E-learning

Published on 01/06/2015 by admin

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Last modified 01/06/2015

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26 E-learning

The internet and resources available online have revolutionised medical education. They can make a significant contribution to your education programme.

Introduction

Lectures, small group teaching, teaching in the clinical context and independent learning all have an important role to play in an educational programme as described earlier in this section. E-learning too is now considered mainstream medical education. It is no longer a fad for the technologist or computer enthusiast, or an esoteric application used by a few innovators in the field. It has become part of and integrated into most educational programmes.

E-learning has been shown to be capable of making a difference with regard to the students’ learning. Almost every student in a medical school and every trainee doctor spends part of his or her day or week online. They search for information on a topic using Google or some other search engine, communicate with a colleague or teacher, or study a unit, module or course developed in their institution or elsewhere.

What is E-learning?

E-learning refers to ‘electronic learning’, in which instruction is delivered through a wide range of electronic means including computer and internet enabled learning. E-learning is recognised as being more than just technology and includes the social dynamics of networking.

Examples of e-learning include:

• independent learning using learning modules available online

• access to information and learning resources online

• web-based synchronous presentation by a teacher to a group of students

• students learning together online in real time, facilitated by a tutor

• asynchronous discussion forums or chat rooms and bulletin boards

• social networks such as Facebook

• interactive multi-media activities including games and simulations online or on a DVD

• virtual patients with whom the learner has to interact

• videos or audio recordings of lectures distributed through online streaming and podcasts using mobile devices such as telephones.

Reasons for introducing E-learning

E-learning encompasses a pedagogical approach that can serve as a response to the challenges and developments confronting medical education. These include:

• an emphasis on student-centred and individualised learning with ‘just-for-you’ learning, ‘just-in-time’ learning and ‘just-the-right-place’ learning

• distributed learning with students learning at different sites

• increased access to medical studies for students from different backgrounds with programmes required to cater for an increasingly diverse group of students

• advances in medicine with the problem of information overload

• the continuum of education from undergraduate through postgraduate to continuing medical education

• international dimensions and globalisation with an expansion of the traditional classroom to include students from around the world

• the changing roles of a doctor with the need to learn new skills and acquire new competencies at different times in their career

• acquisition of the skills and tools that learners need to develop in order to prosper in an information society

• high expectations of students – the ‘digital natives’ – who come to medical school with more than 10 000 hours experience in e-learning

• collaborative or peer-to-peer learning, which can be significantly facilitated by social media networking

• inter-professional education with non-threatening learning opportunities online where doctors, nurses and other members of the healthcare team can participate

• sharing of rich learning resources with potential financial benefits.

E-learning has an important contribution to make in all of these areas and can serve as the solution or be part of the solution to the challenges.

Educational features

E-learning can be designed to deliver more effectively and efficiently what can be done with more traditional approaches. Alternatively e-learning can help to bring about a paradigm shift in medical education and serve as a response to the challenges described above. It has been suggested that, like a Trojan horse, e-learning can be introduced not just for the attributes it brings with it but also for the hidden curricular changes included.

E-learning meets the criteria specified in the CRISIS framework for effective continuing education (Fig. 26.1) :

Convenience: students and trainees can learn anytime and anywhere.

Relevance: theory can be related to practice with on-the-job learning and the use of virtual patients extending the learner’s clinical experience.

Individualisation: e-learning can be designed to meet the needs of individual students in terms of their past experience and learning styles.

Self-assessment: students can be assisted to assess their own competence through questions and assessment opportunities incorporated into the e-learning activity.

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