The view is good from the summit

Dear fellow travelers; we've made it! This MPhil hike has reached its summit in the uploading of the last assignment and the view from here looks good: weekends gardening, evenings with friends and family, gym, reading fiction... Even so, I will miss your company dearly. It has been an honor to walk the road with you; from the first day where we all felt a bit uncertain and unfit, the in between days where we shared the joys and pains of learning the education lingo and intricacies, to this day where we walk away with honed muscles and knowledge of many new things. I wish you all well for the next journey; this is not an end but the beginning of a new road. May you have enough energy bars and water for the hike and friends to make the journey fun! Be blessed! L

Down in the valley; climbing upwards again

Hi Guys, I have been quiet of late...came back from Kimberley to just fall headlong into a busy clinical unit and a busy on call weekend. The road is evening out now at last so I am heading for the last uphill days to complete the assignment! I have been reading about flipped classroom and have been looking on the web for existing lectures, videos and YouTube clips on my content topic- was amazed to find so many valuable information- one author/blogger made the point that we may not need to develop new content but can rather draw from the best lecturers in the world to teach students and use the face to face time to clarify concepts and make sure that the learning outcomes are achieved. Nice articles to read: Moffett J. 2014. Twelve tips for "flipping" the classroom. Medical Teacher; early online. Yavner SD et al. 2014. Twelve tips for improving the effectiveness of web-based multimedia instruction for clinical learners. Medical Teacher; early online. Dong & Goh. 2014. Twelve tips for the effective use of videos in medical education. Medical Teacher, also early online. Clearly e-learning is a hot topic:) I will however only be able to say how I plan implementation and evaluation as the middle rotation students, my target audience, have already finished their academic year and are busy with their electives. So will only be able to implement in Jan next year. I agree with Dianne that the e in e-learning is for me the difficulty; I definitely need a practical course to understand how this works beyond the 'register now' and 'download' clicks. I just do not know enough to talk any sense if it come to platforms and softwares etc. I've read that many universities have e-learning institutes or divisions who actually help with the development of innovative e-learning approaches (an interesting article is McGee et al. 2011 in Medical Teacher;33:279-285). The authors describe keys to success for the development and sustainability of medical education technology. Interestingly they do not refer to the ADDIE model, they discuss the same steps in the process of development however. A somewhat sobering article was that of Triola et al. 2012; also in Medical Teacher;34:e15-e20 where they report on two symposia on e-learning and look at the evidence that it actually works. Despite advantages, there is no evidence that CIA interventions are better than traditional teaching methods in terms of learning achieved! I think Geoff Petty is correct in his view that it is not what the technology does that makes it effective, but what the student does. That is why the ADDIE model again is very useful as it concentrates not just on the technology but on the educational principles. Either way, still much to do before Monday, so I'll say goodnight for now. Be blessed. L

Home visit

Hi, busy with DCH exams in Kimberley so not much further than last week! Worth it though as I'm staying with my family and have not seen them for awhile. It was interesting to view (and click on)the list of most popular tools. For someone who is not an IT natural, it was like reading a foreign language although some words at least look familiar!:) so there is still hope. I've decided to keep it simple and rather develop something that I understand; so I am afraid no fancy or new words for this assignment! Hopefully that will come eventually as blended learning will become an increasingly popular teaching strategy. Have a wonderful week. L

Inspiration

It was really good to read and learn from my fellow students as I am SO unsure as to what to develop for my e-learning activity. Maybe I am overcomplicating it by thinking too much about the platform rather than the content/learning outcomes. All of the possibilities mentioned by Taka, Dianne and Rhoda sounds promising. They actually use videos of activities for both instruction and students demonstrating skills regularly in the UK specialist training programs. Aspiring specialists must for instance record patient encounters to demonstrate competencies, so Diane, your idea could work for both instruction and evaluation. It may also be useful for the students themselves to look at their performance and learn from that. We have started a GG chat room on whatsapp this week (the ward where I work), and doctors and consultants use it to post information/Xrays/skin rashes etc, but also to ask for advice from the group. It has been working quite well as you could advise via whatsapp, and share interesting resources as well. So this could work if structured a bit more formal. I'm thinking more of a flipped class room approach. We spend in our clinical rotations too much time sharing information instead of helping students with the integration of knowledge. Still undecided though and the reading continues... Please keep posting, I'm learning. Have a wonderful rest of the week. L

Looking back

Hi, Looking back, I sounded quite positive about the new learning experience/journey ahead. Currently I need a good night's sleep to gather energy for this last leg of the journey as my energy bars seem to be all eaten! Added to that is that my internet access at work and at home has been only working on and off the last couple of months and they can't seem to fix it. E-learning has thus become very much dependent on having any access at all. This last leg of the journey has thus had a slow start, but thank you so much for whoever thought about iPads! As I get into the rhythm of the module, I'm sure I'll warm up and enjoy the view. Off to the gym now- maybe blood to the brain will help. Take care fellow pilgrims. L

startof a journey

I love hiking, as long as it includes going up a mountain! There must be a summit or new view/vision at the end of my journey- walking just for the sake of walking is not for me. Usually though before I start a hiking trip, I have my trusted boots, walking pole and water bottle in hand. I'm not someone for gadgets, the true and trusted hiking companions that served me for the past years, will serve me again. With me embarking on the MPhil, and specifically the e-learning module, I am looking forward to gaining new heights (although the mountain summit looks far far away). I do realise that I will definitely have to update my tools for the journey...flipped classroom, mobile learning and blogging will become part of my daily activities. My students often struggle to get through the vast majority of content, and critical thinking or application is not seen as the ultimate objective, but to pass. Unfortunately our students can pass quite comfortably with only a knowledge base and very little application. I therefore like the flipped classroom idea, where both students and I will have an understanding whether the topic has been mastered. Be part of my journey as I start the hike to e-learning savvy. Happy walking. Liezl