Enhancing Social Presence while Balancing Teacher and Student Wellbeing

[Extract] The outbreak of COVID-19 in March 2020 caused global disruption on an unprecedented scale, impacting every aspect of life including higher education. Within three weeks of the World Health Organisation declaring COVID-19 a pandemic, UNESCO reported that on-campus teaching at schools and universities had completely stopped in 185 countries, impacting the learning of 1.5 billion learners globally (Marinoni et al., 2020). University teachers, regardless of interest, preparation, experience or attitude towards online learning, were ill-equipped and placed in a stressful position, where they had no option but to rapidly upskill and digitally transform their teaching within a period of days or, at most, a couple of weeks to ensure the continuity of student learning (Borowiec et al., 2021; Colclasure et al., 2021; Cutri et al., 2020). This stress was further compounded for some teachers who experienced technology, health, and family issues (Adedoyin & Soykan, 2020; Cutri et al., 2020; Ensmann et al., 2021). ... From this disruptive time in higher education, and from the social presence strategies that were deployed during this time, there are many lessons that can be learned. This study sought to investigate how computer science, information systems and information technology teachers at Australian universities can effectively develop sustainable and scalable social presence in online environments. It is anticipated that these strategies are directly applicable to the “new” higher education environment that is emerging in a post-pandemic era. The research questions guiding this study are: 1. How do Australian university information technology educators conceptualise social presence? 2. What strategies do Australian university information technology educators use to establish and maintain social presence in their online classes? 3. What barriers and challenges do Australian university teachers face in developing social presence in online learning environments? We commence this investigation by examining the relevant literature and theoretical frameworks underpinning this study, before discussing the methodology used for this research. Next, we discuss the findings and implications for practice. We conclude with a brief discussion of areas where further research is require

Innovative solutions using online interactive, adaptive technologies to promote well-being and resilience in healthcare educators and students amidst the chaos caused by COVID-19

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting health care institutions and is disrupting the training of future healthcare providers at a time when it is more important than ever to ensure that the educators and students have access to high-quality educational materials and technologies to ensure trainee preparedness for clinical and global health challenges. During this disruption, healthcare teachers are feeling a profound professional loss and burnout due to the challenges of losing their familiar means of teaching and adapting to totally online course delivery. Teachers also struggle to motivate their students through two layers of computer screens. To meet this challenge, online tools have become a viable option with the recent development of information technology. Online learning or E-learning can be used to enhance a classroom course, or as a stand-alone course. These online tools include online labs, videos, high resolution images (X-ray, CT-scan, histology), cadaver labs and adaptive, interactive technology such as practice exams, virtual patients, and learning games. At its core, such systems are intended to identify what a student does and doesn’t understand, identify and provide content that will help the student learn, assess again, help again, etc., until some defined learning goal is achieved. One of its greatest potentials is to target instruction at just above the student’s ability level (to challenge but not discourage the student) and at the student’s specific content needs. Objective: The increasing number of online teaching tools and fast pace of new technology becomes an over-whelming learning curve for the healthcare teacher who must quickly adapt to online teaching. This paper will describe how this author used interactive online resources to deliver an online course in anatomy and physiology, including self-directed modules and learning activities that could be converted to virtual interactions. It will showcase the technology that is available and how to incorporate it into existing courses to utilize what research has shown increases student acceptance and learning outcomes. Methods: A literature review was conducted on the reported research of utilizing on-line, interactive, adaptive technology in healthcare education. In addition, e-learning tools were incorporated into medical education courses taught by the author in online courses. Results: The assessment of suitability revealed that interactive online tools, online cadaver lab and subject-specific assignments for teaching medicine were predominantly viewed as constructive teaching tools. A strong causative factor in improved learning was the interactive, adaptive portions of the e-learning tools. Conclusion: The understanding, study, and use of e-learning educational tools, their place in the hype cycle, and their application in the education of healthcare providers are increasingly important. There is no single solution in moving forward with innovative teaching and learning techniques. Technology changes and advances, learners come in all types and learning styles as do faculty, and time and money are almost always at odds with the day to day operations. However, taking a step and trying out even one new technique, technology, or training experience can create a huge step in a new direction to improving healthcare education even more dramatically over the next decade and assist the stressed out healthcare teacher with delivering effective teaching outcomes and motivating her students in an online teaching situation

Innovative solutions using online interactive, adaptive technologies to promote well-being and resilience in healthcare providers and students amidst the chaos caused by COVID-19

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting health care institutions and is disrupting the training of future healthcare providers at a time when it is more important than ever to ensure that the educators and students have access to high-quality educational materials and technologies to ensure trainee preparedness for clinical and global health challenges. During this disruption, healthcare teachers are feeling a profound professional loss and burnout due to the challenges of losing their familiar means of teaching and adapting to totally online course delivery. Teachers also struggle to motivate their students through two layers of computer screens. To meet this challenge, online tools have become a viable option with the recent development of information technology. Online learning or E-learning can be used to enhance a classroom course, or as a stand-alone course. These online tools include online labs, videos, high resolution images (X-ray, CT-scan, histology), cadaver labs and adaptive, interactive technology such as practice exams, virtual patients, and learning games. At its core, such systems are intended to identify what a student does and doesn’t understand, identify and provide content that will help the student learn, assess again, help again, etc., until some defined learning goal is achieved. One of its greatest potentials is to target instruction at just above the student’s ability level (to challenge but not discourage the student) and at the student’s specific content needs. Objective: The increasing number of online teaching tools and fast pace of new technology becomes an over-whelming learning curve for the healthcare teacher who must quickly adapt to online teaching. This paper will describe how this author used interactive online resources to deliver an online course in anatomy and physiology, including self-directed modules and learning activities that could be converted to virtual interactions. It will showcase the technology that is available and how to incorporate it into existing courses to utilize what research has shown increases student acceptance and learning outcomes. Methods: A literature review was conducted on the reported research of utilizing on-line, interactive, adaptive technology in healthcare education. In addition, e-learning tools were incorporated into medical education courses taught by the author in online courses. Results: The assessment of suitability revealed that interactive online tools, online cadaver lab and subject-specific assignments for teaching medicine were predominantly viewed as constructive teaching tools. A strong causative factor in improved learning was the interactive, adaptive portions of the e-learning tools. Conclusion: The understanding, study, and use of e-learning educational tools, their place in the hype cycle, and their application in the education of healthcare providers are increasingly important. There is no single solution in moving forward with innovative teaching and learning techniques. Technology changes and advances, learners come in all types and learning styles as do faculty, and time and money are almost always at odds with the day to day operations. However, taking a step and trying out even one new technique, technology, or training experience can create a huge step in a new direction to improving healthcare education even more dramatically over the next decade and assist the stressed out healthcare teacher with delivering effective teaching outcomes and motivating her students in an online teaching situation

The Digital Scholar Revisited

The book The Digital Scholar was published in 2011, and used Boyer’s framework of scholarship to examine the possible impact of digital, networked technology on scholarly practice. In 2011 the general attitude towards digital scholarship was cautious, although areas of innovative practice were emerging. Using this book as a basis, the author considers changes in digital scholarship since its publication. Five key themes are identified: mainstreaming of digital scholarship, so that it is a widely accepted and encouraged practice; the shift to open, with the emphasis on the benefits that open practice brings rather than the digital or networked aspects; policy implementation, particularly in areas of educational technology platforms, open access policies and open educational resources; network identity, emphasising the development of academic identity through social media and other tools; criticality of digital scholarship, which examines the negative issues associated with online abuse, privacy and data usage. Each of these themes is explored, and their impact in terms of Boyer’s original framing of scholarly activity considered. Boyer’s four scholarly activities of discovery, integration, application and teaching can be viewed from the perspective of these five themes. In conclusion what has been realised does not constitute a revolution in academic practice, but rather a gradual acceptance and utilisation of digital scholarship techniques, practices and values. It is simultaneously true that both radical change has taken place, and nothing has fundamentally altered. Much of the increased adoption in academia mirrors the wider penetration of social media tools amongst society in general, so academics are more likely to have an identity in such places that mixes professional and personal

Hire Education: Mastery, Modularization and the Workforce Revolution

This new research identifies online competency-based learning as the solution to shifting demands for specialized workforce skills and the front runner for disrupting higher education

Just in Time: The Beyond-the-Hype Potential of E-Learning

Based on a year of conversations with more than 100 leading thinkers, practitioners, and entrepreneurs, this report explores the state of e-learning and the potential it offers across all sectors of our economy -- far beyond the confines of formal education. Whether you're a leader, worker in the trenches, or just a curious learner, imagine being able to access exactly what you need, when you need it, in a format that's quick and easy to digest and apply. Much of this is now possible and within the next decade, just-in-time learning will likely become pervasive.This report aims to inspire you to consider how e-learning could change the way you, your staff, and the people you serve transfer knowledge and adapt over time