E-learning Curriculum Research Articles

Efficacy of an Interactive E-Learning curriculum in the NICU (INTERN) compared to traditional instruction as a method to improve pediatric resident education - a randomized controlled trial

Introduction: The American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) Residency Review and Redesign in Pediatrics program (R3P) encourages the development of skills for life-long learning and patient care through innovative approaches such as simulation and computer-assisted learning (CAL). CAL caters to adult learning theory and transforms a passive learning experience into an active one with improved retention and application of knowledge. Studies show that CAL appears more effective than no intervention although a developing infrastructure to support e-learning within medical education is needed. Hypothesis: An interactive e-learning curriculum combined with traditional instruction in the …

Efficacy of an Interactive E-Learning curriculum in the NICU (INTERN) compared to traditional instruction as a method to improve pediatric resident education - a randomized controlled trial

Efficacy of an Interactive E-Learning curriculum in the NICU (INTERN) compared to traditional instruction as a method to improve pediatric resident education - a randomized controlled trial

Enhancing Family Planning Training at a Catholic OBGYN Residency Program

OBJECTIVE: Residents in Catholic hospitals face restrictions in family planning training based on the Ethical and Religious Directives. Our objective was to create a rotation that addresses ACGME competencies in family planning and abortion training for the OBGYN residency program at Saint Joseph Hospital. METHODS: In July 2016, a family planning grant was awarded to the OBGYN residency program at Saint Joseph Hospital to create a family planning rotation to improve on-site family planning curricula at Saint Joseph Hospital and provide planned, off-site abortion and contraception training at a family planning clinic affiliated with a nearby academic center. All residents participated in family planning didactic sessions, simulation sessions, and annual values clarification workshop. Residents who participated in the family planning rotation were assigned readings (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists publications and journal articles), an e-learning curriculum (LEARN module), and trained in providing contraception and uterine evacuation procedures. Residents who chose to opt-out of performing uterine evacuation procedures were considered partial participators. EVALUATION: We will compare pre- and postmean test scores for LEARN modules and median number of family planning procedures before and after the family planning rotation. Participating residents will complete rotation evaluations and comments will be evaluated using thematic codes. Preliminary data suggest residents gain more experience in uterine evacuations and LARC contraception procedures after the rotation. DISSEMINATION: Our family planning rotation can serve as a model for other faith-based residency programs to improve training. REFLECTIVE CRITIQUE: The family planning rotation provides an opportunity to improve training in our Catholic hospital-based program.

Conversion of Provider EMR Training from Instructor-Led Training to eLearning at an Academic Medical Center.

This case study overviews the conversion of provider training of the electronic medical record (EMR) from an instructor-led training (ILT) program to eLearning at an Academic Medical Center (AMC). This conversion provided us with both a useful training tool and the opportunity to maximize efficiency within both our training and optimization team and organization. eLearning Development Principles were created and served as a guide to assist us with designing an eLearning curriculum using a five step process. The result was a new training approach that allowed learners to complete training at their own pace, and even test out of sections based on demonstrated competency. The information we have leads us to believe that a substantial return on our investment can be obtained from the conversion with positive impacts that have served as the foundation for the future of end user EMR training at our AMC.

Implementation Pathology of the E-learning Curriculum in Iran (Case Study Shahid Beheshti University of Tehran)

Introduction : E-learning is a new emerging phenomenon that has attracted the attention of higher education authorities and researchers in this field. The aim of this study is to identify the challenges of implementing e-learning curriculum of Shahid Beheshti University from the perspective of faculty members and students. Methods : The descriptive-survey method was employed in this study. Two researcher-made questionnaires were used for data collection. The study population comprised 48 faculty members and 635 students of virtual education. Statistical samples according to Morgan table were 42 and 237, respectively indicating that sampling was done by proportional stratified random sampling. The validity of research questionnaires was approved by professors and domain experts and by using Cronbach’s alpha; the reliability coefficient was calculated to be 89% and 85%, respectively. For data analysis, SPSS version 21, descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation) and inferential statistics (one-sample t-test and t-test) were used (P < 0.05). Results : The findings indicated that from the perspective of faculty members, the implementation of e-learning curriculum is being faced with cultural (P < 0.001), legal (P = 0.001), infrastructural (P < 0.001) and financial (P = 0.005) challenges and from the perspective of students are cultural (P < 0.001), infrastructural (P = 0.033), cognitive (P < 0.001), financial (P < 0.001), and legal (P < 0.001) challenges. These results with respect to the level of significance that is less than P < 0.05 are certainly 95% significant. Conclusions : The implementation of e-learning curriculum of Sahid Beheshti University faces challenges in which the problems and obstacles can be solved through the adoption of decisions that are consistent with the research results.

The effects of various multimedia instructional materials on students’ learning responses and outcomes: A comparative experimental study

We examine whether an e-learning curriculum involving various multimedia instructional materials (MIMs) can stimulate learners’ socialness perceptions, and whether the difference in style has a specific effect on the students’ emotional states (arousal, pleasure, and flow experience) that consequently affect the students’ learning motivations and learning outcomes. We apply an experimental design to three groups of students and compared three types of presentation methods: (a) a PowerPoint presentation (b) a PowerPoint presentation guided by a human-like animated character; (c) a PowerPoint presentation guided by a monster-like animated character. The analysis results show that various types of MIMs result in various social cues that have a significant effect on the students’ socialness perceptions, arousal, pleasure, flow experience, learning motivation, and learning outcome. We contribute to the field of e-learning by integrating MIM, social response theory, flow theory, and learning theory into an innovative model, which sheds light on the perspective that the three groups of various MIMs stimulate an emotional state of students and maximize their learning outcomes. Therefore, when designing the e-learning curricula with animated characters, we recommend that teachers consider how these designs affect students’ emotional responses to ensure the best learning outcomes.

Pediatric emergency medicine asynchronous e-learning: a multicenter randomized controlled Solomon four-group study.

Asynchronous e-learning allows for targeted teaching, particularly advantageous when bedside and didactic education is insufficient. An asynchronous e-learning curriculum has not been studied across multiple centers in the context of a clinical rotation. We hypothesize that an asynchronous e-learning curriculum during the pediatric emergency medicine (EM) rotation improves medical knowledge among residents and students across multiple participating centers. Trainees on pediatric EM rotations at four large pediatric centers from 2012 to 2013 were randomized in a Solomon four-group design. The experimental arms received an asynchronous e-learning curriculum consisting of nine Web-based, interactive, peer-reviewed Flash/HTML5 modules. Postrotation testing and in-training examination (ITE) scores quantified improvements in knowledge. A 2 × 2 analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) tested interaction and main effects, and Pearson's correlation tested associations between module usage, scores, and ITE scores. A total of 256 of 458 participants completed all study elements; 104 had access to asynchronous e-learning modules, and 152 were controls who used the current education standards. No pretest sensitization was found (p = 0.75). Use of asynchronous e-learning modules was associated with an improvement in posttest scores (p < 0.001), from a mean score of 18.45 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 17.92 to 18.98) to 21.30 (95% CI = 20.69 to 21.91), a large effect (partial η(2) = 0.19). Posttest scores correlated with ITE scores (r(2) = 0.14, p < 0.001) among pediatric residents. Asynchronous e-learning is an effective educational tool to improve knowledge in a clinical rotation. Web-based asynchronous e-learning is a promising modality to standardize education among multiple institutions with common curricula, particularly in clinical rotations where scheduling difficulties, seasonality, and variable experiences limit in-hospital learning.

Creating a Virtual Learning Environment

Creating a virtual learning environment may be useful to acquire knowledge in some circumstances. A Learning Management System is essential to manage a virtual learning environment. There are numerous steps of creating an e-learning curriculum. In the described three-year international project the goal was to develop an e-learning system with the following logical development scale: (1) Specification of the needs of the target group; (2) Development of the on-line toolkit; (3) Development of the training material; (4) Training of the e-tutors; (5) Development of the methodology to test the training material; (6) Pilot testing on the target group; (7) Accreditation of the modules; (8) Dissemination and promotion activities. This paper contains a brief description of the above mentioned development process which resulted in an e-learning material that can be used to prepare agrarian specialists to prepare for today’s modern world and to be a successful member of the information society.

Academic librarians’ perceptions of the benefits and challenges of adopting e-learning for continuing professional development in Lagos state, Nigeria

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to examine and discuss academic librarians’ perceptions of the benefits and challenges of adopting e-learning for continuing professional development. Design/methodology/approach – To elicit the necessary information, this study adopted a descriptive survey design, using questionnaire as instrument for data collection. The study population consists of five tertiary institutions – two universities, two polytechnics and one college of education, selected as sample using the purposive sampling technique. The study also conducted a literature review on studies done on benefits and challenges of e-learning for professional development. The literature review is built on resources from online and offline. Findings – Academic librarians in Lagos State were unanimous in their perception of benefits and challenges of adoption of e-learning for continuing professional development. The major benefits of e-learning were that e-learning opens up new frontiers for professional learning, supports knowledge generation and management and gives librarians an opportunity to broaden their knowledge. However, the major challenges to adopting e-learning for continuing professional development were inadequate power supply, inadequate knowledge of how to operate e-learning tools and limited bandwidth. Practical implications – This paper establishes that the role of academic librarians in the provision of information for learning and study in academic institutions places them in an advantageous position to engage in e-learning activities for professional development. It also extols the need for top library management to deploy all resources within their reach to develop technology-enhanced learning system. This should also be complemented with the development and implementation of e-learning curriculum in library schools in Nigeria to inculcate e-learning culture. Originality/value – The paper contributes to empirical research on e-learning for continuing professional development among librarians in Nigeria. Librarians who are interested in professional development will find this article useful.

Using Technology-Assisted Learning to Transform Employee Development

This paper explores the implications for elearning delivery of workplace education in the U.S., as demonstrated in the New York State government’s scaling of training to reach its 159,000 employees through an e-learning curriculum project in partnership with Rockefeller College of the University at Albany, State University of New York. By tracking the evolution of e-learning in workplace education from early introductions in the private sector to migration into the public sector, the author illustrates that successful transformation is achieved when projects like this substantiate the proof of concept that mediated learning delivery brings both a return on investment and multiple advantages over traditional classroom education for both employee and employer. The project evaluation data further substantiate the conclusion that e-learning is rapidly becoming a widespread delivery method of choice for continuing professional education in the future U.S. workplace.

Continuous professional competence (CPC) for emergency medical technicians in Ireland: educational needs assessment

BackgroundAs in other countries, the Irish Regulator for Pre-Hospital practitioners, the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC), will introduce a Continuous Professional Competence (CPC) framework for all Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), Paramedics and Advanced Paramedics (APs). This framework involves EMTs participating in regular and structured training to maintain professional competence and enable continuous professional developments. To inform the development of this framework, this study aimed to identify what EMTs consider the optimum educational outcomes and activity and their attitude towards CPC.MethodsAll EMTs registered in Ireland (n = 925) were invited via email to complete an anonymous online survey. Survey questions were designed based on Continuous Professional Development (CPD) questionnaires used by other healthcare professions. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed.ResultsResponse rate was 43% (n = 399). 84% of participants had been registered in Ireland for less than 24 months, while 59% had been registered EMTs for more than one year. Outcomes were: evidence of CPC should be a condition for EMT registration in Ireland (95%), 78% believed that EMTs who do not maintain CPC should be denied the option to re-register. Although not required to do so at the time of survey, 69% maintained a professional portfolio and 24% had completed up to 20 hours of CPC activities in the prior 12 months. From a list of 22 proposed CPC activities, 97% stated that practical scenario-based exercises were most relevant to their role. E-learning curricula without practical components were considered irrelevant (32%), but the majority of participants (91%) welcomed access to e-learning when supplemented by related practical modules.ConclusionEMTs are supportive of CPC as a key part of their professional development and registration. Blended learning, which involves clinical and practical skills and e-learning, is the optimum approach.

Preparing Interns for Anesthesiology Residency Training: Development and Assessment of the Successful Transition to Anesthesia Residency Training (START) E-Learning Curriculum

The transition from internship to residency training may be a stressful time for interns, particularly if it involves a change among programs or institutions after completing a preliminary year. We explored whether an e-learning curriculum would increase interns' preparedness for the transition to the first year of clinical anesthesiology training and reduce stress by improving confidence and perceived competence in performing professional responsibilities. We tested a 10-month e-learning program, Successful Transition to Anesthesia Residency Training (START), as a longitudinal intervention to increase interns' self-perceived preparedness to begin anesthesiology residency training in a prospective, observational study and assessed acceptance and sustainability. After a needs assessment, we administered the START modules to 22 interns, once a month, using an integrated learning management and lecture-capture system. We surveyed interns' self-assessed preparedness to begin anesthesiology residency before and after completing the START modules. Interns from the prior year's class, who did not participate in the online curriculum, served as controls. After participation in the START intervention, self-assessed preparedness to begin residency improved by 72% (P = .02). Interns also felt more connected to, and had improved positive feelings toward, their new residency program and institution. Participation in our novel 10-month e-learning curriculum and virtual mentorship program improved interns' impression of their residency program and significantly increased interns' subjective assessment of their preparedness to begin anesthesiology residency. This e-learning concept could be more broadly applied and useful to other residency programs.

Using e‐learning to train dentists in the development of standardised oral health promotion interventions for persons with disability

This study aims to evaluate whether an e-learning curriculum was sufficient to impart the necessary knowledge to dentists to allow them to implement an oral health promotion intervention in an institution for persons with disability. Participants were asked to complete a 10-module online training course and to implement a standardised intervention in an institution. The outcome measures were as follows: online tracking of progress; multiple choice questionnaires completed at the end of most modules; self-efficacy questionnaire completed before and after online training; completion of training and calibration in the use of a standardised risk assessment form; initiation and full completion of an oral health promotion intervention in an institution; satisfaction of participants with the online training experience; and evaluation of the impact of the intervention by the institution staff. The study sample included 26 dentists. The 10 modules were passed by 24 dentists, and the mean value of the highest overall score recorded in the multiple questionnaires was 88.4% (± 4.0). Twenty participants completed the self-efficacy questionnaire before and after training; the mean values of scores after training were statistically different and higher than those at baseline. Questionnaire regarding satisfaction with the online training experience was completed by 22 participants; all of them stated that they were satisfied with the online training experience. The results indicate that the online training course helped participants to increase self-efficacy and to provide interventions in institutions. This study could have implications for both undergraduate and postgraduate dental education in France.

Design and delivery of an e-learning curriculum for physicians involved in the management of pulmonary hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a condition that affects more than 25 million individuals worldwide and causes premature disability and death. Despite advances in our understanding of this condition, education and training of health professionals has not kept pace with the rapid changes in diagnosis and treatment. The net effects of this gap between advancing knowledge and limited educational opportunity likely include clinically significant delays in both the diagnosis and commencement of effective evidence-based treatment - an unacceptable outcome for patients with a lethal condition. The Actelion Clinical Excellence Programme (ACEP) is an e-learning postgraduate curriculum, the purpose of which is to educate and mentor healthcare professionals, both theoretically and practically, in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with all forms of PH. This article reports on the development and delivery of the programme and outcomes from its first year of operation. Forty-three healthcare professionals from 22 institutions were enroled in the first iteration of the programme. In the 6 months from May to October 2011, participants successfully completed 285 lectures and/or activities. Overall, the programme was considered easily accessible, comprehensive in terms of both quality and quantity, provided an efficient means of self-paced learning, and was a highly regarded as reference source. Ninety-five per cent of participants said that they intended to change their clinical practice as a result of the information presented in the programme. ACEP represents a successful physician-industry partnership, which has resulted in a significant impact on clinical teaching and awareness of PH.

Effectiveness of an e-Learning Curriculum on Occupational Health for Music Performers

The purpose of this study was (1) to evaluate the effectiveness of the e-learning curriculum and (2) to explore the type of questions raised by students through the "Health Promotion for Music Performers" (HPMP) e-learning curriculum. This study was primarily a pedagogical research composed of a pre- and postintervention design coupled with a 1-month longitudinal knowledge retention measurement. The intervention, the HPMP e-learning curriculum, was implemented over 14 weeks, once a week, for a total of 14 classes. Each class consisted of a 60-min prerecorded lecture followed by a 40-min real-time interactive discussion. The interdisciplinary faculty panel consisted of experts from the field of music and medicine. The Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) was used to evaluate knowledge changes concerning (1) Practice and Performance issues and (2) Health and Life Style issues. Fifteen graduate-level music students participated in the study. The SAQ scores on the 1-month follow-up test for Practice and Performance issues were significantly higher than the pretest (t=2.731, p<0.05). On the other hand, no significant differences were found between the posttest and pretest or between the follow-up test and posttest. Regarding Health and Life Style issues, comparison at all three measurement points did not reveal any significant difference. Questions raised by students fell into four major categories: performance injury (45%), performance anxiety (22%), general physiology (22%), and general psychology (11%). The findings suggest that the HPMP e-learning course enhanced student awareness of Practice and Performance issues but did not have as significant an impact on student awareness of Health and Lifestyle issues.

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT FOR E-LEARNING: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

The aim of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework for curriculum for e-learning. The conducted research is based on two dialectically intertwined pillars. The theoretical pillar consists of the rich critical tradition of inquiry into the relationships between technologies and human beings in wide social contexts from Frankfurt School onwards. The practical pillar consists of Dahlberg’s main strands of Internet research – Uses Determination, Technological Determination and Social Determination (2004). Blending the theoretical and the practical pillar, it is shown that the discipline of e-learning consists of Habermas’s three main spheres of human interests, types of knowledge and research methods – the technical, the practical, and the emancipatory (Tinning, 1992). The conducted research does not include explorations of epistemological basis for combining various theoretical frameworks and research methodologies. For this reason, its results cannot be applied to scientific research without further elaboration. In order to expose students and practitioners to the true structure of the discipline of e-learning, however, results of this research can be confidently applied in practical fields from curriculum development to policy making. Key words: critical e-learning, e-learning curriculum development, spheres of human interest, e-learning research strands.

E-Learning As A Career Path In Information Systems Curricula: A Blue Ocean Opportunity

E-learning is a rapidly growing industry with emerging career opportunities that require expertise in business, information technology, and instructional design. However, most academic institutions lack cohesive programs for preparing students for e-learning careers. We argue that information systems (IS) programs have a unique, “blue ocean” opportunity to prepare students for e-learning careers with nominal curricular adjustment. This paper builds on the MSIS 2006 model curriculum to describe an approach for incorporating e-learning as a career track in information systems (IS) graduate programs. An example e-learning curriculum from a large, public university in the western United States is also presented. We believe that an e-learning IS career track can enhance the appeal of the IS major by providing students with access to a multibillion dollar industry and opening additional employment opportunities as they prepare for a career in business.

Budget-Aware e-Learning Systems on Cloud Computing Environments: A Genetic Approach

Cloud computing can be considered as one of the most promising environments for e-learning systems. Unfortunately, services provided by the cloud are not always free. Hence, the primary goal of this paper is to select learning resources that best fit learner's budget dedicated for the e-learning class. In other words, learner gets the best e-learning curriculum that he can afford. The problem is modeled as a constrained optimization problem and a proposed solution based on genetic algorithms is introduced. Simulation study shows that the proposed solution provides results identical to optimal solutions in most cases.

The positive role of image synonyms language in e-learning curriculum development

The positive role of image synonyms language in e-learning curriculum development

Evaluation of an online interactive Diabetes Needs Assessment Tool (DNAT) versus online self-directed learning: a randomised controlled trial

BackgroundMethods for the dissemination, understanding and implementation of clinical guidelines need to be examined for their effectiveness to help doctors integrate guidelines into practice. The objective of this randomised controlled trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of an interactive online Diabetes Needs Assessment Tool (DNAT) (which constructs an e-learning curriculum based on individually identified knowledge gaps), compared with self-directed e-learning of diabetes guidelines.MethodsHealth professionals were randomised to a 4-month learning period and either given access to diabetes learning modules alone (control group) or DNAT plus learning modules (intervention group). Participants completed knowledge tests before and after learning (primary outcome), and surveys to assess the acceptability of the learning and changes to clinical practice (secondary outcomes).ResultsSixty four percent (677/1054) of participants completed both knowledge tests. The proportion of nurses (5.4%) was too small for meaningful analysis so they were excluded. For the 650 doctors completing both tests, mean (SD) knowledge scores increased from 47.4% (12.6) to 66.8% (11.5) [intervention group (n = 321, 64%)] and 47.3% (12.9) to 67.8% (10.8) [control group (n = 329, 66%)], (ANCOVA p = 0.186). Both groups were satisfied with the usability and usefulness of the learning materials. Seventy seven percent (218/284) of the intervention group reported combining the DNAT with the recommended reading materials was "very useful"/"useful". The majority in both groups (184/287, 64.1% intervention group and 206/299, 68.9% control group) [95% CI for the difference (-2.8 to 12.4)] reported integrating the learning into their clinical practice.ConclusionsBoth groups experienced a similar and significant improvement in knowledge. The learning materials were acceptable and participants incorporated the acquired knowledge into practice.Trial registrationISRCTN: ISRCTN67215088