational value of this model lies not in digital delivery alone, but in the structured use of video analysis to support feedback-driven skill refinement. By integrating replay, annotation, and guided reflection, the approach enables precise and scalable feedback during early surgical skills training. This cost-effective model demonstrates that online instruction can maintain instructional depth while strengthening individualized feedback processes in undergraduate surgical education.