I am a consultant at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Stellenbosch University in the Western Cape with a special interest in Maternal-Fetal Medicine. I am also very enthusiastic about medical education. While quite involved in postgraduate activities, undergraduate teaching is something special. I enrolled in a MPhil course in Health Science Education last year, primarily because of questions I had about the validity and reliabilty of our methods of assessment, specifically our ability to correctly place the borderline student. However, continuous exposure to educational matters as we progressed from module to module were sufficient to convince me of various shortcomings as a lecturer, but also to enable me to at least attempt to address these. I will regularly attend to issues which I am unsure about and also often call for help when I am uncertain. Please join in.
Wilhelm
Wilhelm - thank you for sharing your journey so far as educator. Your insights gained as a seasoned and highy respected medical educator will be of great value to all of us.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to your project.
Wilhelm - your second post seems to contain errors (programmatic ones). This comment should therefore be read together with your second post:
ReplyDeleteWilhelm, thanks for the very thourough description of the background educational context for your project. It really sets the scene for the course you are planning. A few remarks:
1. ADDIE: YOu are already starting with some design thoughts and your analysis is also well under way. The fact that you know your intended audience well from personal experience, as well as from the quiz that many underperformed in, makes your life easier with regards to writing learning outcomes/objectives for your intervention/course/e-tivity.This should probably be part of your next steps as learning objectives will determine your choice of tools for the e-Learning.
2. You mention that Webstudies or a CD Rom will be the possible method of delivery. I guess one has to look at the outcomes you envisage. If it is the communication of content and lots of resources, then a CD Rom is definitely the way to go (maybe using software like VTS - Virtual Training Studio - as demonstrated by Debbi). If there is going to be any kind of interactivity between you/ colleagues and the registrars, or maybe even between the registrars themselves, then one would need a Virtual Learning environment (VLE) in which to facilitate the discussion. Also the issue of formative assessment (so crucial in self-paced learning) and then of course summative assessment, should not be left out. Also with Webstudies, the model is probably not to bind yourself inextricably to the VLE but rather to think of creating free-standing learning objects that can be used in any web-environment, be it on a website, on a CD Rom, or Webstudies. Maybe design the course in PowerPoint (with sound etc) and then use a free PowerPoint to Flash converter program like iSpring to package your learning objects for the web - incorporating narration, videos, diagrams and (of course) excellent content. The quizes etc can be handled through Webstudies.
3. The issue is real, the registrars need help, and the impact on the Student Interns is great. It seems like this type of project is long overdue, and one that will really make a difference.
4. Maybe also talk to Steve Walsh who is building a virtual space for registrars working in Tygerberg hospital. You might be able to deliver/ produce your material and process on his specially designed hospital virtual world.
Remember to continue reflecting on the whole process of building something (the highs and lows).
Looking forward to the project description (maybe a storyboard?), the outcomes, and what ICT tools you will use to reach your stated outcomes.
Hi JP. Thanks for the comments on my posting. I have also been able to read a bit more since yesterday and can clearly see the need for formalising the outcomes. My major concern in this regard will be the acceptance of such a proposal to other members of the department and the registrars themselves. Perhaps not as much the proposal as such, but the extent thereof. It will “compete” with other activities in the new registrars academic life – learning to do ultrasound (already an existing mini-course), learning to run labour ward, preparing for the part 1 examination of the College etc. A “small new something” will be more acceptable than a “big new something”. I will have to take these factors into account when planning the outcomes, which will by necessity mostly be at the “show how” and “does” level of Miller’s pyramid.
ReplyDeleteI am very glad to follow your advice and first attend to the outcomes. It should then be easier to approach the choice of tools. In the mean time, I will also think about the variois options which you mention.
I have had some “in-the-passage” talks with Steve Walsh, but will make a point to formally contact him when I am back at Tygerberg. I guess the content on the virtual space will be available to all registrars, irrespective of department.
I’m thinking (along the ADDIE line).
Regards.
Wilhelm .