In the healthcare context, I see a major opportunities for using technology to support patient’s in having a greater understanding of their own conditions to improve self-management. A particular example of this is the Bant app that helps diabetes patients better self-manage their blood glucose levels. One of the major challenges of using technology to support patients is that there is a certain level of basic computer and digital literacy that is required on the part of the user. If that basic level is not present then the technology will not serve its purpose. Technology in this case may result in a greater digital divide between those who can afford the technology and those who cannot. Often times it is those who are less educated about personal health that require more support but do not have the means to obtain it.
Another example that is more in line with the Gibbs and Simpson (2005) reading is with healthcare students. A key opportunity for technology to support assessments is immediate feedback on certain types of assessment questions. In healthcare, critical thinking and analysis are usually tested in the form of case scenarios. Learning occurs most often when students are able to justify their answer and use clinical reasoning to rule out alternatives. These types of answers are not well suited for technology to support them through automated response or feedback. Although the feedback may be immediate, is it “sensitive to the unsophisticated conceptions of learning that may be revealed in students’ work”? (pg22). As such, I feel that feedback is where teachers provide the most value for student learning and requires the most thought that technology may not be able to support at this time.
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