INSPIRE – The RCOphth Online Learning Platform

INSPIRE is the new online learning platform for members to stimulate and support the development of ophthalmologists and colleagues in eye care. Multimedia materials cover the whole clinical spectrum, and provide personal and professional development tailored to every step of your career and each of your roles. We invite you to contribute your learning materials to INSPIRE.

INSPIRE is now live.

The College’s new online learning platform for members, INSPIRE, is now live.  It currently hosts examples of learning materials and is set to expand as users are invited to submit their materials.

Find out more about INSPIRE in this short video:

Access the INSPIRE online learning Platform here.

Learn how to access and navigate INSPIRE in this short video:

INSPIRE is being created to stimulate and support the development of ophthalmologists and colleagues in eye care.  Multi-media materials cover the whole clinical spectrum, from Fundamental Eye Care for medical students or ophthalmic practitioners to new breakthroughs and techniques for specialists in their field.  It also provides personal development tailored to each step of your career, and professional development focused on each of your roles (see table).  It truly has something for everyone.

INSPIRE Programmes

Clinical Knowledge
(in the subspecialties)
Professional Development
(in all the different roles)
Personal Development
(in each career stage)
Cornea & Ocular Surface Clinician Wellbeing and mentoring
Cataract Fundamental Eye Care Students, GPs and Specialists (OGT)
Glaucoma Clinical Skills Ophthalmic Practitioners (OPT)
Medical Retina Clinical Decision Making Trainees (OST & OLT)
Vitreoretinal Surgical skills and Simulation Staff & Associate Specialists (SAS)
Oculoplastics Curriculum-based learning New Consultants
Neuro-ophthalmology Trainer (Training the Trainers) Established Ophthalmologists
Paediatric Ophthalmology Researcher Historical Ophthalmology
Emergency Eye Care Manager
Community Eye Care Leader
Global Eye Care

Contributing your materials

Please read the College News articles for more information about INSPIRE.

College News Article July 2021: a new vision for learning and development

College News Article January 2022: the scope of the learning materials

College News Article October 2022: RCOphth online learning platform launched

What you can contribute

  • Recorded lectures – you can set up and record a zoom call with yourself
  • Powerpoint presentations with explanatory text with each slide
  • Videos of skills and techniques
  • Discussions and podcasts
  • Text and pictures
  • Interactive elements – questions, quizzes, discussion points

Who can contribute

Members are encouraged to contribute their materials. This can be done either as:

  • An author – for their own work
  • A contributor – who may submit the work of another author (eg, a recording of their lecture) as long as both author and contributor give consent

How to Contribute Learning Materials to the INSPIRE Platform

You will need to log into MyRCOphth (members area) and follow the INSPIRE Contributions Sign In and registration. Once you have registered for the Contributions ‘course’, this provides you with access to the Contributions area on the INSPIRE platform.

Here you can submit high-quality learning materials, where they will be reviewed by the INSPIRE editors, and selected for upload or incorporation into other modules and materials.

It is important that consent is sought and agreed.  The INSPIRE Consent Form must be completed by the author and/or the contributor.  If the author is not the contributor, they can complete the consent form and send it to the contributor.

Collect your materials, decide the most suitable programme and complete the Submission Form

We are particularly keen to receive cases for the “Clinical Decision Making” Programme.  Students and trainees are very welcome to submit cases they have seen or presented, as are practitioners, SAS ophthalmologists and Consultants.  Please see an example of how the Submission Form can be completed, and include interactive components, as well as what these would look like once on the platform.

The Contribution Process is outlined here in step-by-step detail: Contributions Process flow chart

Contributor completes the Online Consent Form.

Go to the Contributions Area to upload your materials on INSPIRE.

There are helpful resources in the Contributions Area to help you upload files. If you are not already enrolled on INSPIRE you will first be led through this process.

Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions. Your email will be responded to as quickly as possible, but we are currently receiving a high volume of queries post-launch. Unfortunately we are currently unable to deal with INSPIRE queries over the phone.