Online Provision Research Articles

Not just a pretty face: putting the learning into the Learning Commons

Not just a pretty face: putting the learning into the Learning Commons

An online adolescent message board discussion about the internet

Health-care systems seek to advance their care to adolescents through the online provision of information and support. An online, moderated, asynchronous discussion board called Let's Chat Pain was created to recruit adolescent users of online content for pain to a discussion about pain coping and associated Internet use. Participants were asked about everyday pain coping and the role they judge online information to play in this coping. They were asked about determinations of website reliability and validity for health but especially for help with pain problems. Themes around adolescent trust in online websites for pain and research are explored, in addition to inhibiting and disinhibiting factors associated with the Internet use for health. We found users to mistrust online content even when they know it to be valid. Further study is needed to assess if there are ways of instilling confidence in pain information presented online for this group.

Telemedicine in Rheumatology

©2013 Turkish League Against Rheumatism. All rights reserved. Telemedicine can be defined as the use of information and telecommunication technology to provide patients with healthcare at a distance. Healthcare professionals are increasingly faced with the daunting task of caring for a rapidly aging and ever expanding population. Hence, the main aims of telemedicine are to reduce pressure on secondary or tertiary healthcare services and to provide clinical care at a distance. There are now many applications for telemedicine such as telecare, distant interpretation of digitally stored radiographs, magnetic rezonance scans or photographs of skin lesions, teleconsultations, referral services, remote monitoring of patients with chronic conditions, online continuing medical education (CME), and online provision of medical and health information to patients. It is especially beneficial for those in rural areas because it reduces the need to travel for medical care along with the related costs. There is a critical shortage of rheumatology services in Turkey, and the impact is felt more in rural and eastern regions of the country. Even though telemedicine in Turkey began comparatively late compared with developed countries, there has been considerable recent development.

Improving access to CPD for nurses: the uptake of online provision

Qualified nurses want to access courses that develop their knowledge and skills base within specific areas that are relevant to the work that they do. Traditional methods of delivery for post registration education usually involve attendance at a university or continuing professional development department for lectures and seminars. It is well known that barriers exist which prevent staff from being released to attend such educational activities, or to fund nurses education and development directly. Furthermore, education of the nursing workforce presents a dilemma for many education providers due to the range of learning styles of the current pool of potential students together with the ever changing demographics of the workforce. This paper aims to explore the dilemma faced by education providers and makes suggestions regarding possible solutions to supporting the continuing professional development of the nursing work force. In particular, education providers are encouraged to consider developing non-traditional study packages which maximise uptake through mechanisms such as on-line provision.

Evaluation of a website that promotes social connectedness: lessons for equitable e-health promotion

The online provision of health information and services has been viewed as having the potential to inform and empower health consumers and, ultimately, to promote better health. The Internet can be an innovative tool to deliver services to 'hard-to-reach' population groups, including geographically isolated populations. However, the online platform raises questions regarding the equitable distribution of health services. In this paper we examine a case study of a website that aims to promote health by fostering social connectedness. The website provides information to connect people to locally based community events across Australia. We draw on evaluation findings to examine the socioeconomic and geographical distribution of website usage. A descriptive analysis of web usage statistics revealed a gradient whereby more information is listed and viewed about events in affluent socioeconomic areas. Furthermore, the analysis showed that a greater proportion of information listed and viewed related to urban areas. These results are consistent with broader gradients of Internet access and usage. Drawing on these findings, we identify implications for online health promotion across different population groups, particularly for interventions that do not incorporate an explicit equity focus.

The impact of internet adoption upon the shopping behaviour of island residents

Despite numerous studies of on-line shopping behaviour, the impact that the internet has had upon island communities remains largely unexplored. This is despite previous research highlighting the difficulties island residents encounter when attempting to access goods and services. This qualitative, exploratory research study interviews individuals across three UK island groups and examines the extent to which on-line provision has reconfigured the purchasing behaviour of local residents. The findings confirm that internet usage is widespread and that a broad range of products are purchased on-line. However the paper maintains that these findings underplay the significance of e-retailing. The internet has had a much more profound impact upon island consumers and the benefits that are derived from on-line availability extend beyond the reconfiguration of shopping patterns. The findings illustrate that the benefits that have accrued from internet adoption have fundamentally transformed the lives of many individuals. It has acted as a liberating mechanism that has positively impacted upon domestic undertakings and socio-cultural activities.

Consumer vulnerability and the transformative potential of Internet shopping: An exploratory case study

Ten million individuals in the UK who suffer from long-term illness, impairments, or disability can be considered as vulnerable consumers (Office for Disability Issues, 2010). Despite this, there are few studies on the use of the Internet for grocery shopping by the disabled and none which offers an understanding of the multiple facets of consumer vulnerability. The purpose of this study is to contextualise the use of the Internet for grocery shopping using an exploratory case to provide fresh insights into the ‘actual’ vulnerability of ‘Danni’ – a disabled housewife and mother. The consumer-focussed methods used here were combined multiple complementary approaches. The findings illustrate that whilst the use of the Internet reduces the impracticalities of shopping in-store, the normalcy afforded to Danni through shopping in-store (including her sense of self) was not met by the technological offerings. The paradoxes associated with using online provision and the strategies adopted to manage these by Danni demonstrate engagement/disengagement and assimilation/isolation. Policy implications and insights for retailers are provided.

Students' Use of Online Academic Resources within a Course Web Site and Its Relationship with Their Course Performance: An Exploratory Study

Prior research suggests that the online provision of course materials can have a positive impact on students' examination performance. This study adds to the existing literature by investigating the link between the students' use of different forms of online course provisions and tools (i.e. course materials, links and discussion forums) and the final examination performance of students in a second year undergraduate accounting course. Findings indicate a positive association between the number of online files viewed by students, the number of online discussion messages posted by them, and their examination performance. A significant relationship was not found between examination performance and the amount of time spent on the subject's web site, the viewing of links to web sites that were not core to the course being studied, or the passive reading of discussion messages. These findings support the benefits to be gained by providing course materials online and encouraging students to access the materials posted and to participate actively in online discussion.

A Response to Christopher Hood: 'The ethics of personal genetic profiling'

One aspect of the recently published Nuffield Council on Bioethics’ report on Medical Profiling and Online Medicine centred on the development of direct-toconsumer (DTC) personal genomic services, and is the focus of Hood’s commentary in this issue of GSP. We have been prompted to make a number of comments in response to this piece (rather than to the report in its entirety). We would first like to state clearly that the work of the Nuffield group is welcomed and its report is a very useful contribution to ongoing discussions amongst academics, policy makers, and public interest groups about developments in the personalisation and online provision of various healthcare products and services.

Evaluation of an online course on the care of teenagers and young adults with cancer

Teenagers and young adults with cancer face significant challenges throughout their cancer journey. Psychosocial issues are considered to be among the most challenging faced by patients, families and healthcare professionals. Staff from Coventry University met with a group of international experts in Bangkok in 2006 to discuss the specific educational needs of various members of the healthcare team who care for this group of patients. Key concepts discussed there became a reality when this online, interprofessional course was accredited and commenced in February 2007. Evaluation from student, educational, technical and organisational perspectives indicates that the course is meeting the needs of students and has established a model for online provision that can be used in other subject domains.

The provision of online public goods: Examining social structure in an electronic network of practice

Electronic networks of practice are computer-mediated social spaces where individuals working on similar problems self-organize to help each other and share knowledge, advice, and perspectives about their occupational practice or common interests. These interactions occur through message postings to produce an on-line public good of knowledge, where all participants in the network can then access this knowledge, regardless of their active participation in the network. Using theories and concepts of collective action and public goods, five hypotheses are developed regarding the structural and social characteristics that support the online provision and maintenance of knowledge in an electronic network of practice. Using social network analysis, we examine the structure of message contributions that produce and sustain the public good. We then combine the results from network analysis with survey results to examine the underlying pattern of exchange, the role of the critical mass, the quality of the ties sustaining participation, the heterogeneity of resources and interests of participants, and changes in membership that impact the structural characteristics of the network. Our results suggest that the electronic network of practice chosen for this study is sustained through generalized exchange, is supported by a critical mass of active members, and that members develop strong ties with the community as a whole rather than develop interpersonal relationships. Knowledge contribution is significantly related to an individual's tenure in the occupation, expertise, availability of local resources and a desire to enhance one's reputation, and those in the critical mass are primarily responsible for creating and sustaining the public good of knowledge. Finally, we find that this structure of generalized exchange is stable over time although there is a high proportion of member churn in the network.

The International Baccalaureate and its Diploma Programme online

The International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) celebrated its 40th Anniversary in 2008. Following almost four decades of rapid growth the IBO embarked on a strategic planning exercise in 2004. One outcome is that the IBO seeks to widen access to its Diploma Programme (IBDP), and one avenue being followed is online provision. There have been two pre-pilot IBDP Online (IBDPO) experiments involving six schools in five countries. September 2008 saw the start of a four-year pilot phase, involving initially 75 students from a minimum of 13 schools worldwide. The IBO has identified a potential demand in the future of about 6000 students. This article charts the development of the IBDPO project and offers an insight into three possible future scenarios and some of the key challenges likely to be faced.

A randomized controlled study to evaluate the efficacy of an Internet-based intervention in reducing HIV risk behaviors among men who have sex with men in Hong Kong

A randomized controlled study evaluated an Internet-based HIV behavioral intervention for men who have sex with men (MSM). Hong Kong Chinese men aged ≥18 having engaged in oral or anal MSM behaviors in the last six months were randomly allocated into the intervention (n=140) and the control groups (n=140). Participants were interviewed anonymously at the baseline and after six months. Interventions included periodic HIV information dissemination, monitoring of risk behaviors and interactive feedback, online peer counseling and provision of a hotline. The control group only received some educational materials. Efficacy of the intervention was not supported as no statistically significant between-group differences in background characteristics, HIV risk behaviors and perceptions were observed both at the baseline and after the 6-month period. Effectiveness of online interventions should not be taken for granted and evidence-based approach is warranted.

Reviews

Reviews

An informal online learning community for student mental health at university: a preliminary investigation

ABSTRACT As a potential solution to increasing demands on mental health services at universities, this project seeks to develop an informal online learning community for mental health support and education. Students’ use of the Internet and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), especially to access health information, provides a supporting rationale for this project. The design for this study is grounded in the pedagogical principles of informal learning and the practices for building successful online communities. The student online mental health community has been implemented at the authors’ university (University of Dublin, Trinity College) for one academic term and the initial analysis of its usage is positive. Features that are being positively evaluated are the role of the reader participant, disinhibition that arises from anonymity, online provision acting as a gateway to further support, and online provision reaching an audience who ordinarily do not use face-to-face services. At the same time, difficulties specific to this type of community have surfaced, including technical issues, implications of anonymity and user safety.

Should 'teacher centred teaching' replace 'student centred learning'?

Mission statements of most HEIs across the UK support 'student centred learning'. In this paper, it is suggested that 'teacher centred teaching' should also have a major role to play, improving the quality of the learning experience in higher education. Students are extremely diverse in their skills, weaknesses, and learning styles, but lecturers are just as diverse in their abilities and areas of expertise. Moreover, teaching methods are now more varied than ever before (e.g. lectures, tutorials, workshops, labs, ebl/pbl, on-line provision, transferable skills exercises), often requiring specialist skills that not every university lecturer possesses. Identifying those strengths and weaknesses, and building our teaching around the qualities of our teachers, is surely one way of improving the student learning environment, and perhaps leading to happier students and more fulfilled lecturers.

Exploring Staff Perceptions: Early Childhood Teacher Educators Examine Online Teaching and Learning Challenges and Dilemmas

Early Childhood teacher educators at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) have been engaging with online teaching and learning since the mid 1990s. On campus students have lectures and tutorials supported by information and communication technologies via QUT’s home grown learning management system, Online Learning and Teaching (OLT). We surveyed academic staff to identify their perceptions of online provision. Of significance were issues around transmission, constructivism, and interactivity, especially for external students, with a perceived preference amongst all students for knowledge transmission. There are also constraints for staff, specifically the technological limitations of the learning management system and our own limitations as online curriculum developers. The findings of this study suggest a need to develop staff capacity to work more effectively in an online environment and to consider the efficacy of blended approaches to teaching and learning.

From e-learning to games-based e-learning: using interactive technologies in teaching an IS course

The e-phenomenon has profoundly changed many aspects of society and, inevitably, has a commensurate impact on higher education. E-learning has now evolved from a marginal form of education to a commonly accepted alternative to traditional face-to-face education. The term can cover different delivery models ranging from courses that are delivered fully online to courses that provide some face-to-face interaction and some online provision. Within this continuum, interactive technologies can play a significant role in engaging the learner and providing a rich learning experience. This paper examines the e-phenomenon as it relates to e-learning and how different interactive technologies, such as visualisations and simulation games, can be used to enrich the learning experiences of students with different learning styles. The theory is related to the teaching of Information Systems (IS) in a postgraduate MSc Management of eBusiness course that uses a range of interactive technologies.

Ethical standards for online advice giving: an overview of the issues for business and financial advisers

For the business community, the Internet is a new frontier, offering unparalleled opportunities for expansion and growth. Businesses can and do offer their services throughout the world, with the range of services multiplying daily. This paper discusses ethical issues related to the online provision of business and financial information and advice, reviews problems encountered and ethical issues raised, and proposes an ethical code to help address such problems. It begins by identifying differences occurring in an online advice‐giving environment and extending them to identify ethical issues. Specific problems that have occurred are reviewed and ethical issues are discussed. Finally, existing ethical codes addressing Internet practice are then utilized to identify elements in a proposed set of ethical standards for online business advisors and their professional organizations.

Broadband: A Solution for Rural e-Learning?

<P>Rural and remote learners are disadvantaged even with online provision due to poor connections. Broadband offers a potential solution. This paper looks at the initial results of a project to install broadband services in the Western Isles of Scotland. It focuses on the educational potential of broadband and the design implications for online courses. It also considers more informal kinds of learning that broadband facilitates in rural areas.<BR> <B>Keywords</B>: broadband, rural development, e-learning, online communication, e-learning course design </P>