eLearning Events & Resources

See attached comments for information on upcoming conferences and other events, as well as resources for those wanting to learn more about eLearning.

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Internationalisation of education/cross institutional/cross national initiatives - Processes & Tools theme

The internationalisation of OT education will be discussed in the morning session at the WFOT Education Day.

For all sorts of reasons most OT education programs are delivered within their country of origin. Surely with globalisation this cannot continue where the traditional borders of nations are becoming increasingly irrelevant for all manner of things, including for health and health service delivery.

Discussion questions

1. What does globalisation mean for OT education and what are the implications?
2. How can we reduce some of the inequities in global education by using e-technologies?
3. What happens with the traditional "hands-on" approaches for learning the competencies required for OT practice?
4. What are some of the issues around quality assurance for education programs that go "off-shore"?

Everyone must have a view about this huge topic. Please give us your ideas about some of these issues now or bring them along to Education Day. Or if you can't manage either then remember this site will be here after the Congress for you to continue communicating on this issue...international conversations without borders.

Technology for fieldwork - Processes & Tools theme

Fieldwork education - that part of our education programs that students love and that give many an academic sleepless nights. How might we use e-technologies to support students and their clinical supervisors and at the same time ease some of the fieldwork related stressors experienced by academics?

Discussion questions

1. What is needed for academics, clinical supervisors and students to be able to use e-learning in fieldwork education?
2. Envisage ways where virtual fieldwork might replace the "real thing".
3. How could a relatively simple piece of technology, a digital camera, be used to enhance fieldwork education?
4. Web-based technologies are being used for all manner of things, including to create portfolios. How could we use these technologies for student learning and assessment when they are participating in a fieldwork practicum?

We all love talking about the difficulties associated with fieldwork education. Surely e-technologies must be able to help academics, clinical supervisors and students to overcome some of the issues associated with learning, socialisation, support and assessment. Let's state with us - how can e-technologies support the fieldwork-related responsibilities of academics?

Technology for learning and sharing - Processes & Tools theme

Imagine this - the head of your programme, or the Dean of your health group, or another of the 'higher-up' managers comes to one of your meetings and announces that the university/polytechnic/college/(insert your place of employment) intends to increase the number of programmes/courses/units offered in flexible/blended/distance-based (insert the correct word) ways. And that this will happen in the next year/6 months/3 months! Or has this happened already for you and your colleagues? What did you do? What did you use?

This group will focus on processes and tools - questions can be asked and experiences shared.
Focus questions include:

1. How is learning facilitated through the use of technology?
2. Is learning more effective when supported by a range of technologies as compared with face to face learning?
3. What learning experiences can only occur through face to face - or can all learning occur in the 'virtual environment'?
4. What tools are available to support learning?
5. What skills do these tools require of the user (both learner and educator)?
6. What processes can be used to introduce technology into the learning experience?

Click on comments to add your questions or thoughts before we all come together at the educator's day.....

Technology for practice - Processes & Tools theme

Clinical information systems, the Internet, ehealth, electronic health records, telehealth and personal digital assistants. With continued advances in information systems and ehealth technologies, the health sector is on the threshold of substantial changes. These technologies and others will inevitably become common-place in health and will change the way health care is delivered. These technologies will change the practice of occupational therapy and will alter the nature and practice of therapeutic relationships, presenting new challenges for the profession. To prepare for these changes, OTs need to be able to utilise existing and emerging ICTs. They also need to be aware of, and involved in, current developments and initiatives in ehealth and understand the impact and potential of new technologies on the practice of occupational therapy and what this means for their clients as well as their profession.

As an educator, how do you keep up-to-date with the developments in ehealth? How do you keep on top of the technologies being used in practice? And, how do you integrate ehealth issues and the technologies being used in practice into OT course content and your teaching practices?

Participants in the WFOT Education Day are encouraged to submit prior to the education day, examples of their experiences with these issues. Using interactive discussion and debate participants will be encouraged to share their own knowledge and ideas through this site and at the Education Day.

Research in ICT & ICT in research - Processes & Tools theme

Research and technology have a dialectic relationship. Technology can be an aid to research, or research can inform us about technology. Both of these aspects, and their relationships to one another, are important to occupational therapy and occupational therapy education. The following questions are offered as a stimulus to discussion of this topic.

Queries:

1. Advances in technology are making an impact on politics, society and health. How do these issues influence occupational therapy around the globe?

2. Accumulating evidence for practice depends on research. How can technology contribute to effective data collection, and/or new approaches to data collection?

3. As societies incorporate new technologies into their cultures, they become a part of the life style of the clients we serve. Consequently, the use of such tools must be incorporated into occupational therapy curricula so they can become a part of the therapeutic process. How can occupational technology be made a part of occupational therapy education, considering the differences in societies around the world?

Disability - Inclusion theme

The theme of Inclusion will be introduced by our Canadian colleagues who will present some information about a project they are undertaking for the WFOT on the nature of inclusive OT education. They will describe how they plan to collect data from WFOT affiliated OT programs concerning inclusivity policies, procedures and strategies.

It is anticipated that the results of this study will help inform the development of a WFOT position statement on inclusive occupational therapy education in support of the United Nations Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for People with Disabilities.

Issues for discussion on the topic of inclusion for OT students with disabilities include:

1. What are you program policies/procedures related to inclusive education? How do they compare to the students' lived experiences?
2. What are the barriers and facilitators to participation in higher education for students with disabilities?
3. What are our responsibilities in promoting a global approach to inclusive education?
   
   Start to share your experiences here about disability and inclusion in education and what contribution new technologies can make to this endeavour. We will pursue the topic at Education Day.
   

Professional development of educators (the academy)- Inclusion theme

This topic will be discussed in the afternoon session at the Education Day.

How can we, the academy keep our e-learning knowledge and skills up to date? We are constantly reminded, even prodded into "moving with the times". How can we use the new technologies to support our learning and develop our competence in e-learning?

Discussion on this topic will include:

1. Why is e-learning is so difficult to implement?
2. How can we "eradicate" these barriers or difficulties?
3. What are some practical strategies that educators can use to develop their competencies in the applications of e-technologies for learning?

Put your thinking cap on and start discussing the huge issues that confront many of us about how we can become competent users of e-technologies ... and try to stay ahead of our students!

Economics of e-learning and opensource approaches- Inclusion theme

The current debate in some educational circles is whether to use opensource or freeware options versus the used of proprietary licensed learning management systems. Proprietary learning management systems are usually 'closed' to only those who are enrolled in the programmes. Opensource or freeware are often 'open' to the world for all to see. Once students graduate from a programme using proprietary systems, the content is not able to be accessed - whereas use of opensource can still be available... There are many pros and cons but in terms of inclusion...

1. What are the proprietary licensed learning management systems currently available? What do they offer for the student and educator?

2. What opensource/freeware systems are available? What do they offer for the student and educator? Where can you find these?

3. Do educational institutions who can afford the proprietary licensed learning management systems (eg Blackboard or WebCT) have an advantage over those who can't afford the license fees and opt for opensource/freeware?

4. Blackboard and WebCT provide learning packages - does the use of these 'westernise' occupational therapy practices internationally?

5. What are the issues educators face and need to plan for, if they use opensource/freeware versus the licensed systems?

And there are probably many more questions than answers. Why not add your thoughts now, and this discussion can continue when we come together at the WFOT Congress Educators Day!

Diverse needs of learners/ mobile learning - Inclusion theme

The diverse needs of learners and mobile learning will be a topic for discussion in the afternoon session at the WFOT Education Day.

Effective learning is generally conceived as a social activity. Furthermore much of OT education involves students in direct face-to-face contact where they are imbued with the socialisation values and skills that goes with becoming a professional. How will these socialisation processes be affected by the the increasing use of e-technologies in their learning - as students and later on as professionals?

Discussion questions.

1. Are there any socialisation implications for the academy and/ or the students engaged in cyber-learning?
2. How does the important process of professional socialisation happen in cyberspace?
3. What e-strategies can promote effective professional socialisation?

What other issues relate to this topic on the diverse needs of learners involved with mobile learning modalities?

Let us know by placing them on this blog site prior to the WFOT Education Day.

Digital immigrants/ digital natives - Inclusion theme

The terms 'digital immigrant' and 'digital native' were penned in 2001 by educator Marc Prensky to describe the generation gap separating today's students (the 'digital natives') from their teachers (the 'digital immigrants'). According to Prensky, the former are surrounded by digital media to such an extent that their very brain structures may be different from those of previous generations and he states that digital immigrants need to radically change the way they teach to accommodate new styles of learning. Even if you don't agree with Prensky's conclusions, the analogy is a useful one to help us understand and articulate the differences between those who are comfortable with technology and those who are not. OTs have a long history of incorporating tools and technology in our work - but many of us identify with being digital immigrants and find it challenging to bridge the cultural and linguistic divide separating teachers from their students. The issues that have created this digital divide include: the rapid dissemination of digital technology; a demographically ageing workforce; differences in ICT skills, knowledge, experience, attitudes, values and expectations; and, reconciling traditional teaching methods with the immediacy with which digital natives expect to receive information, from a variety of digital media.

What is your experience of these issues? How have you and your School / OT Program attempted to bridge this digital divide? What is needed in the professional development of educators? How do we ensure that digital natives are also critical thinkers, have research skills and an ability to connect to people?

Participants in the WFOT Education Day are encouraged to start their discussions on these questions prior to the education day. Share your ideas and experiences here. The Education Day on 24th July will encourage interactive discussion and debate. Participants are invited to share their knowledge and ideas through this site and at the Education Day.

Using blogs for student portfolios

I was reading about an assignment where first year university students were required to establish their own blog and had to add specific types of content(eg photographs, text) at specified times. This was supervised somehow by the class tutor. The outcome aimed for was that students were able to use this technology and to have developed their skills and approach for independent learning. All sounds fantastic. Has anyone used blogging as part of a formal assignment for OT students?