Genesis of an Online Course

2004 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 321-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy E. Dunbar

This paper presents a descriptive and evaluative analysis of the transformation of a face-to-face graduate tax accounting course to an online course. One hundred fifteen students completed the compressed six-week class in 2001 and 2002 using WebCT, classroom environment software that facilitates the creation of webbased educational environments. The paper provides a description of the required technology tools and the class conduct. The students used a combination of asynchronous and synchronous learning methods that allowed them to complete the coursework on a self-determined schedule, subject to semi-weekly quiz constraints. The course material was presented in content pages with links to Excel® problems, Flash examples, audio and video files, and self-tests. Students worked the quizzes and then met in their groups in a chat room to resolve differences in answers. Student surveys indicated satisfaction with the learning methods.

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 238212052110377
Author(s):  
Paige Eansor ◽  
Madeleine E. Norris ◽  
Leah A. D’Souza ◽  
Glenn S. Bauman ◽  
Zahra Kassam ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND The Anatomy and Radiology Contouring (ARC) Bootcamp was a face-to-face (F2F) course designed to ensure radiation oncology residents were equipped with the knowledge and skillset to use radiation therapy techniques properly. The ARC Bootcamp was proven to be a useful educational intervention for improving learners’ knowledge of anatomy and radiology and contouring ability. An online version of the course was created to increase accessibility to the ARC Bootcamp and provide a flexible, self-paced learning environment. This study aimed to describe the instructional design model used to create the online offering and report participants’ motivation to enroll in the course and the online ARC Bootcamp's strengths and improvement areas. METHODS The creation of the online course followed the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation (ADDIE) framework. The course was structured in a linear progression of locked modules consisting of radiology and contouring lectures, anatomy labs, and integrated evaluations. RESULTS The online course launched on the platform Teachable in November 2019, and by January 2021, 140 participants had enrolled in the course, with 27 participants completing all course components. The course had broad geographic participation with learners from 19 different countries. Of the participants enrolled, 34% were female, and most were radiation oncology residents (56%), followed by other programs (24%), such as medical physics residents or medical students. The primary motivator for participants to enroll was to improve their subject knowledge/skill (44%). The most common strength identified by participants was the course's quality (41%), and the most common improvement area was to incorporate more course content (41%). CONCLUSIONS The creation of the online ARC Bootcamp using the ADDIE framework was feasible. The course is accessible to diverse geographic regions and programs and provides a flexible learning environment; however, the course completion rate was low. Participants’ feedback regarding their experiences will inform future offerings of the online course.


2021 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amon P Shoko ◽  
Ismael A Kimirei ◽  
Baraka C Sekadende ◽  
Mary A Kishe ◽  
Innocent E Sailale

Background: Researchers in the developing countries often have inadequate scientific writing skills to publish their research in international peer reviewed journals. Objectives: To improve the research-and proposal-writing skills of researchers and to evaluate the impact of this intervention. Methods: An off-the-shelf online course (AuthorAID, developed by INASP) was embedded in the Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute’s (TAFIRI) website and offered to the institute researchers in Tanzania. The 8-week course was followed by a 2-day face- to-face workshop that used the course material contextualized to local conditions, and the combination was repeated one more time. Results: A total of 47 participants completed the course and attended the workshop: 21 (54%) completed the course in 2016 and 26 (67%) in 2017. The number of papers published annually by TAFIRI staff more than tripled between 2016 and 2019 after the AuthorAID intervention, most of them (114, or 91%) by researchers who had undergone the training. Conclusion: Embedding and contextualizing proven learning materials, such as the AuthorAID online course, can be an economical and effective approach to improving the writing skills of scientists in developing countries.


KOME ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol Online first ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Noam Lapidot-Lefler ◽  
Michal Dolev-Cohen

The study examined Israeli youths’ sense of group climate in online and offline educational settings, i.e., in Instant Messaging (IM) groups organized by homeroom teachers for their respective students and in the physical classroom environment. Participants included 550 students (152 boys, 398 girls), of ages 10-18, who completed an online survey. The findings reveal that the students perceived the classroom climate to be more positive than that of the IM group in which the homeroom teacher is present. Furthermore, the more positive the perceived face-to-face (FtF) classroom climate was, the more positive the perceived IM group climate. In addition, when both class and IM group climates were perceived to be highly positive, a sense of non-violence among the participants was found to be the highest. These findings shed light on the unique phenomena of homeroom teachers who participate with their students in IM groups. Based on the findings, implications for educators and school counsellors are discussed.


Author(s):  
José van

This chapter investigates how platformization is affecting the idea of education as a common good on both sides of the Atlantic. The growth of online educational platforms has been explosive, in both primary and higher education. Most of these educational platforms are corporately owned, propelled by algorithmic architectures and business models. They have quickly gained millions of users and are altering learning processes and teaching practices; they boost the distribution of online course material, hence impacting curriculums; they influence the administration of schools and universities; and, as some argue, they change the governance of (public) education as a whole. The chapter explores how, powered by the Big Five, these educational platforms are pushing a new concept of learning that questions values that are fundamental to publicly funded education: Bildung, a knowledge-based curriculum, autonomy for teachers, collective affordability, and education as a vehicle for socioeconomic equality.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s192-s193
Author(s):  
Florian Salm ◽  
Tobias Kramer ◽  
Cornelius Remschmidt ◽  
Petra Gastmeier ◽  
Sandra Schneider

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is a growing global health problem predominantly driven by overuse of antibiotics. In humans, most antibiotics are used outside the hospital. Overprescribing for acute respiratory infections (ARIs) is common despite clear guidelines. The need for further training of general practitioners is well known. Objective: To develop and evaluate a massive open online course (MOOC) on antibiotic therapy of common infectious diseases in general practice. Methods: A 4-week MOOC was developed on the basis of previous face-to-face trainings (platform, Hasso Plattner Institute for Digital Engineering) and was conducted 3 times between July 10, 2017, and May 31, 2019. The course was promoted through various general practitioner (GP) networks, local multipliers, and conferences and in the local trade press. In addition to epidemiological background information, the focus was on guideline-based diagnostics and treatment of ARI, side effects of antibiotics, correct drug selection, dosage and duration of indicated antibiotic therapy, as well as aspects of doctor–patient communication. Content included videos, self-tests, additional written material, and an optional exam. At the end of the course, participants were asked to complete a voluntary, anonymous online assessment questionnaire (LimeSurveyPro software). Usage data from the MOOC platform and data from the questionnaire were analyzed using IBM SPSS statistical software. Results: In total, 2,177 registered persons retrieved content (= learners). The proportion of learners dropped from 99.6% in week 1 to 40.7% in week 4. However, among those attending week 4, the average proportion of content used was still high (74.5%). Furthermore, 27.5% of learners completed the course, 23.8% took the exam, and 19.7% passed the exam. Moreover, 284 learners answered the assessment questionnaire (response rate, 13.0%); 62.3% were women, and the mean age was 45.9 years. Also, 225 participants (79.2%) stated that they were physicians; 122 of these worked as general practitioners (54.2% of physicians). Among the other physicians, 23% stated were in specialist training and 15.6% had a different specialist designation. The average overall rating of the course was 1.31 (1 = very good to 6 = not sufficient). General practitioners rated it slightly better than other physicians (1.23 vs 1.41). The clinical relevance was rated at 1.27 (GPs vs other physicians, 1.18 vs 1.35). For all scores, see Table 1. Conclusions: A massive open online course appears to be an appropriate format in which to deliver clinical relevant content concerning prudent antibiotic use in the outpatient setting. It is a good complement to existing face-to-face formats and helps to cover needs related to antibiotic training.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suwarno Suwarno ◽  
Teguh Pramono ◽  
Ajie Hanif Muzaqi

ABSTRACT The COVID 19 pandemic has demanded that people adapt to a new normal life, including theeducation sector. This condition is a challenge for schools and the community. To avoid thewidespread spread of the Covid-19 virus, schools must temporarily stop face-to-face learningactivities. The blended learning method is a solution to these conditions. Blended learningactivities are not only seen as a combination of online and face-to-face learning. However,this learning activity has a great opportunity to integrate innovation in educationaltechnology and can be done online or face-to-face. Besides, blended learning is a solution toanswering challenges in assembling learning and developing students' creativity. Even in thelong term, blended learning is an important requirement for every school to face a brighterfuture. The implementation method in this program consists of the planning, implementation,and evaluation stages. The partners involved in this program are a team of IT experts at theLocal Government of Kediri. Also, the partners involved are also active as speakers ofeducational technology. The results of this program are expected that teachers and schoolscan innovate in developing learning methods so that education in Indonesia will develop.Keywords: Blended Learning, School, EducationABSTRAKPandemi Covid 19 memaksa masyarakat untuk beradaptasi dengan tatanan kehidupan yangbaru tak terkecuali di dunia pendidikan. Kondisi ini menjadi tantangan tersendiri bagi sekolah,dan masyarakat. Guna menjaga dari semakin maraknya penyebaran virus Covid-19, sekolahterpaksa menghentikan kegiatan belajar tatap muka di kelas untuk sementara. Metodepembelajaran blended learning menjadi solusi di tengah kondisi seperti ini. Aktivitaspembelajaran blended learning bukan hanya dilihat sebagai kombinasi online denganpembelajaran tatap muka saja. Namun aktivitas pembelajaran ini sangat berpeluang untukmengintegrasikan inovasi di bidang teknologi pendidikan dan dapat di ajarkan secara onlinemaupun tatap muka. Selain itu, blended learning juga sebagai solusi dalam menjawabtantangan dalam merangkai pembelajaran serta pengembangan kreativitas peserta didik,bahkan dalam jangka panjang pembelajaran berbasis blended learning menjadi kebutuhanpenting bagi setiap sekolah guna menyongsong masa depan yang lebih cerah. Metodepelaksanaan dalam pengabdian ini terdiri dari tahap perencanaan, pelaksanaan, dan evaluasi.Mitra yang dilibatkan dalam pengabdian ini adalah tim tenaga ahli IT di Pemerintah Kota Kediri. Selain itu mitra yang terlibat juga aktif sebagai pembicara di bidang teknologipendidikan. Sedangkan sasaran dari pengabdian ini adalah guru dan Dinas Pendidikan. Hasildari program ini diharapkan guru dan sekolah mampu berinovasi mengembangkan metodepembelajaran agar dunia pendidikan di Indonesia semakin berkembang.Kata Kunci: Blended Learning, Sekolah, Pendidikan 


2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karsten Gynther ◽  
Ove Christensen ◽  
Rasmus Jørnø

Synkrone online læringsmiljøer muliggør realisering af en didaktisk praksis, der synkront kobler forskellige kontekster. Forskning i og udvikling af didaktiske principper, som kan guide uddannelsesudviklere og undervisere i deres arbejde med at udvikle didaktiske designs for synkrone læringsmiljøer, er imidlertid kun i sin spæde vorden. I denne artikel introduceres til et overordnet designframework for synkrone onlinelæringsmiljøer samt en række konkrete didaktiske principper, som eksemplificeres med en række designeksempler. Det overordnede framework rummer tre dimensioner i et didaktisk design for synkrone læringsmiljøer, der i kort form kan præsenteres som: a) simulering af tilstedeværelsesundervisning, b) remediering af tilstedeværelsesundervisning og c) innovativ transformation af tilstedeværelsesundervisning.Abstract in EnglishSynchronous online learning environments allow the realization of a didactic practice that creates contextual couplings. Research and development of didactic principles to guide teachers and developers of education in developing designs for synchronous learning environments is however still in its infancy. This article introduces a series of new conceptual tools and didactical principles for online learning environment and includes a general design framework for synchronous online learning environments and concrete didactic principles exemplified through a set of design examples. The framework outlines three dimensions of a didactic design: a) simulation of face-to-face teaching, b) remediation of face-to-face teaching and c) innovative transformation of face-to-face teaching.


2021 ◽  
Vol 108 (Supplement_6) ◽  
Author(s):  
S H Teoh ◽  
S Majumder

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.


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