An Agent-Based Framework for Personalized Learning in Continuous Professional Development

2011 ◽  
pp. 96-110
Author(s):  
Apple W.P. Fok ◽  
Horace H.S. Ip
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Personalized Learning ◽  
Continuous Professional Development ◽  
Professional Organizations ◽  
Asynchronous Learning ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Asynchronous Learning Environment ◽  
Minimum Number ◽  
E Learning

In order to stay competent and update in the fast changing landscape of technological advances, professionals nowadays are expected to continuously upgrade themselves of professional knowledge and expertise in their respective fields. Many professional organizations stipulate that their members should take part in a minimum number of hours or training units of continuous professional development (CPD) activities in order to stay qualified for their membership. The requirements of CPD for modern day professionals who are very much mobile and work within tight schedules point to the need of an asynchronous learning environment that provides a learner-centered approach and offers learners greater flexibility and choices. In this chapter we argue that “personalization learning” (PL) that exploits the abundance of information and e-learning materials on the Web can be harnessed effectively to serve the diversity of CPD training needs. Moreover, we specialize in the concept of PL to Personalized CPD Learning and highlight the emerging technologies that are relevant to the development of personalized learning for CPD. We further proposed an agent-based architectural and conceptual framework for a personalized CPD learning portal (Personalized-CPD) which integrates these technologies to provide supportive functions for professionals to conduct CPD activities in a personalized manner.

Mobile Learning in Health Professions Education

2013 ◽  
pp. 193-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zarrin Seema Siddiqui ◽  
Diana Renee D. Jonas-Dwyer
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mobile Learning ◽  
Health Professions ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Continuous Professional Development ◽  
Health Professions Education ◽  
Implementation Framework ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
The World

Recent technological advances have led to the adoption of mobile learning devices throughout the world and this is reflected in the articles that were reviewed in health professions education. Several criteria were used to review the selected articles, including the target group, phase of learning (undergraduate, postgraduate, or continuous professional development), the theoretical framework used, and the reported outcomes. The majority of the studies fit into Kirkpatrick’s first level of evaluation and report learners’ views of learning experiences. A smaller number of articles incorporated changes in learners’ behaviour, but only one reported benefits to the delivery of health care. To assist educators in using mobile learning as part of their teaching, an implementation framework including infrastructure, training, and ethical elements based on the literature reviewed is provided.

Increasing Technology Adoption through Certified Digital Educator Programme

2018 ◽  
pp. 17-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chee Leong Lim ◽  
Nurhanim Hassan
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Technology Adoption ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Continuous Professional Development ◽  
Professional Development Program ◽  
Learning Skills ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Training Modules

In this chapter, the certified digital educator (CDE) programme is developed with the aim of providing the academics with an on-going training that will lead to the e-learning certification. Formulated as part of continuous professional development program for academics at Taylor's University, the CDE programme provides opportunities for the academics to equip themselves with related e-learning skills through the byte-sized training modules offered in addition to the existing blended learning and face-to-face session. Through CDE programme, all current e-learning-related training modules currently being offered to the academics have been re-categorized under four e-learning packages, which represent the four essential skill components required by the academics to effectively able to apply technology in their lessons. Upon completion of this program, the participants are awarded the certified digital educator certification that certify them as competent e-learning practitioners.

Constructivist E-Learning for Staff Engaged in Coninuous Professional Development

2011 ◽  
pp. 146-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roisin Donnelly ◽  
Ciara O’Farrell
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Development ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Continuous Professional Development ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
E Learning ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Constructivist Practices

Professional development for academic staff in e-learning is currently a priority for higher education institutions in the Republic of Ireland, as lecturers experience increasing demands to incorporate e-learning into their teaching practice. This chapter reports on the design and implementation of a blended module in e-learning for the continuous professional development of such lecturers. In it the co-authors (who designed and developed the module) discuss the effectiveness of exposing lecturers as online students in order to experience first-hand the advantages and disadvantages of e-learning. It argues that a constructivist, collaborative interaction can provide the scaffolding for lecturers’ future journeys into e-learning and into constructivist practices within their own teaching. Although this approach is still in its infancy, important outcomes were achieved in terms of influencing lecturers’ thinking and approaches to both their own and to their students’ learning.

Miscellany of Students’ Satisfaction in an Asynchronous Learning Environment

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 456-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Otu Larbi-Siaw ◽  
Yaw Owusu-Agyeman
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environment ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Internet Usage ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Asynchronous Learning ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Teacher Interaction ◽  
Asynchronous Learning Environment ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Students Satisfaction

This study investigates the determinants of students’ satisfaction in an asynchronous learning environment using seven key considerations: the e-learning environment, student–content interaction, student and student interaction, student–teacher interaction, group cohesion and timely participation, knowledge of Internet usage, and satisfaction. The empirical data were gathered through structured questionnaires from 500 students who took courses in an asynchronous learning environment and the analysis was done using structural equation modeling. Framed along the positivist paradigm, deductive epistemology, exploratory research design, the study showed that all the seven variables served as robust antecedents of students’ satisfaction in an asynchronous learning environment.

scholarly journals Е-НАВЧАННЯ АСИСТЕНТІВ УЧИТЕЛІВ У ПІСЛЯДИПЛОМНІЙ ПЕДАГОГІЧНІЙ ОСВІТІ

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 231
Author(s):  
Iryna P. Vorotnykova ◽  
Nataliia V. Zaierkova
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Information Search ◽  
Postgraduate Education ◽  
Educational Environment ◽  
Continuous Professional Development ◽  
E Learning

The article defines the necessity of involving e-learning of teachers’ assistants in postgraduate pedagogical education to ensure their continuous professional development on the job. The authors have studied the European experience on inclusive teaching and learning and e-resources that can be used in postgraduate pedagogical education of teachers’ assistants. In this article you can find the results of e-learning readiness survey of teachers’ assistants and their choice of postgraduate education forms: intramural, distance learning, blended learning. The authors have analyzed which forms of instructions meet the needs of teachers’ assistants: individual programs of professional development, online consultations, e-coaching, blended learning. The conditions for e-learning implementation in postgraduate education have been defined, they are as follows: the availability of informational and educational environment (multimedia-materials, distance learning on inclusive education, online group for mutual help and messaging, online expert help: teachers and experts available for online consultations, Q&A and managing forums); digital competency of the learners (information search and sharing ideas via the Internet; developing e-resources for inclusive education); motivation of teachers for continuous professional development and their willingness to cooperate online. It is proved that e-learning is an essential precondition for continuous professional development of teachers’ assistants. The model of teachers’ assistants’ e-learning in postgraduate pedagogical education has been presented. We defined examples of didactic tasks during the implementation of e-learning and examples of implementation based on the usage of information and communication technologies (consultations, communication of educational information, sharing experience, monitoring and evaluation). E-learning for teachers’ assistants allows to: determine their personal speed, time and the sequence of learning; create individual learning paths within information and educational environment and develop personal learning networks.

scholarly journals Distance Teacher Training during the first COVID Pandemic by the University of Crete | ΕLearningLab

2021 ◽  
pp. 223-231
Author(s):  
Panagiotes Anastasiades ◽  
Konstantinos Kotsidis ◽  
Christos Synnefakis ◽  
Alexia Spanoudaki
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Fast Track ◽  
Asynchronous Learning ◽  
Pedagogical Issues ◽  
Distance Teaching ◽  
Primary And Secondary Education ◽  
Teaching Community ◽  
Asynchronous Learning Environment ◽  
E Learning ◽  
The University

The closing of schools at the beginning of spring 2020, because of the Corona Virus pandemic, featured the need for School Distance Education (SDE). Nevertheless, teachers did not have previous experience in SDE and as a result, they were in need of support in this urgent situation. The Laboratory for Advanced Teaching Technologies for Lifelong Learning and Distance Education (e-Learning Lab) of the University of Crete, attempted to contribute with its own means to the support of teachers who struggled to respond to the challenges of distance teaching resulting from the suspension of schools. Within the above framework, fast track distance seminars were designed and implemented, aiming at the support of teachers on pedagogical issues of Distance Education. During the period from 19 March to 29 April 2020, 20 distance training seminars were conducted, in which more than 40,000 teachers of primary and secondary education from around Greece participated. The overall presentation and assessment of the training actions showed not only the enormous interest of the teaching community but also the need for such training actions with particular emphasis on the principles and the methodology of SDE, on synchronous and asynchronous learning environment as well as the designing or planning of teaching scenarios based on the pedagogical approaches compatible with Distance Learning.

scholarly journals A review of the continuous professional development system for pharmacists

2022 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge P. B. Batista ◽  
Carla Torre ◽  
José Manuel Sousa Lobo ◽  
Bruno Sepodes
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Accreditation Process ◽  
Continuous Professional Development ◽  
Activity Type ◽  
Educational Activities ◽  
Online Platform ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Pharmaceutical Society ◽  
Focus Type ◽  
E Learning

Abstract Background The Portuguese Pharmaceutical Society (PPS) implemented a system of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for pharmacists in 2004. This system has evolved throughout the years, and currently all active pharmacists in Portugal are required to participate in the CPD program. Each CPD cycle takes 5 years. In each cycle, pharmacists must collect 15 CPD points, through participation in educational activities. The PPS accreditation process is managed via an online platform, where education/training providers, as well as pharmacists themselves, can submit educational activities for accreditation. Pharmacists may access their CPD status and assess their development at any point. The objective of this study was to analyze and review the educational activities submitted by providers over a 11-year period (2009–2019). Methods Data from activities were retrieved from the PPS CPD online platform. All educational activities were labeled according to the area of pharmaceutical professional focus, type of promoter, and activity type. Results During the study 3685 activities were analyzed. Over the last decade, submitted activities for accreditation increased in 52.6%. A significantly high proportion (98.9%) of these activities has been accredited. Promoters of activities were mostly pharmacies sectoral associations (29.6%), consultancy/training companies (19.6%), the PPS (18.5%), pharmaceutical industry (17.7%) and wholesalers’ consortia (9.0%). Academia represented only 2.3% of the total amount of educational activities. The most frequent topics were related to “pharmacology & pharmacotherapy” (9.9%), followed by “counselling” (9.8%) and “management & administration” (7.2%). The most accredited type of activities was face-to-face (68.9%) and e-learning trainings (13.1%). Conclusions This study shows increasing interest in submitting CPD activities for accreditation between 2009 and 2019, but it also demonstrates that Academia could play a more interventive role in the lifelong learning education of Portuguese pharmacists.

scholarly journals Continuous professional development and student support in an open and distance e-learning institution: a case study

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mphoentle Puleng Modise
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Distance Education ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Student Support ◽  
Continuous Professional Development ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Study Methodology

Faced with emerging technologies and a diversity of students entering higher education in South Africa, lecturers must continuously equip themselves with the necessary skills to teach and support today’s learners effectively. This article reports on the lessons learnt and experiences of academics at an open distance learning (ODL) institution who participated for the first time in the fully online teaching and learning programme at an international institution, through a partnership aimed at developing academic capacity in ODL. The author suggests that academics cannot impart and transfer to learners skills they themselves do not possess, and makes recommendations for striving towards an effective student support system through continuous professional development in distance education and e-learning. The study revealed that the participants appreciated the support they received and valued the skills acquired in the programme. They also indicated that they were planning to use the new skills to enhance their own teaching.  The study followed a case study methodology and made use of a range of data collection methods and tools that are in line with qualitative studies.Keywords: continuous professional development (CPD), distance education, e-learning, student support, open and distance e-learning (ODeL), transactional distance, community of inquiry (CoI)

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