Embracing Online Learning: The Readiness and Perceived Challenges among Health Sciences Distance Learners

@#Introduction: The shifting of conventional to online learning is prominent in our millennial era. The online pedagogy is dynamic in creating knowledge and simultaneously engaging learners with experts beyond boundaries. Our study aims to determine the readiness of distance learners in embracing online learning and their perceived challenge in accomplishing their academic journey. Methods: We employed the quantitative study design with a cross-sectional survey and this study was conducted in a public university. The health sciences learners who are currently undertaking their distance learning program were recruited by convenience sampling (N=128). The Online Learning Readiness Scale (OLRS) was adopted with its internal consistency ranging from 0.77 to 0.95 for five dimensions of measure. Results: Our results indicate a high level of online learning readiness. In addition, the highest level of readiness in the dimension of computer/internet self-efficacy whereas the least level was the learners’ control. Sixty-eight percent of learners reported poor internet connectivity as the main challenge in online learning. Moreover, we found that gender, age, and the learners’ program were not the significant factors affecting learners’ online learning readiness (p>.05). Conclusion: Our study revealed a high extent of online learning readiness among distance learners that display constructive embracing of current educational technology. Nevertheless, considering the poor internet connection, communication infrastructure needs to be further developed to bridge the gap between millennial learners and the Internet of Things (IoT).

The development and applications of MOOCs in medical area / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) , which has caused a large scale of medical edu-cation in recent years, has led to an exploration boom in medical education. By the end of November 2014, on four large domestic and foreign MOOCs platform, a total of 178 medical related MOOCs were found, accounting for 12.2% of the total number of courses, among which public health MOOCs accounted for 44.9%. In terms of medical education, MOOCs are not only a powerful supplement of existing medical ed-ucation and can assist dissemination of medical knowledge, they can also promote pedagogy innovation and improve teaching quality to a certain extent. Moreover, the huge amounts of data collected by MOOCs can also be used to develop research of students' learning behavior. In addition, by recruiting study objects, the researchers have begun to use MOOCs supporting scientific research. As a novel educational development, MOOCs face many challenges while they bring opportuni-ties for medical education. However, active prac-tice and exploration will bring more powerful vitality for its development in the medical field.

Games in the environmental context and their strategic use for environmental education / Games no contexto ambiental e seu uso estratégico para educação ambiental

This article aims to present the productivity of the assumptions of Philosophical Hermeneutics (Gadamer, 1996) and his discovery of the logical, ontological and structural model of the game that takes place during the experience that is the basis of comprehension. Thus, digital games are proposed as manners, methods and ways to improve the understanding, interpretation and application of the concepts of Sustainability and Environmental Principles. The attraction of the game as a pedagogic space lays in the fact that it takes over and allows the player to internalize ecological sensitivity, something that happens during the play. Finally, the results show an augment on students’ motivation, when using the game versus the traditional process.

Este artigo tem como objetivo apresentar a produtividade dos pressupostos da hermenêutica filosófica de Gadamer (1996) e sua descoberta do modelo lógico, ontológico e estrutural do jogo, que ocorre durante a experiência, que é a base da compreensão. Assim, os jogos digitais são propostos como maneiras, métodos e formas de melhorar a compreensão, interpretação e aplicação dos conceitos de princípios de sustentabilidade e meio-ambiente. A atração do jogo como espaço pedagógico reside no fato de que ele assume e permite que o jogador para internalizar sensibilidade ecológica, algo que acontece durante o jogo. Finalmente, os resultados obtidos demostram um incremento na motivação dos alunos, quando se utiliza o jogo ao invés dos métodos tradicionais.

Games in the environmental context and their strategic use for environmental education

p>This article aims to present the productivity of the assumptions of Philosophical Hermeneutics (Gadamer, 1996) and his discovery of the logical, ontological and structural model of the game that takes place during the experience that is the basis of comprehension. Thus, digital games are proposed as manners, methods and ways to improve the understanding, interpretation and application of the concepts of Sustainability and Environmental Principles. The attraction of the game as a pedagogic space lays in the fact that it takes over and allows the player to internalize ecological sensitivity, something that happens during the play. Finally, the results show an augment on students motivation, when using the game versus the traditional process. /p>

p>Este artigo tem como objetivo apresentar a produtividade dos pressupostos da hermenêutica filosófica de Gadamer (1996) e sua descoberta do modelo lógico, ontológico e estrutural do jogo, que ocorre durante a experiência, que é a base da compreensão. Assim, os jogos digitais são propostos como maneiras, métodos e formas de melhorar a compreensão, interpretação e aplicação dos conceitos de princípios de sustentabilidade e meio-ambiente. A atração do jogo como espaço pedagógico reside no fato de que ele assume e permite que o jogador para internalizar sensibilidade ecológica, algo que acontece durante o jogo. Finalmente, os resultados obtidos demostram um incremento na motivação dos alunos, quando se utiliza o jogo ao invés dos métodos tradicionais. /p>

Digital Learning Environment and Scientific Research Environment Construction in Hospitals / 医学信息学杂志

〔Abstract〕 The paper introduces the connotation of digital learning environment and digital scientific research environment, analyzes the strategies of constructing digital learning environment and digital scientific research environment in hospitals, including hospital librar-ians taking part in scientific research knowledge service, doctors, teachers and researchers participation, creating personalized scientific research information environment, etc.

Accommodating the difference in students' prior knowledge of cell growth kinetics

This paper describes the development and benefits of an adaptive digital module on cell growth to tackle the problem of educating a heterogeneous group of students at the beginning of an undergraduate course on process engineering. Aim of the digital module is to provide students with the minimal level of knowledge on cell growth kinetics they need to comprehend the content knowledge of the subsequent lectures and pass the exam. The module was organised to offer the subject matter in a differentiated manner, so that students could follow different learning paths. Two student groups were investigated, one consisting of students who had received their prior education abroad and one of students that had not. Exam scores, questionnaires, and logged user data of the two student groups were analysed to discover whether the digital module had the intended effect. The results indicate that students did indeed follow different learning paths. Also, the differences in exam scores between the two student groups that was present before the introduction of the digital module was found to have decreased afterwards. In general, students appreciated the use of the material regardless of their prior education. We therefore conclude that the use of adaptive digital learning material is a possible way to solve the problem of differences in prior education of students entering a course.