Category: Blog

Pivoting to Online Teaching

This is the best time clinical educators can try their hands with exploring ways to start teaching online.

There is a plethora of new tools and technologies available out there and for someone who is just starting to get a grip on online teaching, it might seem intimidating at the best.

We bring you some simple tips and information you can find handy as you begin your journey. But before you begin, here are a couple of things you should keep in mind:

1- What is your aim and what are the learning objectives and assessment tasks you would like your participants to pick up at the end of your course?

2- Technology is just an enabler and should be selected based on your objectives and comfort level.

With this, let us dive into the different types of engagement tools available out there, to name a few:

  • Blogs
  • Discussion Forums
  • Online & Self assessment
  • Podcasts and Videos
  • Online Grade books
  • Web-conferencing
  • Learning Management Systems
  • Assignment Dropbox
  • Wikis

The next question is how do you select which tools would fit in best with your learning objectives?

Some factors to keep in mind that can help you make the right choice

  • Students: Is the technology appropriate for students? Is it easily accessible for them?
  • Ease of use: Is the technology easy to use for the students?
  • Costs: Will you or your students need to pay for accessing the technology?
  • Interactivity: Does the technology support interactivity between students?
  • Novelty: Will the technology provide a new learning experience for the users? Are you prepared if there are technical difficulties?

Once you are clear and ready here are some examples of the technologies that are available:

  • Bodhi Health’s online simulation platform: For students to practice procedure skills in a virtual & safe environment
  • Discussion Forums – Via your LMS : easy to setup and track if students are participating or not
  • Twitter with hashtags – Easy to follow and learn from thought leaders and influencers provided you know how to use it
  • Facebook – Facebook groups can be set up for communication. There might be privacy issues.
  • Synchronous Webinars- Zoom, Skype, Adobe Connect.
  • Video recordings/ streaming: e.g. Pantopto, Zoom, Youtube
  • Open educational resources or Creative Commons licensed resources

source:https://negd.gov.in/learning-management-system-0

This brings us to the next important consideration in the world of online teaching and that is: licensing.

There are 3 types of licensing

  1. Copyright (all rights reserved)
  2. Creative Commons (some rights reserved)
  3. Public domain (no rights reserved)

Please check the type of license by checking on the resource’s website for its terms of use. When in doubt, it is best to link back to the resource

To summarize,

Pivoting to online teaching should be careful consideration and it can bring immense benefits to you and the students if done correctly. It is important to know your learning and assessment objectives before you select the right type of technology. Using the right type of technology, license and resources can go a long way in making your online teaching successful.

You can check out the edX course on pivoting to online teaching
Please drop us a line at info@bodhihealthedu.org and we would be happy to assist you to get started with your first online course!

Coronavirus Disease-Precautions Nurses Must Practice!

With Coronavirus Disease entering India, the scare is real. If you are a health professional, you are expected to know what to do with a person suspected to have infection landing in your hospital but also protect yourself.

Nurses are no doubt the first contact who encounter a patient in an emergency situation and with such a panic created with this disease, you will most likely encounter a patient in the emergency department. It is, therefore, your responsibility to contain the suspected case and to ensure the safety of self and others.

Know the Symptoms of Infection

If anyone is infected with Coronavirus disease, he/she may present with fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. Remember to be alarmed if a patient reports these symptoms.

coronavirus

Complications include pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. It is a serious condition and nurses must be aware how to protect themselves and prevent its further spread.

 Prepare your team

  • Hand washing- Hand washing is the single most effective way to prevent cross-infection of Coronavirus disease. All nursing professionals must practice rigorous hand washing in any health care setting.
  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)- update your staff on personal protective equipment guidelines.

PPE you are expected to use while caring for a patient with Coronavirus disease are:

  • N-95/ N-99 respirator
  • Gloves
  • Gown
  • Face shields

Make sure the nursing staff have access to PPE and receive proper instructions on how to wear them and remove them. It can be crucial to prevent cross-infection among nurses to other health professionals and patients.

COVID-19-PPE

Following are the recommendation by World Health Organization (WHO) for nurses and any health professionals who come in contact with suspected Coronavirus patient in different settings:

  • Ensure the protocols- Make sure that all nursing staffs are explained what actions needs to be taken if a suspected case arrives in your hospital/institution or if you need to transfer patient using ambulance services.

Example of Journey of Suspected Coronavirus Patient entering a health facility.

journey of suspected coronavirus

  • Involve infection control team- Coordinate with infection control nurse to educate about the practices and protocol that need to be followed.
  • Isolation or Negative pressure rooms- Identify negative pressure rooms for isolation of the suspected patient.
  • Safe Cleaning Practices- Nursing personnel must ensure proper environmental cleaning and disposal of sharps if suspected patient is admitted in your institution. Use of 0.1% sodium hypochlorite and 70% alcohol is found to be effective for decontamination after regular cleaning with detergent for surface cleaning. Read more here: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/coronavirus-SARS-CoV-2-guidance-environmental-cleaning-non-healthcare-facilities.pdf
  • Telephone Triage- An effective way to prevent further spread of infection is wise to go a step further involve administrative staff and sink in the protocol regarding telephone triaging to decrease panic in community and to identify the patient at risk.
  • Educating the Community- Nurses must take initiative to educate others. These practices must be followed by the nurses themselves to prevent spread of infection.
    • Hand washing- wash hands in social situation for minimum 20 seconds. To count the seconds sing “Happy Birthday” song twice.
    • Avoid touching your eyes and face unnecessarily.
    • Avoid close contact with people who have respiratory symptoms like cold, cough and fever.
    • Cover mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. Use tissue and throw it in dustbin. If tissue is unavailable, use elbow sleeve. Never sneeze in your hands.

References

  1. World Health Organization. Rational use of personal protective equipment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). 2020 Feb 27. Available from: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/331215/WHO-2019-nCov-IPCPPE_use-2020.1-eng.pdf
  2. World Health Organization. Available from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus
  3. Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). American Nurses Association. Available from: https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/work-environment/health-safety/disaster-preparedness/coronavirus/
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