ABSTRACT
The COVID pandemic exacerbated feeling of isolation for students in George Mason University's (GMU) Health Informatics Program and challenged their interactions in many of the program's online classes. This study tested ways to improve the experiences of students and faculty with online courses. Twentytwo undergraduate students enrolled in an 8-week Electronic Health Record Configuration and Data Analysis (HAP 464) course participated in the study. Three changes were made to the structure of the course. First, the course was taught as a "flipped" online course;second, students were required to collaborate on assignments (not exams), third, the instructor trained peer-instructors one on one, and these instructors taught the rest of the students in small group sessions. The results indicated that interaction among the students increased: 75% of students were talking between 80% to 100% of class time. The classes were intensely interactive, unlike traditional class lectures. All 22 students received a grade of B or better, indicating that intense online interaction did not reduce the rigor of the training.
ABSTRACT
Bacground: This research held in 2019/2020 supervised the students’ external Practicums of a Special Professional Training Programme in Auxiliary Operations of Administrative and General Services when students could not carry out their Practicums in person in companies due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Purpose: the proposed Practicum is of most professional importance so a completion in a virtual and synchronous way through virtual and educational platforms like Genially™ and Google Suite™. In this virtual environment, students had to connect daily and perform the functions of an administrative assistant working in the different departments of the company. Methodology: This research followed the Research-Action approach. Major conclusions: During the Practicum, the researchers reviewed and adapted the environment based on the results we were obtaining. The major contribution is that it proved the effectiveness of active methodologies in the training of students in a special modality professional programme that, together with a Research-Action approach, facilitates the development of the students' work skills. © 2022 Birlesik Dunya Yenilik Arastirma ve Yayincilik Merkezi. All rights reserved.