Digital Learning Tools Research Articles

Improving Health Information Management Capacity with Digital Learning Platform: The Case of DHIS2 Online Academy

Health information systems (HIS) in developing countries constantly face human resource-related issues such as low capacity and high staff turn-over. When combined with high national demands, it is even more difficult to address with limited capacity building resources such as trainers and financing. This research aims to explore the potentials of digital learning tool as part of a national HIS capacity building strategy, drawing from a case from Indonesia. The country is adopting District Health Information Software (DHIS2) to integrate health data and to promote quality health information use. DHIS2 implementation will be expanded to 463 districts by 2022. As the consequence, the country needs efficient tools and strategies to build capacity to fulfill this need. A joint team consisting of MoH, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) and University of Oslo (UiO) localized a global digital learning platform called DHIS2 Online Academy and successfully recruited 627 learners and graduated 150 learners. Although approximately half of the responding learners claimed to have no past online learning experience, nor DHIS2 experience, they reported that they found digital learning materials convenient for them to improve their competencies in DHIS2 implementation, in terms of time, cost, and learning style. DHIS2 Online Academy Indonesia allows wider delivery of DHIS2 learning materials to health workers, supporting HIS strengthening at district and facility level. This paper discusses potentials and challenges of localization of generic learning platform and its integration to national capacity building strategy, summarizes the key principles and the way forward.

Latinx students’ transition to college: When readiness meets barriers

ABSTRACT Considering the particular and situated relationship between college readiness and college barriers in the context of college transitions amongst Latinx students, this article uses an academic literacies framework to analyze the transition stories of two Latinx, first-generation freshmen enrolled in a four-year university. The findings suggest that institutionally mediated digital learning tools can limit students’ progress as they start college, even in the case of students who are otherwise college-ready.

Dental Students' Performance in Detecting In Vitro Occlusal Carious Lesions Using ICDAS with E-Learning and Digital Learning Strategies.

The aim of this study was to assess the performance of dental students for detecting in vitro occlusal carious lesions using the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) with different learning strategies. A convenience sample of all 64 fourth-year dental students at a dental school in Brazil who had no previous experience with ICDAS was selected for the study in 2015. First, students performed the in vitro examination of the occlusal surfaces of 80 teeth according to ICDAS. Two weeks later, students were randomly allocated to three groups: G1 (n=21), ICDAS e-learning; G2 (n=22), ICDAS e-learning + digital learning tool (DLT); G3 (n=21), no training (control group). All students reexamined the 80 teeth according to ICDAS two weeks later. Sensitivity, specificity, and area under the ROC curve (AUC) were calculated according to three thresholds. Of the 64 students, 59 completed all study phases, for a 92.2% participation rate. The intra-group comparison found significantly higher sensitivity and specificity values for G1 and G2 students. G3 students showed an increased sensitivity at the D2 threshold. G2 was the only training strategy that resulted in significant improvement for the AUC. In the comparison of groups at the same threshold, G1 showed higher specificity at D3 threshold (0.78) than G2 (0.72) and G3 (0.73). Regarding sensitivity, G1 showed a lower value at D2 (0.91) threshold than G2 (0.94) and G3 (0.94). In this study, both training strategies (ICDAS e-learning and ICDAS e-learning + DLT) improved the performance of dental students for the in vitro detection of occlusal carious lesions, mainly when the association of methods was used.

Critical CinéEthnographic Methods: a New Dimension for Capturing the Experience of Learning in Twenty-First Century Qualitative Research

Learning technologies continue to grow in complexity, making it increasingly difficult to understand their impacts on stakeholders using traditional research methods. While comparison and treatment studies, may show if a digital learning tool improved learning, the why, when, and how questions of user experience are often left unexplored. This paper provides a description of Critical CineEthnography, a research approach that leverages the many forms of media that result from today’s learning technologies, including video, personal artifacts, and screen images. This approach provides researchers with the ability to build deep qualitative depictions of the stakeholders’ complex digital learning experiences, while also allowing an outcome that can more easily communicate with a practitioner audience. Critical CineEthnography supports the building of a complex picture of participants as they actively use technologies. The video results can be easily shared with academics and practitioners alike using widely available online platforms.

Modern digital educational tools and digital competence: analysis of cases and trends

The introduction of digital tools takes place in all spheres of life, including the education. The author of this paper attempted to structure and characterize the existing digital educational tools in terms of functions and capabilities for users, characteristics of user interactions in tools. In the literary review in first part of this work, the current state of digitalization of various spheres of life was investigated, and the relation of society to perspective universal automation and digitalization of all on the basis of the published scientific works were studied. The paper highlights three types of digital environments: modular digital educational environments, LMS and LCMS, as well as remote online education, presented on the platforms MOOC. The analysis of interaction of teachers and pupils within the specified digital environments was carried out, opportunities of each environment were defined, and shortcomings of each of them were performed in this study. In conclusion, the article formulates the forecast of the possibilities of further research in the direction of this article. In addition, the paper contains the conclusion about the necessity for the transfer of digital technologies in the educational process and the important role of the teacher in the process of obtaining knowledge by students even in case of using digital automated environments. The purpose of the study was to structure and consolidate the data about the available digital learning tools and digital educational environments, to perform the role of the teacher in the use of each tool, and to highlight the ability of students and teachers in the framework of specific tools. Recourses and methods. In this paper, we conducted a review and analysis of existing publications, open data and information about the used and available digital educational tools. Information about each of the educational environments and platforms was structured and presented in the form of tables, as well as reflected through the scheme of interaction of the teacher with the student in the digital environment. The results of the conducted research show that despite the existence of a large number of digital resources, programs and opportunities for partial automation of the educational process we need the teacher for the effective completion of the learning process. In the case of open online courses, the absence of a mentor, tutor or some person acting as a teacher affects the number of successfully completing online courses. Furthermore, the introduction of digital tools is often hampered by teachers’ lack of skills to make full use of the tools in a particular digital environment. In conclusion, the article suggests the need for a closer transfer of knowledge and technology in the educational process, with the parallel formation of the concept of “digital competence” and the identification of the criterion of its evaluation in future and practicing teachers.

CFISD: A school district banking on technology to forge academic success

With the proliferation of digital learning technology in the classroom, combined with the bandwidth needs of today's tech dependent Gen Z student, educational networks, which provide the backbone for critical campus Wi-Fi services, are strained all over the country. In order to access bandwidth-intensive digital learning tools and multimedia content that help students reach their full potential, reliable and robust connectivity is required.

Facilitation of student-staff partnership in development of digital learning tools through a special study module

A student-staff partnership was formed as part of a final year special study module to provide dental students the opportunity to work closely with faculty to produce high-quality e-learning resources in areas of the curriculum identified by the students as particularly difficult. The student-staff team identified the following themes as major influences on the success of the project: student-staff interaction, ownership, managing expectations, time pressures, and co-creation partnership benefits. This partnership resulted in a valuable learning experience for both the students and staff involved. The resource developed was evaluated by junior dental students in second and third year of the five year Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) degree programme at Glasgow Dental School and showed a high degree of acceptability by those in both groups. The quality assurance built into the process has resulted in an e-learning resource that has been incorporated directly into our flipped classroom model for pre-clinical skills teaching.

Critical digital pedagogy and cultural sensitivity in the library classroom: Infographics and digital storytelling

Academic librarians have a demonstrated interest in digital tools for teaching and learning and often provide support for these tools to their wider campus communities. Additionally, many librarians incorporate these tools into their own teaching in the information literacy classroom. However, little has been written about how digital tools can support critical information literacy and critical pedagogy specifically in library instruction. Eamon Tewell defines critical information literacy as instruction that asks “students to engage with and act upon the power structures underpinning information’s production and dissemination.”1 According to Paulo Freire, critical pedagogy acknowledges that education is a political action that can have an adverse effect on certain students.2 We define critical as self-reflexive and intentionally engaged with power structures.

Awareness and Implementation of the 2014 ESPGHAN/NASPGHAN Guideline for Childhood Functional Constipation.

The aim of the study was to assess whether physicians approach children with functional constipation according to the 2014 European Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN)/North American Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) guideline. We invited pediatricians and pediatric gastroenterologists in the Netherlands and the United States to participate in this anonymous survey using a self-developed questionnaire containing 19 multiple choice questions concerning evaluation and treatment of children with constipation. We included 328 physicians (67% from the United States, 34% from the Netherlands). The majority of US responders (53%) worked in primary care, whereas all Dutch responders worked in a hospital. In total, 31% of responders were not familiar with the guideline (38% US responders vs 16% Dutch responders, P < 0.001). Perianal inspection was frequently ("often" or "always" on a 5-point Likert scale) conducted by 78% of responders. Digital rectal examination was frequently done by 42%. Inquiry about sexual abuse was made by 18%. Commonly reported reasons for omitting these items were perceived patient or parental discomfort. Most frequently implemented initial nonpharmacological interventions included a toilet training program (89%), optimizing fluid and fiber intake (86% and 81%), a defecation diary (62%), and a reward system (60%). Polyethylene glycol was the most prescribed medication for disimpaction (68%) and maintenance treatment (57% for infants, 97% for children ≥1 year). Many responders were not familiar with the ESPGHAN/NASPGHAN guideline for functional constipation. Nonetheless, therapeutic decisions correlated fairly well with recommendations from the guideline, especially for children 1 year of age or older. Guideline awareness and adherence remain to be improved. Future studies should focus on exploring strategies to improve guideline implementation through the development of digital learning tools.

The potentials of game‐based environments for integrated, immersive learning data

AbstractIn the last two decades, game‐based learning environments have evolved into powerful learning tools. With the growth and evolution in complexity of these innovations, complementary work in game‐based assessment design has also begun to take shape and has generated considerable interest among a variety of education stakeholders. This is in part due to their ability to offer real‐time, adaptive and integrated formative feedback. As the use of digital devices and digital learning tools continues to expand in schools, the potential for harnessing learning data becomes increasingly possible and powerful. Yet there are inherent tensions and challenges in the nature of collecting assessment data inside a game‐based learning environment which confront our foundational premises of what makes for a good assessment. In this article, we explore the evolution and opportunities of the emerging field of game‐based assessment, the challenges and tensions these innovations present and how we may be able to collectively advance this work to benefit everyday classrooms.

Evaluation of an Online Educational Program for Parents and Caregivers of Children With Food Allergies.

The increasing prevalence of food allergy affects both patients and their families. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of an online educational program designed for parents and caregivers of children with food allergies. The program was developed by a multidisciplinary group comprising health care professionals, researchers, and expert patients under the participatory medicine model. Participants took a 2-week online educational program covering major topics in food allergy management. General knowledge about the disease, symptoms, treatment, and topics relevant to families' daily lives were evaluated. The contents included educational videos, online forums, and live video chats. A pretest/posttest questionnaire survey was used to evaluate the impact of the program. A total of 207 participants enrolled in the educational program, which was completed by 130 (62.8%). Knowledge acquisition improved significantly following participation in the program in 15 out of 30 items (50%), reaching P<.001 for 8 items (26.7%). Of the 207 participants who started the program, 139 (67.1%) visited online forums, and 27.5% attended video chats. Average overall satisfaction with the educational program was 8.78 (on a scale of 0 to 10). The results obtained show that parents improved their knowledge in all areas of food allergy. The high level of satisfaction among participants suggests that digital learning tools are effective and motivational, enabling patients to acquire appropriate knowledge and thus increasing their quality of life.

Student Attitudes towards Technology and Their Preferences for Learning Tools/Devices at Two Universities in the UAE

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this study was to survey student opinions about technology in order to best implement and utilize technology in the classroom. In this paper, technology refers to ‘digital technology’. The aims of this study were to: (1) examine student attitudes towards technology in regards to enjoyment and perceived usefulness; (2) investigate what tools and devices students enjoyed and preferred to use for learning; (3) examine whether students preferred learning with books and paper instead of technological devices (e.g. laptops, tablets, smartphones); and (4) investigate whether student opinions about digital technology and preferred learning tools differ between two universities (based on their level of technology implementation) and between two programs (Foundation Studies and General Studies). Background: Previous studies have investigated student device choice, however, fewer studies have looked specifically at which tools and devices students choose for certain academic tasks, and how these preferences may vary according to the level of digital technology integration between two different universities. Methodology: In this study, a mix of quantitative and qualitative data was gathered from 1102 participants across two universities in the United Arab Emirates from an English-language Foundation Studies program and a first-year General Studies program. A questionnaire (containing closed-ended and open-ended questions) was followed by three focus-group interviews (n=4,3,2). ANOVA and t-Tests were used to test for statistically significant differences in the survey data, and qualitative survey and interview data were analyzed for recurring themes. Contribution: This study aims to provide a more comprehensive account of the learning tools (including books/paper, laptops, tablets, and phones) students prefer to use to complete specific academic tasks within a university context. This study also seeks to evaluate student attitudes towards using digital technology for learning, in order to best implement and utilize technology in the context of higher education institutions in the Middle East and around the world. Findings: Findings suggest that participants enjoy learning how to use new technology, believe it improves learning, and prepares them for future jobs. Books/paper were the most preferred resources for learning, followed closely by laptops, while tablets and smartphones were much less preferred for specific educational tasks. The data also revealed that respondents preferred learning through a combination of traditional resources (e.g. books, paper) and digital technological tools (e.g. laptops, tablets). Recommendations for Practitioners: These findings can be used to recommend to educators and higher education administrators the importance of adopting learning outcomes related to digital literacy in the classroom, to not only help students become more effective learners, but also more skilled professionals in their working lives. Additionally, classroom practices that incorporate both traditional tools and newer technological tools for learning might be most effective because they provide flexibility to find the best learning tool(s) for the task. Recommendation for Researchers: Participants preferred books and paper for learning. One reason was that paper helped them remember information better. More research needs to be done on the learning benefits of using more tactile mediums, such as paper for reading and writing. Impact on Society: The findings from this study suggest that some learners may benefit more from the use of digital technology than others. Institutions and organizations need to provide flexibility when it comes to technology implementation for both students and faculty. This flexibility can accommodate different learning styles and preferences and not isolate individuals in the classroom or workplace who may be slower to adapt to new technologies. Future Research: Future research is needed to investigate student attitudes towards digital technology at higher education institutions in other parts of the world. In addition, this study focused mostly on student perceptions of learning tools and devices in the classroom. More research needs to be done on the impact technology has on learning per se – specifically how certain tools may help learners more effectively complete different educational tasks.

Modelling Basic Numeracy Learning Application for Children with Autism: A Pilot Study

Children with autism have various difficulties in developing cognitive abilities and attaining new knowledge. However, it is essential they obtain a competence approach in order to achieve independence. The state of art has shown that a significant aspiration for children with autism is to become independent. Part of attaining independence includes achieving skills that allow for self-determination and involvement in social activities. Hence, it is essential for every child with autism to acquire basic numeracy skills to enhance their self-determination. With the emergence of assistive learning technology such as smartphones, PDAs, tablets, and laptops with touchscreen features, there are extensive ways to improve the quality of life for children with autism. This study, therefore, aims to explore the basic numeracy skills-based dynamic visual for children with autism that will possibly be of assistance to parents, educators, and facilitators in the development of digital assistive learning tools to meet the requirements of children with autism in learning environments. From the proposed theoretical framework, an application was designed and tested with several children with autism. Based on observations from the experiment, the users showed positive attitudes towards the outcome of the application.&#x0D; Keywords: children with autism, assistive learning technology, apps, numeracy, education

Using Web Maps to Analyze the Construction of Global Scale Cognitive Maps

Game-based Web sites and applications are changing the ways in which students learn the world map. In this study, a Web map-based digital learning tool was used as a study aid for a university-level geography course in order to examine the way in which global scale cognitive maps are constructed. A network analysis revealed that clicks were negatively correlated with familiarity, but were positively correlated with area. More significantly, well-known countries did not act as central nodes within network-based mental models, but served a more complex mediating role in structuring the space between subregions.

Prompting and Language in Metacognitive Instructional Design for Digital Science Learning: Implications for Teaching in Medical Schools

In science education at all levels, including in medical school, the use of digital technology-based learning has become ubiquitous. While digital learning tools hold much promise for science education, the question arises as to whether or not such technology can serve as an adequate surrogate for the teacher-student interactions that theorists like Lev Vygotsky (1978) underscored as being critical to learning. In response to such concerns, designers of digital curricula often utilize scaffolds to help students as they learn from such programs. Using a simulation designed to teach students about the concept of diffusion as an example, I examine the effect of including prompting language in the learning sequence of the simulation. The use of prompting language in digital curriculum appears to be successful because it elicits science students to reflect and metacognise about their learning, lending support to Vygotsky’s (1978) ideas of teaching and learning involving outer and inner dialog. However, findings from think aloud data continue to underscore the importance of human linguistic exchange as a preferable learning paradigm.

CPR training in secondary schools. An evaluation of the digital learning tool Relive. A study in 2 secondary schools to evaluate CPR knowledge, retention and the link to be found with motivation

Purpose: Numbers don’t lie. The amount of bystanders who can respond correctly in case of possible resuscitation is very low in Belgium (30%). The Flemish government added in the curriculum of secondary schools that a 2-h training CPR should be provided in the last grade. In reality a lot of schools do not reach this goal due to various reasons. One of them is the lack of suitable training methods/materials.

المزاوجة بین المهارات التقنیة ومهارات التفکیر الناقد کمدخل لتنمیة المهارات الادراکیة فی برامج التربیة الفنیة المعاصرة Combining Technological Skills and Critical Thinking Skills as an Approach to enrich the perceptual skills in Contemporary Art Education programs

هدفت الدراسة إلى تحديد الأبعاد المتعددة لمهارات التفکير الناقد، کذلک تحديد أدوات التعليم الرقمية اللازمة لطلاب التربية الفنية المرتبطة بمهارات استخدام التکنولوجيا والاتصال في العملية التعليمية؛ بهدف تصميم برنامج قائم على المزاوجة بين المهارات التقنية ومهارات التفکيرالناقد کمدخل لتنمية المهارات الادراکية ذات الصلة بفعالية برامج التربية الفنية المعاصرة. استخدم االباحث المنهج الوصفي التحليلي، عند استعراض الإطار النظري لادبيات الدراسة، والمنهج شبه التجريبي عند تطبيق الأدوات البحثية الخاصة بالدراسة. تشکلت أداة البحث من إستبانة تناولت المحاور الرئيسية لمفردات المزاوجة بين المهارات التقنية ومهارات التفکير الناقد، من خلال استطلاع رأي الخبراء والمتخصصين في مجال تدريس برامج التربية الفنية حول تحديد قائمة المهارات التقنية اللازمة لطلاب التربية الفنية في إطار منظومة تنمية المهارات الادراکية بما يدعم الشق التشکيلي في العملية التعليمية. The aim of the study is to identify the multiple dimensions of critical thinking skills, as well as to identify the digital learning tools needed for students of art education associated with the skills of using technology and communication in the educational process; to design a program based on the combination of technical skills and critical thinking skills as an input to the development of cognitive skills relevant to the effectiveness of contemporary art education programs. The researcher used the analytical descriptive approach, when reviewing the theoretical framework of the study literature, and the semi-empirical approach in applying the research tools for the study. The research tool consisted of a questionnaire that dealt with the main themes of the vocabulary of the combination of technical skills and critical thinking skills through a survey of experts and specialists in the field of teaching art education programs, to identifying the list of technical skills required for students of art education in the framework of the cognitive skills development system to support the artistic Orientation for the Education process.

Governance decentralisation in education: Finnish innovation in education

This paper introduces a Finnish education innovation known as decentralisation in education. The innovation is described based on education policy documents, research papers and two short interviews with national and municipality experts in curriculum design. In a decentralised education system local providers of education (municipalities) and teachers play important roles in the preparation of local curriculum and learning environments, including the use of digital learning tools and environments. Education providers localise the national aims and content and describe how education is organised. Classroom-based assessment is another characteristic of decentralisation. Three pre-conditions are required for a decentralised education system to be effective: 1) common, national level, long-term strategic aims and must be established and local level plans, such as curriculum and an equity plan, must be developed and the implemented, 2) quality work, student assessment, continuous improvement of learning environments and practices implemented at the local level and 3) professional teachers must collaborate and engage in broad planning and assess their teaching abilities and their students’ learning outcomes.

19 Times Data Analysis Empowered Students and Schools: Which Students Succeed and Why?

Thoughtful use of education data has tremendous potential to improve and address inequities in America’s education system. Scientists better understand how the brain incorporates new information and skills. Educators have a more accurate sense of student progress and potential risk for dropping out. Students and teachers use more detailed information about their strengths, weaknesses, and individual academic performance to diagnose and address learning gaps. Schools can correlate patterns with failing or dropping out, and intervene early with at-risk students. Districts and schools can use data to allocate resources and create institutional reform to better meet student needs in a world where students take increasingly personalized or non-traditional paths to graduation. Today, companies use new technologies and analytical approaches to provide more personalized services to customers; municipalities streamline allocation of city resources; and doctors can make more precise diagnoses. Until recently, educators did not have much information available to generate new insights about the learning process, student success, or optimal institutional management. However, education — both K-12 and higher ed — is now catching up as newly created digital learning tools and platforms generate an abundance of highly detailed data that can help parents, teachers, administrators — and ultimately students — make more informed choices. With this data, we can finally observe patterns during instruction, across classrooms, between schools, and over time to create a more complete understanding of which students succeed and why. The ability to compare administrative, academic, demographic, and social information from various sources at last provides a means to examine the full multiplicity of factors that contribute to student success. Examining student trajectories over time shows how well students are prepared for the next steps in the learning process. They can identify ways to facilitate application and transition between school levels and into the workforce. To provide useful insights, research about long term education and career success often requires sharing information — sometimes including sensitive data — across schools, between states, and over time. The student data used in this research must be collected, used, and deleted with sufficient privacy protections. Appropriate policies, well-tailored laws, best practices, and genuine enforcement mechanism minimize the privacy risks, and ensure the best outcomes for students. This report highlights the ways that newly available technology, data, and analytical techniques can create better educational outcomes. It presents concrete examples from Pre-K through higher education of how education data can be used to benefit students, the education system, and society-at-large. The cases here illustrate how students, educators, researchers, and advocates apply data analysis to encourage student success and retention, facilitate more efective instruction, advising, and administration, and ameliorate inequalities. Data-driven education has the potential help bridge the achievement, retention, and discipline gaps so that all students can enjoy a high quality education and achieve career success.

College Students’ Perceptions of Personal Learning Environments Through the Lens of Digital Tools, Processes and Spaces

A review of the literature reveals there is a gap in the research regarding how students currently perceive PLEs and how they structure their PLEs to support their learning goals. The purpose of this study was to establish an understanding of college students’ perceptions of PLEs and what digital tools are currently being used to structure PLEs in order to facilitate personal growth and development. Participants (N=109) were asked to share their perceptions of PLEs and what digital tools, devices, and services they use to create PLEs. Analysis of blog submissions revealed similarities and differences between the ways that undergraduate and graduate students perceive PLEs and how they characterize these learning spaces. Students reported using a variety of digital tools for learning however their expectations of digital tools were to foster discussion, collaboration, and interaction, organization, planning, and resource management, experiential learning, personalization and a desire for effective technology. The findings of this study have important implications with respect to the competencies and skills needed to create effective PLEs and the affordances of digital technologies needed to support PLE development.