As curricular change abounds in higher education, learn about the exciting journey UNMC has undertaken to transform curriculum into interactive e-learning modules. See how over three years the faculty and students are applying for competitive funding awards to transform content into interactive e-learning. See and learn how attitude, structure and process have been instrumental in the diffusion of innovation in a campus wide effort which incents the creation of online content.
As curricular change abounds in higher education, learn about the exciting journey UNMC has undertaken to transform curricular content into interactive e-learning modules. See how over three years faculty and students are applying for competitive funding awards to develop and build online e-learning modules for health science education. Learn how attitude, structure and process have been instrumental in the diffusion of innovation in a campus wide effort which incentivizes the creation of online content.
OLC Learning Outcomes:
- Discuss the development of the interactive e-learning program
- Award funding, infrastructure, and recognition
- Examine faculty and student buy-in and participation
- Illustrate student impact and assessment
- Summarize lessons learned
UNMC will share the compelling results of this three year journey regarding faculty buy-in and participation, student impact and assessment, and lessons learned in the campus wide initiative to increase interactive e-learning and student engagement. This session will take a deeper dive to see how students are partnering with faculty mentors and accelerating curricular innovation. Student developers are enhancing their CVs and faculty are leveraging student creativity and time for development of e-learning modules.
The higher education landscape has changed significantly in the last 10 years, educators have seen a major shift in how the current generation of digitally native students gain access to, and assimilate information. With anytime, anywhere access to the internet, students can find information at their fingertips more rapidly than ever. The current technology-centric health care system requires health science educators to utilize innovative techniques and tools to prepare and educate this new generation of students for careers in health care.
The UNMC Blended and Interactive E-Learning (E-Learning Program) Strategic Initiative began in 2013, and in three years has become a model for robust and innovative 21st century teaching and learning in health science education. The results of this E-Learning Program have exceeded expectations with the development of over 200 E-modules and courses created by 181 E-learning innovators and implemented with 2,240 UNMC learners. An E-Learning module is typically a 10-15 minute self-contained module focusing on a specific learning concept and incorporates a blend of teaching and assessment tools that may include video, direct instruction, gaming elements, or interactive components.
Beginning in 2013, the ground work was laid for the E-Learning Program through the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs establishing a campus E-Learning Steering Committee for stakeholder buy-in. Critical infrastructure, support systems, and funding awards were created to develop the program model and build momentum for creation of the on-demand online educational materials using Everett Roger’s diffusion of innovation approach. In addition, an External Advisory Board of three national experts was established.
Three cohorts of faculty and two cohorts of student innovators have been funded via ~ $200,000 in grants awarded through the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs to create the E-Learning modules and courses for use in blended learning classrooms. A well-equipped E-Learning laboratory has been established to assist learners, with support from a new centrally supported Instructional Designer and other Instructional designers embedded into colleges along with dedicated E-Learning graduate students. From each cohort of E-learning awardees, we have been able to learn, refine and improve our processes.
Three E-Learning Showcases have featured the five cohorts of faculty and student innovators who demonstrated their completed E-Learning projects to campus audiences.
In summary, the UNMC E-Learning Program has fundamentally secured valuable teacher-student interactions, widened possibilities for peer-to-peer learning, and maximized flexibility in student-centered interactions with learning content.
References:
Daschle, T.A. (2015) Academic medicine in a transformational time. Acad Med. 90(1), 11-13.
Dale E. Audio-visual methods in teaching. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, Inc; 1969.
Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). New York, NY: The Free Press.
Kezar, A. (2014). How colleges change: Understanding, leading, and enacting change. New York, NY: Routledge.
Prober, C. G., & Khan, S. (2013). Medical education reimagined: A call to action. Academic Medicine, 88(10), 1407-1410.
Prober, C. G., Heath, C. (2012). Lecture halls without lectures—a proposal for medical education. New England Journal of Medicine, 366(18), 1657-1659.