Interactive Online Course Research Articles

Online Neuroscience Instruction: Insights, Lessons Learned, and Moving Forward.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, most of us had little to no experience with online teaching. With the realization that we would need to teach our students remotely during the pandemic, we needed to develop our online teaching skills and apply this knowledge to create effective online classes for our students. Tulane University's Center for Engaged Learning and Teaching (CELT, http://celt.tulane.edu) and its Innovative Learning Center (ILC, http://it.tulane.edu/innovative-learning-center) partnered to teach an Online Teaching Training (OTT) course for all instructors. This five-week session covered many of the topics needed to teach an engaging and interactive online course. The training included not only the theory but also practical applications of many resources available to online course instructors. This training prepared me to teach a fully online course for the first time in Summer, 2020 and again the following summer. Student evaluations compared between the Emergency Remote Learning done in quick response to the COVID-19 pandemic (Spring 2020) and the online course after completion of the OTT (Summer 2020) indicated that student experiences were much more positive when taught by a trained instructor. Many of the resources/techniques for online courses can be incorporated into in-person or hybrid classes, and vice versa. Further, sharing ideas among colleagues, especially as new resources become available, is critical for the success of all instructors. In this article I share my lessons learned, insights, and thoughts for moving forward as we approach a new era of neuroscience instruction.

1081 'Making the Leap’ To ST3 Plastic Surgery: An Interactive Online Course, In Response To COVID-19

Abstract Aim The ‘Making the Leap’ interactive online course (MTL) was specifically designed to be delivered during the COVID-19 restrictions. This course aimed to facilitate the difficult transition from CT to ST3 in Plastic Surgery. Method The courses consisted of interactive small-group tutorials, each conducted over 2 days, via Zoom, covering 12 plastic surgery core topics in 8 tutorials. The course was attended by 43 delegates from across the UK and abroad. The tutorials were delivered by 27 plastic surgery consultants. Anonymous feedback was collected from both delegates and faculty. Results The overall feedback from delegates were unanimously positive; 100% of the delegates stated that ‘they would recommend the course to a colleague’. All faculty and delegates agreed the use of video conferencing and small group tutorial to be either ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ suitable for an interactive virtual course like MTL. 98% of delegates thought the course has made them feel more prepared to be a registrar, and 69% of delegates preferred an online interactive course instead of the traditional face-to-face method, for non-practical based courses. Conclusions COVID-19 necessitated delivering ‘Making the Leap” as a Zoom course. However, the feedback clearly demonstrated the need for such a course, and the suitability of the format. We discuss the challenges and learning points from our experience delivering successful interactive courses via Zoom.

A systematic review on education 4.0 using social media platform

Education plays a pivotal role in acquiring knowledge and developing skills. The knowledge acquired and skills developed helps in building better careers. This also supports our personal life by making us better informed about social, cultural and political contexts. With the popularity and ubiquitous nature of the internet, online education has become the preferred way of teaching- learning process. Technological advancements have made this possible. Learning management systems have been used for a long time, it provides better organization of content and smooth evaluations. The MOOC has taken this online pattern to a next level of quality education. However, this approach of blended learning involves less interaction as it mainly depends on asynchronous mode of learning. The use of social media tools supports in overcoming this problem and provides a platform to build highly interactive student centric online courses. Using such disruptive technology in education has been termed as Education 4.0. The level of learner engagement with the content and the tutor enhances through the use of social media learning tools. This creates a need to understand the various aspects of social media based education. The current study is an attempt to understand the trends in online education and tries to identify the factors related to usage of social media in education. further, based on factors related to social media usage, the study also identifies the themes.

Teaching asthma first aid to pharmacy students: A comparative study between an online course and simulation by role-play

Objective: To assess the impact of a bimodal workshop on pharmacy students’ ability to perform asthma first aid (AFA) and their preferred method of learning. Method: Pharmacy students from the Applied Science University (ASU) in Amman, Jordan were invited to participate in an AFA training workshop, comprised of an online training course and simulation by role-play. Students were randomly allocated to one of two groups to start with either a simulation-based session or an interactive online course. After completion of the first session, groups were switched. Student ability to perform AFA was assessed by role-play using an AFA checklist. Students’ preferences on methods of learning were investigated by evaluation forms and focus group discussion using a semi-structured survey. Results: Fifty students enrolled in the study, 35 (70%) completed the evaluation forms on self-perceived confidence and overall satisfaction with the workshop. Performance in the role-played scenarios was not significantly correlated to whether students received the online training prior to assessment. Students (n=35, 97%) agreed the AFA workshop increased their knowledge and confidence in managing a patient experiencing asthma exacerbation. When asked about their preferred method of learning, 77% stated a combination of online coursework and role-play. Conclusion: Students valued the novelty of combining learning methods, and hands-on training was perceived as necessary to consolidate knowledge into practice. Thus, blended learning was preferred by pharmacy students attending ASU in Jordan for learning how to perform AFA, and their performance was not affected by the mode of learning in this study.

Development and Pilot of an Interactive Online Course on Antimicrobial Stewardship in Companion Animals.

A holistic approach to antimicrobial use (AMU) and prescribing is needed to combat the problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Previously, an antimicrobial stewardship programme (ASP) was developed, introduced, and evaluated in 44 Dutch companion animal clinics, which resulted in an optimization of AMU. As a follow-up to this, an online course was developed to promote awareness of AMU, AMR, and responsible antimicrobial prescribing. The aim of this paper is to describe the development and pilot, including evaluation, of this course, which will be disseminated more widely among Dutch companion animal veterinarians. The interactive programme consists of a major e-learning component and two online, face-to-face meetings. The course comprises five different parts corresponding with five consecutive weeks. Theory on several topics is offered, for example on AMU and AMR in general, Dutch regulations and guidelines on veterinary AMU, behavioural change, and possible methods to quantify AMU. Additionally, several assignments are offered, for example to reflect upon one’s own current antimicrobial prescribing behaviour. Interactive discussion and peer-to-peer learning are promoted. Since September 2020, the course has been offered in a pilot phase, and the feedback is promising. Evaluation of the pilot phase will result in recommendations for further optimization and dissemination.

Leveraging Course Quality Checklist to Improve Online Courses

Designing high quality, interactive online courses in a technologically rich environment can be a daunting task even for experienced faculty. This process becomes more difficult when faculty are teaching multiple classes, juggling service and research/creative scholarship. In order to help faculty focus on key aspects of online teaching and course design, we developed a checklist with links to institutional resources which help faculty meet several best practices for online teaching. Use of checklists and rubrics to meet quality assurance standards is common (e.g. - OLC OSCQR Course Design Review Scorecard, 2018; Quality Matters Higher Education Rubric, 2018), however they vary significantly with the time required to review a course (Baldwin, Ching, & Hsu, 2018). Our goal was to create a checklist that helps faculty design basic elements of the course and expedite the self-review process. 
 Given the current COVID-19 situation, when instructors were suddenly asked to teach remotely, this Course Quality Checklist will help faculty self-review their existing or new online course via multiple lenses such as course orientation, policies, organization, alignment, as well as Universal Design for Learning and interaction. Faculty may use this checklist to create a clear and consistent structure within their course. The checklist also links to several online, just-in-time resources (e.g. course templates, design and pedagogy training, and standards for interaction and accessibility). This will ensure they meet essential standards, save time, reduce cognitive load, and meet specific compliance requirements.

Faculty Development Training in Online Instruction at a Norwegian University: An Experience Report

Introduction: Online learning and work are commonplace in both engineering and professional communication. To be effective online, even experienced face-to-face teachers require new skills. About the case: This case reports on the design and delivery of faculty training on teaching online at a Norwegian university during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two questions are examined: 1. What topics and training designs are suitable for beginning online teachers with little time to implement the results of the training? 2. In this emergency context, how do local conditions impact the design and delivery of such training? The training focused on building interactive online courses, providing formative feedback for students, and choosing between synchronous and asynchronous teaching. Situating the case: The literature suggests that teachers often undergo a shift in their teaching philosophies and methods when transitioning to online environments. Methods/approach: Pretraining and post-training reflection were used as informal data sources to develop the training sessions and to holistically discuss the themes that emerged from the training. Results/discussion: Two online and one face-to-face 2-hour training sessions were delivered to three groups of faculty. Three main themes emerged from the training: active learning, synchronous/asynchronous teaching, and providing formative feedback to students. Conclusions: Challenges included convincing participants to shift from the lecture as the main method of instruction to more interactive and active techniques, as well as reconciling the standardized course study plans with individual teachers' instructional needs. Larger studies of training programs and more formal methods of data analysis are suggested.

27363 Forging Collaboration and the Scalable Dissemination of Biomedical Research Commercialization Education

ABSTRACT IMPACT: A robust and collaborative network of expertise and services is essential for successful research commercialization, including timely and scalable educational support for CTSA institutions and individual faculty investigators with biomedical innovations. OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Leverage expertise at the University of Michigan (UM) by creating collaborative and scalable interactive online courses to instruct and prepare internal and external faculty to navigate critical stages of life science academic research commercialization. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: UM’s Fast Forward Medical Innovation created two online courses with the UM Office of Technology Transfer and the Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research (MICHR). Collaborative planning committees, with content and educational experts, set course goals and learning objectives based on audience needs (e.g. preparation for consultations, commercialization concepts, etc.). Draft content was developed, peer reviewed, and revised before Articulate Storyline was used to convert didactic content to active learning content (e.g. interactive slides, scenarios, quizzes, and forms). Pilot testing was conducted prior to the launch to faculty investigators throughout the UM network. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Intellectual Property in the Academic Setting launched via the FFMI website and newsletter in July 2020 and has had 66 learners to date. Medical Device Regulations launched in October 2020 and has 22 learners. OTT and MICHR have successfully integrated the courses into their consultation process by requesting review from faculty investigators. We suspect that this will lead to more in-depth and meaningful conversation. Additionally, these courses have been integrated into an FFMI commercialization course to instruct on critical concepts. Evaluation and refinement for both use cases will ensue, as well as inform future collaborative courses. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF FINDINGS: Early results suggest that the courses are advantageous and can serve as a model for future collaborations. The opportunity to disseminate the courses across the CTSA network, as well as collaborate with other institutions, to scale localized expertise to a broader network is promising.

Editorial on Health Behavior Change Conversations in Dental Care Settings

Health behaviors finish in oral health issues. Behavior modification techniques, au courant by behavior science, area unit seldom used by care professionals (DCPs) inside routine care. Aim To develop a theory-informed intervention to support DCPs' behavior modification conversations and valuate its practicability and acceptableness. Intervention a behavior modification toolkit (Toothpicks) comprising thirty three behavior modification techniques relevant to medicine, delivered inside associate degree interactive on-line course. Design Development and mixed-methods analysis of the intervention. Participants' motivation to discussion behavior modification with patients was measured before and when coaching using a valid form.

An Interactive Online Course in Climate and Climate Change: Advancing Climate Literacy for Non–Atmospheric Science Majors

AbstractSince 2013, the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has offered an online course titled “Climate and Climate Change.” Students enrolled in this course learn the physical principles governing Earth’s climate and climate change within the broader context of societal impacts and global political considerations. Students interact weekly with each other about these topics, and frequent instructor interaction stimulates further learning related to the course goals. The course was delivered through a balanced mix of forum discussions, weekly worksheets, quizzes, and a final project. For this study, student climate literacy was assessed through voluntary pre- and post-course surveys containing student self-assessment questions and a variety of questions directly based on course content. Post-course survey results indicate 99% of students taking this course feel “fairly well informed” or “very well informed” about their physical understanding of Earth’s climate and the numerous processes governing climate change. The 2019 cohort observed a statistically significant increase in the percentage of students adopting the viewpoint that climate change is caused primarily by human activities. We present a template for implementation in other Earth science or atmospheric science curricula, which includes discussion forum, quiz, and worksheet examples from this course.

Development and evaluation of a digital education tool for medical students in wound care.

The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate an interactive, video‐enhanced, and case‐based online course for medical students. We chose a case about wound care since this topic is still underrepresented in the medical curriculum. First, instructional videos were created to teach practical skills in wound care. These were implemented into a case‐based online course, using the online learning platform ILIAS. In a comparative initial and final survey, numbers of users were assessed, content and structure of the course, as well as the thematic interest of the students and self‐assessed gain of competence, were evaluated. Since the summer of 2019, 310 students have successfully completed the course. The survey data showed a high participation rate and a positive response regarding the content as well as the structural concept. Most of the students rated the content within the course as useful for their future medical work (86.1%) and the gain of knowledge superior to a traditional lecture (69.4%). Self‐assessments of video‐mediated skills showed a significant increase in subjectively perceived competence. The online course is an efficient way to reach many students by the small use of resources. It resembles an option to arouse growing interest in wound care in medical students.

Bridging Disciplines with a New and Interactive Online Course: Drug & Nutrient Interactions

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this project was to design, develop and implement an online two-credit course, Drug & Nutrient Interactions, as an elective for a new online Graduate Certificate in Applied Nutrition and Culinary Medicine at the University of Kentucky. Methods Drug & Nutrient Interactions was designed to meet the needs of select student cohorts: undergraduate Pharmacology minors, graduate students enrolled in the Masters in Nutritional Sciences program, and online graduate certificate students. Faculty within the Dept. of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences and the Division of Clinical Nutrition were consulted to identify curricular gaps and to avoid redundancy across programs. Instructional designers were consulted to identify evidence-based best practices in online course design and teaching. Results Content of the Drug and Nutrient Interactions course is structured within four thematic modules: 1. Introduction to Pharmacology and Food & Drug Interactions, 2. Exploring Drug-Nutrient Interactions, 3. Genes, Bugs & Time, and 4. Current and Future Directions in Nutrition & Pharmacology. Each module is three to four weeks in duration, to span a 14-week semester. Each week, students’ tasks include reading, watching, writing, and reviewing content related to the student learning objectives. Methods to promote student engagement with the content recur week-to-week, to ensure consistency for students’ experience. An eBook was written by the instructors to provide a current and interdisciplinary review of the intersections of nutritional sciences and pharmacology in the course. In lieu of proctored online exams, module-level assignments assess students’ achievement of learning outcomes. Drug & Nutrient Interactions launched in fall 2019 with nine students enrolling and completing the course. Course analytics track student engagement by logging page views and participation. Increasing students’ page views and participation align with due dates for module assignments. Therefore - in spring 2020, deadlines were shifted to a weekly timeline to foster consistent engagement. Conclusions Instructors should explore various methods to foster student-content, student-student and student-instructor engagement in an online learning environment. Funding Sources This course project was funded by a UK Online award & an Alternative Textbook grant.

Online communication and interaction in distance higher education: A framework study of good practice

Distance education requires an instructional design approach that can lead to educational transformation. This is characterised by advanced flexibility, learner autonomy and extensive use of digital technologies to enhance learning outcomes. The main feature of such methodology is the physical distance between teaching staff, peers and educational institutions. Various technological tools are used to bridge this distance and improve communication and interaction. This article attempts to review the literature in the field, with the aim of highlighting strategies for enhancing communication and interaction in online learning environments. After discussing the theoretical framework for online communication and interaction, the authors outline the factors involved in creating well-structured, interactive and dynamic online courses and programmes for higher education students. The article explores the multi-dimensional aspects of communication in online learning environments and the differing forms of interaction involved. Using qualitative methods, the authors’ aim is to produce a framework to help tutors and instructional designers develop more effective online courses in higher education. In addition, this article may be of value to researchers and scholar-practitioners interested in communication issues, to online learning designers, and to institutional managers recruiting teaching staff for online educational courses.

The Integrative Psychiatry Curriculum: Development of an Innovative Model.

The Integrative Psychiatry Curriculum (IPC) was developed to train psychiatry residents and fellows to apply an Integrative Medicine (IM) approach for patients presenting with psychiatric disorders. Launched in 2015, IPC includes interactive online courses, in-person experiential sessions, and a clinical component with supervision. Twenty-one residents and fellows have completed the curriculum. The purpose of the IPC is 2-fold: to enhance patient wellness through training residents and fellows in evidence-based whole-person care and to improve physician well-being through enhanced stress management and self-awareness utilizing the practice of mind–body skills within a supportive small group setting. Course participants are trained in a broad range of prevention and treatment options and learn about their evidence base; they then practice incorporating IM into diagnosis and treatment plans through supervised clinical experience. This article describes the development of IPC and its elements. Efforts are underway to further develop and standardize the offerings and increase the portability of the course, making it easier for Psychiatry training programs with limited faculty expertise in IM to provide the curriculum for residents and fellows. To reach the goal of disseminating such a curriculum for integrative psychiatry, further funding and collaboration with multiple residency training programs is needed.

The ‘Other’ in Ourselves: Exploring the Educational Power of the Humanities and Arts

Humanities and arts have been considered some of the central legacies of the former classical civilizations and ancient civilizations. Taking this knowledge as a base, the cultural-related disciplines or fields of study that humanities and arts cover have been working deeply along the centuries. Likewise, this evolution of the production of this knowledge has been widen and developed in deeper ways and with more empirical methods.The book “The ‘Other’ in Ourselves: Exploring the Educational Power of the Humanities and Arts” edited by Medeiros, Niles-Yokum and Howe aims at strengthening the link between education, humanities and arts. Particularly, this work aims to explore the potential of different productions in arts and humanities for education. In this framework, the book shows the readers different ways of making use of humanistic and artistic resources as pedagogical tools for gerontology and geriatrics education. Moreover, some evidences of the positive validity of these actions in different fields of teaching-learning techniques, applied in different educational levels and with a diversity of participants are also integrated. Overall, the entire book follows the purpose of connecting these educational processes with the experience of ageing.Medeiros discusses in the introduction how useful tools’ cultural representations are, despite the decrease of humanities and arts in education over time. She strongly argues humanistic and artistic productions are valid and powerful instruments in gerontological and geriatric education. This potential enables the participants to develop a new critical and complete vision taking into account other people’s perspectives and the ‘Other’ in themselves. The compilation includes five chapters. Each of them tackles a particular strategy to introduce arts and humanities with students or older adults in a successful and meaningful way in educational settings. The first three chapters put the spotlight on some forms of expression such as novels, reminiscences and other multimedia resources to emphasize their significant value to handle ageing issues. Chapter 1 starts with an introduction of novels as a pedagogical tool. They link the advantages of the use of novels in classrooms in relation to critical reflections and better perception of the support of ageing services. The second chapter aim was to show the impact of using participants’ written reminiscences in order to link them with the author's own experiences. The research pointed out and developed the pedagogical method that worked effectively in: clearing some theoretical concepts, encouraging group discussions, and developing social skills for transferring them while breaking the traditional and fixed constrictions of ageing. The third chapter brings up the incorporation of the arts and the humanities as two main resources in an interactive online course. The article describes how some dramatic, artistic, cinematographic, dance, musical and multimedia tools were implicated as pedagogical approaches in an ageing and arts course. The principal achievement of the practice carried out was to develop an interdisciplinary collaboration of a community engagement learning-based model, in the field of science and art in relation to ageing. The interactive theatre has been presented in the fourth chapter as an engaging tool for provoking the audience the feeling of taking care of LGTB aged adults. It was focused on representing the usual challenges that LGTB older adults have to deal with if they do not use the services they need. Finally, the book presents a research carried out during a pilot interprofessional training course. The design of the course magnified the knowledge and awareness on ageing between different professional groups using the storytelling technique. After having finished the training period on various experiences of ageing, the participants’ feedback puts the focus on the positive impact of having mixed interprofessional and interdisciplinary arts-based training. Through the practices presented, there are clear evidences that arts and humanities could be effective pedagogical tools. In this case, the authors especially highlight their positive impact for working on the issues of ageing and gerontology. For these reasons, this book is a highly recommended tool for educators and researchers working in the areas of education of ageing and gerontology.

EuCheMS ECC7 in Liverpool: Chemistry and More!

EuCheMS ECC7 in Liverpool: Chemistry and More!

Construction of Real-time Interactive Mode-based Online Course Live Broadcast Teaching Platform for Physical Training

As a new teaching mode, online courses have become one of the most important teaching methods in higher education. At present, there are still some shortcomings in online course live broadcast teaching platform including insufficient hardware support, low flexibility and weak interactivity. Meanwhile, during the entire online course teaching process, teachers do not know the overall learning effect of students in real time to determine the next teaching plan. This study presented a real-time interactive technology to enhance the interactive of the entire online course broadcast teaching platform. At the same time, it combined a monitoring method for online course terminals, servers and learning process to demonstrate students’ learning effect in the whole online course learning process, and finally built the online course broadcast teaching platform. The practice test in teaching shows that the online course broadcast teaching platform can improve the teaching effect among students, which is of great significance for the improvement of teaching quality.

In Search of an Ethical Imperative: Exploring Medicine's Standard of Care as a Concept for Higher Education

In a time when higher education faces a growing array of delivery formats such as interactive television and on-line courses, what ethical standards do we have to guide our profession? The purpose of this paper is to suggest that we might benefit from the medical field's concept of standard of care and the ethical obligations it implies. We now have the research-base to establish a standard of care for undergraduate education for traditional-age students and it is the thesis of this paper that this concept should form the basis for informing our practices and policies. The paper will also include some of the sources for developing a standard of care based on this body of research. Contrasting the way the medical profession has approached tele-medicine to how higher education has approached distance education is offered as an example of the implications for the application of the concept of standard of care to higher education.

Interactive online learning on perioperative management of elderly patients

IntroductionSurgical specialists and residents lack knowledge to adequately manage frail older patients. This study aims to evaluate the effects of an interactive online course regarding attitude, self-confidence and knowledge in perioperative management of the elderly patient. MethodsThe six-weeks course consisted of expert videos, literature readings, quizzes and forum discussions. Surgical consultants with geriatric expertise and geriatricians moderated online discussions and stimulated interaction. Knowledge, self-confidence and attitude of course participants were compared at the beginning and end of the course. Results206 medical practitioners started the course. Knowledge scores improved significantly from 49% to 65% (p < 0.005). Participants felt more secure (p < 0.005) in the treatment of the older patient at the end of the course. A better attitude correlated with a higher total knowledge score in surgeons and surgical residents (p = 0.02). ConclusionA six-week interactive online course on perioperative management of elderly patients increases relevant geriatric knowledge and improves self-confidence of residents and faculty.

The Practitioner’s Guide to Global Health: an interactive, online, open-access curriculum preparing medical learners for global health experiences

ABSTRACTBackground: Short-term experiences in global health (STEGH) are increasingly common in medical education, as they can provide learners with opportunities for service, learning, and sharing perspectives. Academic institutions need high-quality preparatory curricula and mentorship to prepare learners for potential challenges in ethics, cultural sensitivity, and personal safety; however, availability and quality of these are variable.Objective: The objective of this study is to create and evaluate an open-access, interactive massive open online course (MOOC) that prepares learners to safely and effectively participate in STEGH, permits flexible and asynchronous learning, is free of charge, and provides a certificate upon successful completion.Methods: Global health experts from 8 countries, 42 institutions, and 7 specialties collaborated to create The Practitioner’s Guide to Global Health (PGGH): the first course of this kind on the edX platform. Demographic data, pre- and posttests, and course evaluations were collected and analyzed.Results: Within its first year, PGGH enrolled 5935 learners from 163 countries. In a limited sample of 109 learners, mean posttest scores were significantly improved (p < 0.01). In the course’s second year, 213 sampled learners had significant improvement (p < 0.001).Conclusion: We created and evaluated the first interactive, asynchronous, free-of-charge global health preparation MOOC. The course has had significant interest from US-based and international learners, and posttest scores have shown significant improvement.