Creating this introductory module was an exacting yet powerful experience. In my undergraduate years, I worked within a computer-aided system of instruction – essentially a correspondence course on a university server. Now that courses can benefit from the affordances of the Internet, it is essential to understand the functionality of learning management systems (LMS) that are pervasive across post-secondary institutions.
The course shell I created is based around the Oral-Systemic Curriculum project at the University of Manitoba (UM, 2015). I have been tasked with taking content modules written by experts, converting them into an online format and then creating an educational program for our family medicine residents.
In planning this program, the first thing I focused on were the needs of the students, as suggested by Bates (2014). Our learners are spread out across the province as they complete their clinical placements. Therefore, it is logical to put our learning resources in an LMS so students can access them remotely. Learning units will also be available in different formats. Students will be able to download a pdf version of the content for offline reading, which is important when students are in areas with unreliable Internet access. We also wanted to create a multi-media experience for those students who could take advantage of it. This would allow us to enrich student learning by giving them access to a variety of learning resources (Coates, James, & Baldwin, 2004). Not only would this be appealing to students with different learning preferences (Bates, 2014), but it would also promote digital age learning (ISTE, 2008) wherein students are encouraged to manage their own learning as they pursue their professional goals.
It is also crucial that we “engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems”, as ISTE (2008) suggests. Medical residents are highly motivated learners but they have many competing demands on their time. Therefore, it was important to create learning experiences based on scenarios that would reflect the kinds of cases they encounter in their medical practices. Otherwise, they will not see the value in devoting their energy to this learning initiative.
Once we have interested students enough to engage with the material, it is imperative that they begin discussing it. Chickering and Ehrmann (1996) highlight the value of sharing and responding to others’ ideas as a way of deepening learning. “They must talk about what they are learning, write reflectively about it, relate it to past experiences, and apply it to their daily lives. They must make what they learn part of themselves” (p. 4). This is why from the very first discussion forum, I have encouraged students to reflect on their prior experiences with oral-systemic health issues, which until now they may not even realize that they have encountered.
It is important that our learners take the knowledge from the units and think about how they may apply it within their own medical settings. Therefore, in designing this course, I have taken the advice of Nel, Dreyer, and Carstens (2010) and focused on learning outcomes. I want to focus on what students will be able to do after taking this course, which is why I will include learning objectives not only for the overall program but also within each learning module. This will keep the focus on active learning instead of the passive absorption of information (Nel, Dreyer, & Carstens, 2010).
Naturally, I am hoping that students find the challenge of our interesting learning modules intrinsically motivating. Just in case that isn’t so, I have included some extrinsic motivation, as suggested by Ciampa (2013). Ciampa suggests that a learner is extrinsically motivated when he/she engages in an activity because he/she wants to achieve some “instrumental end” (p. 83). In this case, it is the privilege of being allowed to attend our Academic Day. Students generally appreciate this event because it means a day off from their regular clinical placements and it is a chance to come back to campus (at the University’s expense) and meet up again with their colleagues.
My hope is that by the end of the course, we will have created a Community of Inquiry about oral-systemic health issues. Our online discussion fora will create the opportunity for students to experience both a cognitive and social presence within the regular online exchanges with their peers. However, Garrison, Anderson, and Archer (1999), also point out the importance that a teaching presence is felt. The quality of the content of the learning modules speaks to the quality of our writers. However, during administration of the program, I will probably be the one moderating the discussion fora, with only occasional help from our two instructors. Therefore, the Academic Day will give students a chance to interact with experts in the field of oral-systemic science. Students will get the chance to connect the ideas presented online with the reality of the clinical scenarios while guided by important people in the learning community. This is a concept called connectivism (Anderson, 2008a) wherein teachers play a key role in scaffolding student in what would otherwise be an overwhelming amount of information and experiences.
Gibbs and Simpson (2005) list the conditions in which assessment supports learning. The questions chosen for the quizzes are geared towards orienting students to the most important sections of the content (Condition 2). The short essay questions are there to focus students’ thinking around important applications of this information. Sufficient feedback is provided (Condition 4) in the form of discussion comments and it is designed to be timely (Condition 5) so that students receive it when it matters to them. This is particularly true of the Academic Day where they will receive over-the-shoulder coaching on their clinical techniques. This is the most important forms of feedback because if it is attended to (Condition 9) and acted upon (Condition10), the students’ clinical skills will improve. It is these techniques that I hope they will take back with them into their practice settings and in this way improve healthcare outcomes for Manitobans.
References:
Anderson, T. (2008a). Towards a theory of online learning. In T. Anderson & F. Elloumi (Eds.), Theory and practice of online learning. Edmonton AB: Athabasca University. Retrieved from http://www.aupress.ca/books/120146/ebook/02_Anderson_2008-Theory_and_Practice_of_Online_Learning.pdf
Bates, T. (2014). Teaching in a digital age. (Chapter 8). Retrieved from http://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/
Chickering, A. W., & Ehrmann, S. C. (1996). Implementing the seven principles: Technology as lever. American Association for Higher Education Bulletin, 49(2), 3-6. Retrieved from http://www.aahea.org/articles/sevenprinciples.htm
Ciampa, K. (2013). Learning in a mobile age: An investigation of student motivation. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 30(1), 82–96. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcal.12036/epdf
Coates, H., James, R., & Baldwin, G. (2005). A critical examination of the effects of Learning Management Systems on university teaching and learning. Tertiary Education and Management, 11(1), 19-36. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11233-004-3567-9
Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (1999). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2-3), 87-105. Retrieved from http://www.anitacrawley.net/Articles/GarrisonAndersonArcher2000.pdf
Gibbs, G., & Simpson, C. (2005). Conditions under which assessment supports students’ learning. Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, 1(1), 3-31. Retrieved from http://www.open.ac.uk/fast/pdfs/Gibbs%20and%20Simpson%202004-05.pdf
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2008). Standards for teachers. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards-for-teachers
Nel, C., Dreyer, C., & Carstens, W. A. M. (2010). Educational technologies: A classification and evaluation. Tydskrif vir letterkunde, 35(4), 238-258. Retrieved from http://www.ajol.info/index.php/tvl/article/download/53794/42346
University of Manitoba. (2015). International Centre for Oral-Systemic Health: Curriculum Project. Retrieved from http://www.umanitoba.ca/icosh/oshcurriculum.html