Virtual Training Course Research Articles

Evaluating a mobile-based short virtual course on family planning for frontline health workers in India

One of the ways to address the critical gap of trained human resources in health is to train frontline workers (FLW) on health prevention and health promotion. The FLW play an important role in community mobilization, outreach activities, and service delivery at the last mile. In rural India, the number of internet and smartphone users is rapidly increasing, presenting an opportunity to reach and virtually train FLW. The current evidence base shows progress towards creating and using mobile-based training, but significant work is needed to improve the quality of mobile-based training programs. This study showcases Project Samvad’s experience in creating and rolling out a virtual training course for FLW, highlighting the feasibility of virtual training at scale and the quality of engagement of the participants with the course content. The method for this descriptive study is divided into two broad categories: (i) course development, promotion, and rollout processes, and (ii) course evaluation. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used to collect and analyze data. We found that the overall average course completion rate was 82% (992 out of 1211 registrants). The average increase in the endline question accuracy was around 15 percentage points from the baseline. We conclude that mobile-based virtual training of FLW is feasible and program managers and policymakers should consider creating hyperlocal course content, ensure participation of partners at various stages of development and rollout of the course and use a peer-to-peer and community-led system to support the learners.

Experiencia de capacitación virtual sobre bioseguridad en odontología en tiempos de la COVID-19. Universidad CES

Objetivo: describir la experiencia del curso virtual Bioseguridad en odontología en tiempos de la COVID-19, dirigido a odontólogos. Métodos: se diseñó e implementó un curso virtual en la plataforma Moodle, de CES Virtual, con cuatro cohortes. El curso fue autogestionable, constó de tres módulos, cada uno evaluable, y emitió certificación en el área de bioseguridad para la atención odontológica. Resultados: se inscribieron 472 personas entre odontólogos, higienistas, auxiliares de consultorio y estudiantes de odontología. Del total de inscritos en las cuatro cohortes, el 96,18% recibió su certificación y el 48,8% respondió la encuesta de satisfacción, en donde valoraron el curso de manera positiva; con base en sus opiniones se definió un plan de mejoramiento para las siguientes cohortes. Conclusiones: las personas expresaron su satisfacción con el curso, teniendo en cuenta la facilidad para explorar los contenidos de forma autogestionable, la actualidad del tema, las presentaciones del expositor y la didáctica empleada para su desarrollo. Además, el diseño intuitivo del entorno virtual favoreció el autoaprendizaje y autogestión del conocimiento.

Educational Effect of Telegram-Based Virtual Training on Orthopedic Residents’ Knowledge in the Field of Spine Surgery

Background: The widespread use of social networks among students seems to provide an appropriate opportunity to track the effects of the media on their educational capabilities. Objectives: We aimed to investigate the effect of virtual education (via Telegram messaging service during six months) on the knowledge of orthopedic residents of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in the field of spine surgery. Methods: This quasi-experiment study was conducted on 25 orthopedic residents with an Mean±SD age of 31.4±4.1 years. During a 6-month training course, 85 educational spinal cases were presented in the form of riddles, video questions, or case presentations and were discussed among orthopedic residents. Before and after the intervention, a reliable and valid exam comprising 70 multiple choice questions about different topics of spinal surgery was taken to evaluate the level of students’ knowledge. We used the annual residency promotion exam to compare the correlation coefficients obtained by Fischer exact test, paired t test, and independent t test for statistical analysis. Results: The Mean±SD score of the assistants’ knowledge in the pretest and post-test exams were 42.8±6 and 45.2±9.2 (out of a total score of 70). Despite the obvious increase, the values were not statistically significant (P=0.09, t=-1.7). The intervention was associated with an increase in the level of knowledge in 17 residents (68%) while in 8 (32%), this 6-month virtual training course has had no significant effect. In this regard, age, marital status, housing, activity level, or level of residency (from the first to fourth year) had no significant relationship with knowledge improvement. Conclusion: virtual spinal education for six months using the social network of Telegram could improve the level of knowledge in most orthopedic residents, although the observed difference was not statistically significant.

La evaluación de los aprendizajes mediadas por las TAC

El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo analizar los instrumentos de evaluación para el aprendizaje mediados por las Tecnologías del Aprendizaje y el Conocimiento de un curso de capacitación virtual para docentes del nivel primario de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina. La utilización del enforque cualitativo permitió recuperar las reflexiones, pensamientos y posicionamiento de los profesores y tutores, como producto de la interacción en el aula virtual. Los indicadores de evaluación analizados fueron: contenidos, actividades, estrategias metodológicas, instrumentos de evaluación, rol de los estudiantes y el rol del tutor. Los resultados arrojados a partir del análisis de los datos mostraron distintos recursos de evaluación que actuaron como mediadores pedagógicos. Con respecto a las conclusiones se aprecia el valor pedagógico de las Tecnologías del Aprendizaje y el Conocimiento como mediadoras del proceso de evaluación de los aprendizajes.

An Integrated Learning Analytics Approach for Virtual Vocational Training Centers

Virtual training centers are hosted solutions for the implementation of training courses in the form of e.g. Webinars. Many existing centers neglect the informal and social dimension of vocational training as well as the legitimate business interests of training providers and companies sending their employees. In this paper, we present the virtual training center platform V3C that blends formal, certified virtual training courses with self-regulated and social learning in synchronous and asynchronous learning phases. We have developed an integrated learning analytics approach to collect, store, analyze and visualize data for different purposes like certification, interventions and gradual improvement of the platform. The results given here demonstrate the ability of the platform to deliver data for key performance indicators like learning outcomes and drop-out rates as well as the interplay between synchronous and asynchronous learning phases on a very large scale. Since the platform implementation is open source, results can be easily transferred and exploited in many contexts.

Project-based Learning in Virtual Groups - Collaboration and Learning Outcomes in a Virtual Training Course for Teachers

The pressure on the ability of training to teach useful and applied knowledge is growing, as society becomes more competitive and more information consumer. The aim of this research is to show whether the application of a project-based task in virtual groups has led to a greater significant knowledge to participants. Forty teachers who were studying a master program at a fully online institution participated in the study. Teachers worked in groups of 4 or 5 members through forums where they exchanged messages and files during four weeks. They had to carry out a project on how to integrate technology in schools and classes. Three types of knowledge were analyzed: academic, professional and applied. The results of our analysis show significant improvement in all three types of knowledge. Teachers were able to use more ideas, propose more actions and place them in a given context. Our results support project-based learning in virtual environments to foster meaningful learning.

The Effectiveness of Virtual Training of Islamic Culture and Civilization Course on Attitude, Learning and Satisfaction of Students in Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Background : Nowadays, E-learning is considered as a hot topic in higher education. This study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of virtual training of Islamic culture and civilization course on attitude, learning, and satisfaction of students in University of Medical Sciences in Tehran. Methods : In this quasi-experimental study with two groups, we studied 107 students who took the Islamic culture and civilization course in the second semester of academic year in 2014 - 2015. 50.47% of them were Medical students (19.62% face to face, 30.84% virtual) and 49.53% of them were nursing students (21.50% face to face, 28.04% virtual). In the intervention group, 63 students received virtual training using university education system, and in the control group, 44 students received face to face training. In both of the groups, the degree of learning was examined using a written test. A questionnaire was used in order to investigate satisfaction with the teaching method and attitude. The reliability of the researcher- made attitude measurement questionnaire was confirmed using Cronbach’s alpha (0.89) and its validity was confirmed through content validity. The Data was analyzed using SPSS software, version 16 and using T-tests. The significance level was set at 0.05. Results : The results showed that the two groups had a significant difference in terms of attitude (P < 0.001). The students were also more satisfied with the virtual training (P < 0.006). The rate of learning between the students of virtual and face to face training groups didn’t show any significant difference (P < 0.199). Conclusions : Students were more satisfied with the virtual training method and they had a positive attitude towards the virtual training, but the rate of learning was similar in both of the methods. Therefore, it is recommended to use the virtual training courses as complementary courses in the face to face training methods.

Renaming teaching practice through teacher reflection using critical incidents on a virtual training course

This study approaches teacher learning from a dialogical viewpoint where lecturers’ voices used in a training course context reflect how lecturers generated new professional discourse. The design of the training course considered the analysis of several critical incidents (CIs) in online teaching. An analytical framework based on lecturers’ discourse and ways of thinking about teaching was used to identify types of renaming teaching practice. The empirical element of the study analysed the written utterances about teaching provided by 12 online instructors in order to determine what kinds of new discourse emerged during the analysis of 15 CIs in online teaching. Results showed that local discourse is the lecturers’ most commonly used discourse, prototypical incidents generated more professional discourse than personal and real CIs, and professional discourse can be created by means of at least nine different ways of articulating discourse. On the basis of these results, some pedagogical implications for lecturer learning are discussed.

Analysis of In-service Virtual Training Courses from the Expert Staffs' Perspective of Vice Chancellor for treatment of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (2013)

Background: In-service education is one of the best and major methods to provide, train and improve the performance of the staffs. This study aims to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the virtual trainings from the staffs' perspective of Mashhad University of medical sciences. Methods: this is a cross-sectional study conducted among staffs from different parts of the therapy department of Medical sciences of Mashhad University. Questionnaires were used to gather the data. The questionnaire included personal information, assessment of staffs' satisfaction of virtual trainings, contents and materials, professors, services and the facilities of university, whether the trainings are practical and useful, and the quality of virtual training website. The data were analyzed by SPSS (16th version). Results: there was no statistical significant relationship between the staffs' satisfaction and gender, age, marital status, degree, major of study, computer proficiency and internet access at home. None of the demographic factors were influential on staffs' satisfaction of the virtual trainings. Virtual training practicality had the highest average of the staff's satisfaction and the next one was about the contents and materials. Conclusion: from the staff experts' perspective the virtual trainings are practical and provide good contents.

Effectiveness of the UroMentor virtual reality simulator in the skill acquisition of flexible cystoscopy

Background Virtual reality (VR) has been recognized as a useful modality in the training of surgical skills. With respect to basic endoscopic skill training of urology, we sought to investigate the effectiveness of the UroMentor™ virtual reality simulator (VRS) in the skill acquisition of flexible cystoscopy. Methods Urologists familiar with rigid cystoscopy procedures were selected to take part in a virtual training course of flexible cystoscopy. Changes in total operating time, frequency of injury, number of digital markers inside the bladder, and the global rating scale (GRS) scores were assessed following eight repeated training sessions on the UroMentor™. Results Eighteen urologists voluntarily took part in the study. Total operating time was significantly lower after eight sessions of training by comparison ((111±10) seconds and (511±67) seconds, respectively; P&lt;0.001). Additionally the frequency of injury decreased with training from (12±2) times to (5±1) times (P&lt;0.001), while the number of digital markers observed increased from 9±0 to 10±1 (P=0.005). Finally, training with the UroMentor™ resulted in a GRS increase from (1.3±0.2) points to (3.9±0.2) points (P&lt;0.001 ). Conclusion the VRS UroMentor™ can improve urologists’ ability to perform flexible cystoscopy and could be used as an effective training tool for trainees.

Development of a website for clinical microbiology in Brazil.

The quality of Brazilian health services, including clinical microbiology laboratories, varies enormously. We established a Website to provide different professionals with up-to-date information and to create a virtual Brazilian microbiology community. The Website became operational in February 2000 and had 198,976 hits in the subsequent 20 months. There were 1031 user registrations in its virtual community. Different microbiology topics were discussed and three virtual training courses (representing about 300 printed pages of information) were given. The e-learning centre and the Brazilian virtual community created by this Website have facilitated distance learning, and have encouraged professional integration within Brazilian clinical microbiology.

Virtual Training Using Web and Interactive Visualisation

Training courses for engineering applications may especially benefit from simulation and visualisation techniques, as they are focused on teaching “how to do” something - rather than just offering facts. Simulations may replace large portions of the training with the real system and they offer the chance to practice failure situations and to work with the (simulated) system without being afraid that mistakes could cause substantial damage. Furthermore, such training can be done remotely via the Web since web-based training offer a lot of additional advantages like any-time any-where access. Consequently, ABB is developing “virtual training courses” utilising 3D visualisation, interactive simulation and web technologies. This paper describes the general concepts and gives two examples for such training courses.