The Creation of an Efficient and Effective IBook - Thesis Example

IBook Neurology Clerkship Thesis Project al Affiliation: This project will focus on the creation of an efficient and effective iBook as a learning tool for University of California Irvine Neurology Clerkship students through gaming tools and procedures. It is almost the end of the medical program and students who are in this clerkship must prove that they finally have the knowledge and abilities to serve patients carefully with a critical mind. They can only be certified as health practitioners once they are through with the course work and the project. For all Neurology students, it is mandatory for them to conduct an effective project to satisfy the lectures that they can indeed take care of a patient. There is a lot of sensitivity within the healthcare industry where clinicians deal with matters of life and death and thus students in the medical schools and other related fields should be well equipped with both theoretical and practical knowledge that will be achieved through this project. The project will utilize the iPad through its iBook software to deliver instruction to students. Since all students in the clerkship are provided iPads, the iPads will also insure that students get 24-hour access to comprehensive learning tools and student support services. As a learning tool inside and outside of the classroom, the iBook will blend the theories of problem-based learning in interactive-simulated style to help these medical students practice their critical thinking while fostering intrinsic motivation to learn and collaborate with others. Not only will the iBook aid students with their own learning, but it will also give instructors a way to measure the progress of their students by gathering data about their student’s advancement through iBook simulations and iBook assessment exams. Overall, the project will help all medical students in the Neurology clerkship to better succeed in the program and become better critically thinking medical professionals in the process. Introduction Medical students, at the University of California Irvine, must complete numerous clerkships as they complete their medical training. The Neurology Clerkship is one of the last that students must complete. In an effort to increase student success rates, UC Irvine has provided all medical students with iPads. The iPads introduce students with a transformative mode of learning by connecting students with the same advancements in seen in the medical profession in the classroom. Even though iPads provide both students and instructors with the technological tools necessary for success, not all programs have the software that will engage students with learning materials. Unfortunately, UC Irvine’s Neurology Clerkship is one such program that lacks the software. To create effective tools, a thorough understanding of how medical students learn is imperative. Medical students, unlike other students, work in an environment that requires precision as well as advanced critical thinking abilities. Often times, these skills can be acquired through repetition, collaboration, and internal motivation for learning. This process is reinforced by an instructor’s tutelage and advice. However, these skills are difficult to refine outside of a clinical environment. Resources that would provide students the ability to practice are limited, hindering a medical students from interacting and engaging with the subject matter. Students, particularly in later clerkships, must have access to well-developed, engaging learning tools outside of the clinical setting in order to succeed. Advancing technology, especially the technologies through the iPad, can provide students with 24 hours of needed practice and instructional resources that were once lacking. Through collaboration with instructors in the clerkship as well as the integration of the latest touch-interface technology, the instructional iBook project will develop iPad-supported tools that will encourage and enhance student learning. This by will help in creating problem-based interactive resource that will engage students in simulated touch-interfaced practice sessions while providing students with access to their instructors, who are assessing student iBook progress, when called upon. This study investigates the efficacy of the iBook as an instructional and learning aid for medical students at the University of California Irvine. This study will be conducted using an educational design research methodology (EDR) informed by a critical review of literature on best practices for clinical instruction, instructor certification, student MD certification, instructional technologies in clinical settings, and the efficacy of mobile learning as activity learning. During clinical instruction, students are supposed to gain comprehensive and practical understanding of health care. Students during the clinical instruction learn about hospital policies, patient interaction, as well as illnesses and treatments for those illnesses (O’ Connor, 2006). While the purpose of placing students in clinical environments is to aid in the learning of proficient medical practices, instructors are often not prepared to help students apply knowledge in the clinical setting. As a result, students have difficulty retaining the knowledge that they learn in the clinical setting (O’ Connor, 2006). Irby (1994) explains that in order for students to adequately retain and apply clinical knowledge, they must possess the knowledge of context. Student in a specific clinical setting must have a good understanding of their patient population so that when they begin to apply what they have learnt. They can do so correctly, taking into account patients’ social backgrounds, their perspectives, and their unique circumstances. Instructors, therefore, must not only teach theoretical ideas in clinical settings, they must also teach students how to apply the knowledge contextually to specific cases (Irby, 1994). While instructional technologies have the potential to help clinical instructors engage actively with their students, instructional technologies can also turn students into passive recipients of knowledge if introduced into the course incorrectly. According to Hora and Holden (2013), interactive teaching, teaching that allows students to engage actively with content and with others in the class, encourages students to problem solve whenever a question arises. Students, who are exposed to interactive teaching methods, become autonomous and critical learners Background of the study It is a course requirement for all students in the clerkship program at the University of California Irvine Neurology department to prove that they finally have the knowledge and abilities to serve patients carefully with a critical mind (Gorder, 2008). Every student is supposed to develop a project as a learning tool. An example is the creation of an effective iBook as an interactive learning to evaluate them at the end of the program. We are provided with iPads for the project, which will ensure there is the availability of 24 hour access to all learning tools required. The project will exploit the use of iPad through its iBook software to deliver instruction to students. Research has shown that iPads are considered to be effective teaching and learning tools that can positively improve students’ engagement, ability to work in team, foster independent learning, student-student interactivity, student-teacher interactivity, researching and accessing information and time management. Thus in this project which mainly uses iPads, students will be equipped with those essential skills and will come out of school as competent medical practitioners. As a learning tool inside and outside of the classroom, the iBook will blend the theories of problem-based learning in interactive-simulated style to help practice our critical thinking while fostering intrinsic motivation to learn and collaborate with others. The IBook will aid in learning as well as helping instructors in measuring the progress of the students by collecting data on the achievements made by the students as far as the project is concerned through the use of iBook simulations and assessment exams. At the end of the project, every medical student is expected to become a better critical thinker in the professional job market (Gorder, 2008). In developing and designing the instructional iBook project for UC Irvine’s neurology clerkship, several projects will have to be discussed. These topics include: How to determine the best practices for clinical instruction, instructor certification, student MD certification, and instructional technologies in clinical settings (Irby, 1994).In the professional clinical work setting, clinicians are expected to be aware of certain instructions and recommendations that they have to follow concerning caring for patients who have particular health problems. These instructions are provided based on the best available evidence that has been obtained through research or practical experience. Giving out clinical instructions is not an easy activity within the healthcare sector. In fact, doctors and other clinical officers are faced with such a big challenge of carrying out a substantial number of tasks in an ever-changing environment of different patients and societal needs. (O’Conner, 2006). Once each student is presented with a challenge of issuing clinical instructions to a patient during training, he or she is supposed to apply the knowledge learned in class as well as the practical lessons learnt. For instance, this project is aimed at instilling creativity and innovativeness among the medics. This kind of creativity is key to the professional work environment where clinical officers are expected to make several individual decisions in the job place. The clinical instructions are expected to help the practicing students offer the right prescription and treatment to patients. The instructions are also supposed to give adequate knowledge on the type of care required for the patients. (O’Connor, 2006). All students are expected to have the knowledge and expertise of determining the actual population of patients within a specific clinical setting, the social backgrounds of each of the them, their historical perceptions of therapeutic applications and the circumstances in which the students may come across some accounts directly from the patients (Irby, 1994). This project was initiated to help students have an overview of determining such factors as well as helping them treat patients in ethical ways. Instructional technologies are a very crucial tool aimed at ensuring that medical students are well prepared for real work experiences and ensuring that they will be ready face the many challenges within the healthcare industry. With the sensitivity involved within the healthcare industry where clinicians deal with matters of life and death, the ethical abilities of individual workers is of utmost significance. To act as professionals who are ethically responsible, nurses and other medical officers should be well prepared as early as during class work (Gorder, 2008). Schools have efficiently educated the students to be prepared for the challenges they may encounter not only in an industrial setting, but also in an information setting. Technology is particularly in line with educational standards being practiced inside the classroom. Such standards include active learning, collaboration, interactivity and mediation among others) (Gorder, 2008). Problem statement The requirements needed within the healthcare industry calls for creativity for both class work and the practical part of it. There is a lot of sensitivity involved within the healthcare industry where clinicians and even medical interns deal with matters of life and death, and this calls for effective preparations before one engages in the real life work settings. The abilities of the students from the University of California Irvine are expected to exhibit strong abilities and skills that are of utmost significance, hence the importance of conducting this project work. To act as professionals who are ethically responsible, nurses and other medical officers should be well prepared as early as during class work. Through creation of the effective iBook, instructors are in a position to rank the students and advice them accordingly (Irby, 1994). With the current world that has become digital. This calls for effective understanding of the current technology trends and developments within the hospitals as well as the integration of the latest touch-interface technology. This project makes use of iPad-supported tools that will encourage and enhance student learning by creating problem-based interactive resource that will engage students in simulated touch-interfaced practice sessions. This ensures that the students are well prepared to face the real work settings where technology has become part of almost all operations and processes (Irby, 1994). Purpose of the Study The purpose of this project is to develop and design an instructional iBook project for UC Irvine’s neurology clerkship, which is a course requirement for all students in the Neurology school. Every student is expected to come up with a project, which will be used by the instructors to evaluate and examine them (Laurent & Weidner, 2001). The final iBook will be documented and used as a tool for learning within and outside classroom. The iBook will integrate and combine the theories of problem-based learning in interactive-simulated style to help these medical students practice their creative and critical thinking while nurturing intrinsic motivation and inspiration to learn and collaborate with others. The purpose of this project is to help the students with their own learning tool as well as giving instructors a way to measure the progress of their students by gathering data about their student’s advancement through iBook simulations and iBook assessment exams. In general, the project will help the medical students in the Neurology clerkship program to produce better iBooks using the iPads available and also to creative and critical medical thinkers in their medical profession both in class work and during the real life work assignments (Irby, 1994). At the end of the project, every student is expected to be in a position of accommodating any reliable technological advancement within the work setting. This is one major purpose of this project and it may be used as an assessment method on whether the students are competent enough to continue training as medics. A good example is learning how to use a laptop, personal cell phones as well as use of Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) for carrying out their medical services. In that case, the clinician, who was uses such gadgets is a must to undergo training and this training will be included in this project (Laurent & Weidner, 2001). It is obvious that all clinicians who are learning medicine and other related specializations will not be adequate enough to appropriately satisfy the clinician requirements and conditions needed especially in this technology-driven modern era. In this case, the clinicians will be required to understand the integration process in which both fields and their practical application and implementation serve their purposes by appropriately assessing and examining the medical conditions of the remote patients (Guest, 2013). This will be achieved within the objectives of this project. This project will help the students to understand the use and integration of iPad’s interactive abilities as well as having a general overview of the application of iPads and other electronic gadgets in health care departments. Through this project, there is likelihood that the students will be excited with the prospect of having new mobile technology during the initial needs assessment survey (DiVall & Zgarrick, 2014). Using this project, students will get to learn on the use of interactive whiteboards to promote open communication line between the instructor and the students. The use of this particular instructional technology is said to be effective in terms of encouraging more students to open up questions concerning the lecture given by the teacher (Starkman, 2008; Smith, Hardman, & Higgins, 2006). The use of interactive approach in teaching increases the chances wherein the students are able to retain what they have learned inside the classroom. At the end of the project, professionals such as physicians and nurses will be able to easily track down and discuss the patients’ information in groups as they decide on the best and most recent updates on patients’ care and treatment. Thus this project is too beneficial and will impact on the knowledge of the students by adding onto what was learnt in class work. This will increase creativity as well as quick decision making within the work settings. Definition of Terms e-Book. An e-book is also referred to as digital book, e-edition or an electronic book.electronic counterpart of a printed book, which can be viewed on a desktop computer, laptop, smartphone or e-book reader. When traveling, a large number of e-books can be stored in portable units, dramatically eliminating weight and volume compared to paper. Electronic bookmarks make referencing easier, and e-book readers may allow the user to annotate pages. It is generally a book that has been published in an electronic form, consisting of images and texts that are readable on computers, laptops or other electronic gadgets (Harris, 2009). E-Textbook. An e-textbook is a small device that is portable onto which book contents that are in electronic forms can be downloaded and read using computers and other electronic gadgets. In addition, it refers to an educational or instructional book in digital form. Since the use of laptops and smartphones is on the increase n a daily basis, e-textbooks are increasingly taking the place of printed books (Harris, 2009). HTML. This is an acronym standing for Hypertext Markup Language. It refers to the standard language used to create web pages. A web browser can read HTML files and documents as well as composing them into visible and audible web pages (Tim, & Fischetti, 2000). Javascript. Javascript is a dynamic programming language that is commonly used as part of web browsers and is used to make web pages interactive. It runs on your visitors computer and so does not require constant downloads from your web site. It allows scripts to communicate and interact with the user as well as controlling the browser (Tim, & Fischetti, 2000). iBook. This refers to a line of laptop computers that are manufactured by the Apple Inc (Harris, 2009). iBook Author. iBook author (IBA) is an e-book authoring application by Apple Inc. Documents that are created with IBA may be in the form of PDF or published to the Apples ibooks store. iBooks Author application (app) is a free piece of software that allows you to create multi-touch textbooks that use, among many other things, video, interactive photo galleries, voiceovers, diagrams and tables, and 3-D objects. (Harris, 2009). Widget. It is a software widget used by the web. It is a small application with limited functionality that can be installed and executed within a web page by a user. Also refers to a piece of software that is used on a page of a website to give the user changing information of a particular type in the website (Harris, 2009). References Harris, C. (2009). “The Truth About Ebooks” School Library Journal 55, no.6: 18. Wilson Select Plus. Online Database. Tim, B. & Fischetti, M. (2000). Weaving The Web: The Original Design and Ultimate Destiny of the World Wide Web by its Inventor. San Francisco: Harper. Read More