E-learning in the Discipline of Radiation Therapy: Bridging the gap between theory and practice

Michelle Leech and Anita O’DonovanBlackboard Conference 2014

May 2nd 2014

Overview

• Completion of DCAD module• Upgrade of VLE to Blackboard Learn• Use of web 2.0 tools in UG and PG modules• Michelle: Integrating theory and practice• Anita: Building collaborative learning potential

Aim of this workshop

• Provide an overview of the use of web 2.0 tools in Discipline of RT

• Allow you the opportunity to discuss how our template may be adapted to your courses

Aim of Workshop:

• Pedagogy• Necessary preparatory work• Workload• Blackboard issues• Student engagement• Evaluation

Content:

Educational Shift

• Paradigm shifts in education (Brown, 2005)– Reproductive Learning versus Productive Learning– Behaviourism vs. constructivism– Tutor-centred vs. learner-centred– Teaching vs. learning facilitation– Content based vs. outcomes based– Content-based evaluation vs. outcomes-based

assessment– Role of lecturer: ‘guide on the side’: Focus is on

learners

Module: RT3016 Radiotherapy Treatment Planning

• The aim of this module is:– to equip students with the skills required to

create and evaluate treatment plans. – Treatment planning is an integral part of the

radiotherapy pathway where all diagnostic patient information is utilised to prepare the optimal treatment plan for the patient

Pre-treatment imaging and planning

Learning Outcomes of the module

• On completion of this module, the student will be able to:– Evaluate treatment plans in terms of clinical

outcome– Appraise the factors which may impact on a

treatment plan– Discuss possible methods of plan improvement

and their clinical relevance

Problem: Gap in Michaelmas term

• Module commences in Michaelmas term for five weeks.

• The students then have clinical placement and do not return to the University until the start of Hilary term (January).

Why an online approach?

• Students are placed in clinical departments around the country

• As Radiation Therapists, the ability to work in teams is paramount to the successful delivery of a course of radiation therapy

• Online learning would allow the students to work both alone and in teams, from various locations

Underpinning Pedagogy

• Social Constructivist approach (Brown 2005). Collaborative construction of knowledge and active learning.

• Developing a community of learning. (Moule, 2007)

Creating an Online Learning Community

Learning Community

GroupworkSocialising

Sharing

CollaborationCommunication

Cooperation

Blogs

• Blogs (Anderson, 2007)• Posts arranged in chronological order: Brief

paragraph, posts, comments, links and tags.• Posting and commenting process leads to

interactive discussions

Why use a blog?

• ‘Many great tools exist but are not always necessary’ (Everson, 2009)

Purpose of the blog:• To assist in meeting the learning outcomes of the module by:

– Encouraging students to critically analyse the treatment plans they were observing on clinical practice in light of published evidence

– Discussing optimal treatment techniques for various cancer sites

• To form a repository of information that could be used across modules (Tags)

Pedagogy of blogs

• Blogs shown to develop critical thinking skills as well as developing research and organisational skills (Richardson, 2010)

• Students want the opportunity to share their ideas and experiences with their peers-not possible when on placement in various sites around the country (Prensky, 2007)

Successful teaching with blogs

• The online teacher must be proficient in 4 areas (Berge, 1996):– Pedagogical: Subject matter expert– Social: Provide ‘spark and pacing’ for interaction

and enabling learning to occur – Managerial: Clarification of content and activities– Technical: Providing support and resources.

Pedagogical

• Pedagogical: – Active construction of knowledge (Subject expert)– Direct and motivate learners– Provide effective feedback– Excellent communication and problem-solving

skills

Social

• Social:– Online presence as a facilitator– Maintain student enthusiasm– Have own positive attitude and show commitment

to the blog– Inspire learning

Managerial

• Managerial:– Managing both the learners and the online

process– Time management– Problem-solving– Conflict management– Managing discussions

Technical

• Technical:– Competency in navigating around Blackboard

Learn

Blog Moderation

• Clear goals and objectives• Linking of blogs to learning outcomes• Ground rules for appropriate use• Clearly define your role and student role• Clear Assessment

Wiki Overview

• Concept: Everyone working together is smarter than any one person working alone.

• Each entry is seen as the group’s best effort, not any one persons.

• Students have editorial control, responsibility and ownership of the wiki page.

Why use a wiki?

• To assist in meeting the learning outcomes of the module by:– Creating an evidence-base for treatment planning

practice in a particular cancer site– Repository of information across the main cancer

sites– Useful in appraising treatment plans in clinical

practice and in class

Teaching students about wikis

• Teach students how to use the wiki tool in Blackboard Learn (Edit and save, creating links to new pages)

• Start off the wiki, or give them an example of how to start

• Provide detailed guidelines on the rationale behind the wiki and what is expected of the students

• Track contributions

Wikis versus blogs

Wikis• Collaborative authoring• Information organised

according to topic• Readers can edit the

material directly• Encourage sharing of

knowledge

Blogs• Single author• Information is given in

reverse chronological order• Reader can only comment ,

blog post belongs to the original author

• Encourage sharing of opinion (*and knowledge)

Parker and Chao, 2007

Development of the blogs and wikis

• Own familiarity with the functionality of blogs and wikis on Blackboard Learn

• Development of student guidelines and rubrics for the blog and wikis

• Introducing students to blogs and wikis: digital literacy and netiquette

• Trialing the functionality in class with the students before the start of their use

How the blogs and wikis were linked

• Initial posting on the blog asked the students to give their peers an overview of the unit where they were spending their clinical placement and what were the main cancer sites for treatment on that unit

• Stratified into groups for the wiki component:– Breast RT wiki, CNS RT wiki, Prostate RT wiki, Lung

RT wiki and Gynaecological RT wiki

Guidelines and rubrics

• Included detailed rubrics and guidelines in the student overview so no ambiguity in what the student had to do to achieve a certain grade

• Group mark for the wiki• Reflective component on working in teams

and working on the wiki**Rubrics and guidelines available during

workshop

Pros of these e-learning methods

• Student engagement in blogging was beyond expectation

• Level of critique, evaluation and shared learning between students on blogs was beneficial

• Wikis provided each class with repositories of learning

Cons of these e-learning methods

• Wiki functionality in Blackboard Learn was problematic

• Students really used to group work in a different way

• Do not underestimate how digitally illiterate some students are!!

• Workload of teaching online is significantly higher than using traditional lecture-based strategies

Evidence-based Practice Project

Anita O’Donovan Blackboard Conference 2014

May 2nd 2014

Context

• Four year BSc programme in Radiation Therapy• Clinical practice nationwide• Aim to produce autonomous professionals, with the

ability to critique practice and compare it to the evidence a key learning objective

• Objectivity in relation to the assessment of groupwork

• Peer learning

Evidence Based Practice Learning Outcomes

• Evaluate all aspects of clinical practice and the literature, with regard to a specific tumour site

• Construct arguments and defend views on a number of topics related to the management of patients with this type of cancer

• Apply research methods to the analysis and evaluation of professional practice

Structure: Salmon’s Model

Salmon's Online Learning Model (Salmon, 2000)

Journal Club

Face-to-face session

Peer Tutoring

Debates

Group project

Block 1: Journal club (10%)

• Critique of given paper on topic• Post one contribution (500 words max)• Respond to one other person's contribution• Number and quality of contributions will be

taken into account• Rubric

Block 2: Peer Tutoring (10%)

• Structured around teaching peers a specific component of the course content

• 1,000 word synopsis• Collectively, as a group, pose questions to the other group

postings, and answer any questions asked of your group• Repost their synopsis, incorporating responses and reflections

on the questions and discussions that took place during the peer tutoring phase

Block 3: Debates (10%)

• Debate topic – area of clinical controversy • For or against the motion• Two weeks preparation time followed by four weeks

of debate, on this discussion forum • Quality of the contributions • Guest moderator (weaving)

Block 4: Group Project (60%)

• Use discussion board to outline how the work of the group is distributed

• Evidence of individual contribution• Marked as follows:

– Contribution to group project, evidenced by contribution to online forum: 25%

– Group presentation at the end of Hilary term: 35%

Reflective Diary (10%)

• Students keep a reflective diary on the Blackboard VLE, detailing their learning experience.

• This will be a private journal, whereby only the student themselves and module co-ordinators are allowed access to each student’s diary

• Three individual entries• 1,000 words in total

Assessment

• Journal club (10%)• Peer tutoring (10%)• Debates (10%)• Group project (60%)• Reflective diary (10%)• Rubrics for each (see BB)

Elearning Types

The Wolf:Visits once a week, lots of activity then disappears again until next week, or even the week after

The Elephant:Steady- visits most days for a short time

The Magpie:Steals ideas without acknowledging

Elearning Types

The Dolphin:Intelligent, good communicator and playful online

Rabbit: Lives online, prolific message writer, responds very rapidly

The Stag:Tendency to dominate discussion at certain times

Benefits

• “Pockets of excellence exist in our health care systems, but knowledge of these better ideas and practices often remains isolated and unknown to others”(IHI: A Framework for Spread, 2006)

• Peer learning• Graduate attributes

– Enhanced critical analysis skills– Question each other in a professional manner– Interpersonal skills

Student Evaluation (COLLES)Domain Assessment

Relevance How relevant is the EBP module to students'

professional practice?

Reflection Does engagement in the EBP learning resources

stimulate students' critical reflective thinking?

Interactivity To what extent do students engage with each other

online in professional discourse?

Cognitive (Tutor)Support How well do tutors facilitate and support students’

online learning?

Affective (Peer) Support How well do peers facilitate and support students’

online learning?

Interpretation Do students and tutors communicate effectively in

the online environment?

Student Evaluation (COLLES)

Relevance Reflection Interactivity Cognitive Affective Interpretation0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

Student's Perception of Online Learning Environment

Mean Rating

Mea

n Sc

ore

Taylor, P. a. M., D. . (2000). Assessing the efficacy of online teaching with the Constructivist On-Line Learning Environment Survey. Paper presented at the Flexible Futures in Tertiary Teaching. 9th Annual Teaching and Learning Forum, Perth: Curtin University

Student Evaluation“The variety of assignment styles was generally a great method of encouraging critical thinking and allowing students with different learning styles to work in a way that suited them”“Overall I think it was a very beneficial module that was clearly outlined and well structured throughout the year. Perhaps there should be a limit on the number of posts that people post in some of the forums- may offer improved quality and reduced quantity of posts. It was good that we received our marks throughout the year also as motivation to work harder!”“I really enjoyed the EBP project overall and I feel really luck that we had this experience as part of our undergraduate course. I felt I learned a lot about evidence based medicine, about working with people and about the management of glioma patients. The module was really diverse…”

Student Evaluation

“The fact that we had a group project in final year that contributed to such a significant part of the degree. Group work Is beneficial; but it is difficult that you are putting your grade into others hands and are dependent on the amount of work they do”“Blackboard discussion board - contributing to discussion board was very time-consuming in comparison to ordinary assignment”“Trying to co-ordinate group work from three different counties while on placement with a bad Internet connection was difficult and I felt I was missing out on meetings as Skype would often fail”

Issues

• Assigned 40% of overall module • Substantial contribution of group work• Workload for lecturer• Student engagement• Student evaluation

Keeping in Touch…..

Conclusion

• Integration of web 2.0 tools greatly enhances both UG and PG learning in diverse areas

• Easily transferrable template for other disciplines

• Dynamic rather than static area• Substantial workload for module co-ordinator• But worthwhile!

Acknowledgements

• Tim Savage, Catherine Kane, Theresa Logan-Phelan and Valerie Shanley for help and support getting modules up and running

• Patrick Doyle, School of Medicine• Leone Gately, Co-ordinator DCAD Online Learning

module, DCU• Students for consent to use data for research

purposes

Contact Us

• Michelle Leech: leechm@tcd.ie• Anita O’Donovan: anita.odonovan@tcd.ie