E-learning

Assessing Micro-Learning in a Healthcare Education Environment

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This post is provided by guest blogger, Theresa Anderson, graduate student University of St. Francis, MS Training and Development program.

This article on the healthcare education micro-learning environment measure (HEMLEM) is a research article aimed at creating an evidence-based measurement tool for assessing clinical micro-learning environments across several healthcare professional student groups. The authors suggest there may be gaps between what healthcare professional students should be learning and what they learn. The authors took a mixed methods approach to create a micro-learning environment measure. They acknowledge that teaching quality, staff attitudes, and behaviors are critical for a good micro-learning environment. 

The article is helpful for anyone attempting to measure how micro-learning within the education of a healthcare professional environment affects students’ learning. The authors created a measurement tool through a step-wise approach: literature analyzing existing tools, generating new items through thematic analysis of student experiences, the Delphi process involving healthcare educators, piloting the prototype, and item reduction. The item reduction tool was a twelve-question survey of the students with differing healthcare professions. HEMLEM seems to be an efficient way to measure success or what needs to be improved in a micro-learning environment. 

References

Isba, R., Rousseva, C., Wolf, K., & Byrne-Davis, L. (2020). Development of a brief learning environment measure for use in healthcare professions education: The healthcare education micro learning environment measure (HEMLEM). BMC Medical Education, 20(110). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-020-01996-8

E-learning Assessments Guide for Beginners

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This post is provided by guest blogger, Theresa Anderson, graduate student University of St. Francis, MS Training and Development program.

Wondering how to determine if your e-learning course is effective? Assessments, such as tests and quizzes, can provide valuable data. However, if you’re new to e-learning, you may be unsure of what constitutes a good assessment and what metrics are essential to measure. In this article, Bianca Woods (2022) addresses the most commonly asked questions about creating a practical e-learning quiz. Woods explains what e-learning assessments are, if assessments are always necessary, when learners should be assessed, what types of questions to include, and how to design effective assessment questions. 

If you’re new to online training and want to evaluate whether your course is well-designed, I highly recommend checking out this article. Woods (2022) recommends incorporating assessments at multiple points throughout the course if it aligns with the instructor’s goals. This article offers tips for beginners, and I plan to implement them in my work.

References

Woods, B. (2022). The beginner’s guide to effective e-learning assessments. E-Learning Heroes. Retrieved June 8, 2023, from https://community.articulate.com/articles/overview-of-e-learning-assessments

Speech-Language Pathology E-Mentorship Capitalizes Virtual Space

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This post is provided by guest blogger, Theresa Anderson, graduate student University of St. Francis, MS Training and Development program.

Research on mentorship has mainly come from the fields of higher education, intercultural psychology, and counseling. It examines the personal, interpersonal, and professional aspects that contribute to positive and successful relationships. Despite mentorship in all field areas, including student training in clinical and academic settings, speech-language pathology (SLP) literature has not explored these aspects extensively. Mentorship promotes the development of theoretical and clinical knowledge. This article proposes a new “e-mentorship” model, which substitutes remote mentorship for in-person. It outlines the potential roles a mentor and mentee could play and links interpersonal and professional skills in a creative tutorial for e-mentorship in SLP.

This article delves into the different mentoring models and how they can benefit individuals in the field of SLP, regardless of their level of knowledge and experience. The authors explore various methods of utilizing e-mentoring within SLP and emphasize the importance of collaboration between mentors and mentees, who may be clinicians, researchers, faculty members, or students. By adapting their approaches and resources also to suit the needs of their clients and caregivers, they can make the most of e-mentoring opportunities and create a virtual space that goes beyond geographical barriers, leading to an enriching experience in therapeutic and academic environments.

References

Taiebine, M., & Keegan, L. (2022). E-Mentorship in speech-language pathology. Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders, 6(3), Article 8. Retrieved June 4, 2023, from https://doi.org/DOI: 10.30707/TLCSD6.3.1664996985.164457

Where’s the Tech in Informal Learning?

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This post comes to you courtesy of your convivial and continually-learning guest blogger, Daniel Liestman a master’s degree student in the Training and Development program at the University of St. Francis (Joliet, IL). 

Moore & Klein (2020) accept that most learning in the workplace is informal, but realize the bulk of resources are provided for formal training.  In a survey (N=385) and subsequent interviews (n=20) of trainers they found T&D professionals engage in informal learning to foster informal learning by passing along articles or link to targeted individuals.  Trainers also supply just-in-time job aids and tools.  In addition, they create and curate learning objects and related materials for just-in-case situations.  Alternatives not explored might include brown bag sessions or walking about and engaging with staff.  Fostering informal leaning is a resource-efficient approach to counter budget and staffing shortfalls while improving organizational performance.

IMHO (in my humble opinion), Moore & Klein (2020) address an intriguing topic.  The rub is that the suggestions in the survey and those offered in the interviews are pedestrian (email, help sheets, filing away digital objects, etc.)   How might technology be better deployed?  How might online organizations foster those watercooler moments?  Could corporate maker-spaces foster creativity and discovery to grow the bottom line?  How can informal learning be tracked and evaluated?  The profession seems to have a wing-and-a-prayer approach to informal learning.  The research would have been more satisfying had the authors dug more.  I do hope this is not as deep as they could go, and this is all that they can offer.  Perhaps these topics can be pursued in subsequent research?

Moore, A. L., & Klein, J. D. (2020). Facilitating informal learning at work. TechTrends, 64(2), 219-228. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-019-00458-3

Nano-Learning: Learning Nuggets For Fast-Paced Learning

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This post is provided by guest blogger, Theresa Anderson, graduate student University of St. Francis, MS Training and Development program.

Nano-learning is a technique that delivers learning resources in small formats, such as short videos, texts, and sound bites, which are approximately two to ten minutes long. These “nuggets” of information make learning easily accessible within a short time, enabling learners to grasp key concepts quickly and retain information without feeling overwhelmed. Nano-learning has become increasingly popular due to the shorter attention spans that have emerged in the digital age.

The article only cites another article about attention span. However, the original piece was an interesting read about how society’s digitalization has impacted how we learn. It highlights the benefits of nano-learning, which enables learners to consume small chunks of information for faster and more personalized learning. Overall, the article effectively explains the reasons and methods behind nano-learning. As our world continues to evolve, the needs of learners will also evolve. 

Reference
Stoddard, J. (2023, April 22). Embracing nano-learning: Bite-sized education for the digital age. LinkedIn. Retrieved May 28, 2023, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/embracing-nano-learning-bite-sized-education-digital-stoddard-litd

Emerging Technologies and eLearning-Raising the Bar

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This post is provided by guest blogger, Danielle Victoriano, graduate student University of St. Francis, MS Training and Development program.

E-Learning is evolving to create the ultimate self-driven and self-paced yet interactive design. It is emerging into an interactive model that is intuitive for the learners’ needs. Is this what learners need and want? Will this aid them in achieving their goals? Mangalvedhe examines this in this 2023 article. The author examines how emerging technologies can influence and transform learning and development moving forward. In the article, the author examines how artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, gamification, mobile learning and microlearning will change how we interact and respond within the learning model to a more profound level than we have in eLearning.

This is an excellent article for content creators and instructional designers that are seeking ways to provide interaction and take learning to an application level. The author examines in detail how each technology can be integrated into instructional design. Mangalvedhe (2023) also discusses how each technology can fulfill and appeal to the various needs of learners. Examples are provided to suggest how these technologies can be executed successfully in the created content. These examples will be a starting point to consider using these advanced technologies that workplaces are already utilizing to raise the bar of flexible and efficient learning while expediting the upskilling process.  

References

Mangalvedhe, A. (2023, January 12). The emerging technologies in Elearning. eLearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/the-emerging-technologies-in-elearning

ChatGPT: What’s it doing for/to me?

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This post is brought to you by your genial novice blogger, Daniel Liestman, a graduate student in the University of St. Francis’ (Joliet, IL) MS in Training and Development program.

Last November, Open AI released an advanced chatbot like no other.  ChatGPT (generative pre-trained transformer) draws on Internet information.  It’s RLHF, or Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback component, however, provides the human-like quality.  While ChatGPT may stir anxiety in some, it can be used as an effective learning tool.  For example, how might learners construct an AI generated argument and then analyze and critique it?  Further, how might learners hone their own questioning skills to spark discovery? Such AI can also foster individualized learning as well as doing administrative work for instructors while also doing instructional planning.

Stephens, an educational consultant with degrees from Harvard and Stanford, has no idea what ChatGPT bodes. But neither do we.  AI, for her, has a place in learning, but also in reducing instructors’ grunt work. I recall the story of a professor who audio taped a lecture for a day he was out.  While the reel-to-reel played atop the lectern, a cassette recorder on each student’s desk taped the lecture. While the technology has changed,  AI may well imitate this cautionary tale at the moment expense of learning.

Stephens, D. (2023, May 16). ChatGPT examples to use artificial intelligence in education. Nearpod Blog.  https://nearpod.com/blog/chatgpt-ai-artificial-intelligence/

Alphabet Soup in the Digital Age

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This post is provided by guest blogger, J. Mike Condreay, graduate student at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, MS in Training and Development program.

As a nuclear power professional, my training career has been rooted in two catchy anagrams:  SAT and ADDIE.  These two concepts are the root stock for the training soup that nuclear power plants serve our students.  As technology evolves and the digital Continue reading →

Hands On when you must be Hands Off

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This post is provided by guest blogger, J. Mike Condreay, graduate student at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, MS in Training and Development program.

The spread of COVID-19 has made hands on learning a ‘necessary evil’. The fear of the spread of the virus through contact has in many industries shuttered on the job learning. This issue is forcing training organizations to find remote methods to achieve activity touch time with enough fidelity and confidence that students and workers can perform key tasks safe and error free. Continue reading →

Technology + Culture Focus = Effective Workplace e-Learning

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This post is provided by guest blogger, Katie Sachs, graduate student at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, IL, MS in Training and Development program.

Advances in technology have helped cement e-learning’s place in corporate education. But how can learning leaders take steps to ensure that their digital learning initiatives are working and not becoming pointless activities? In a recent white paper, authors

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