Virtual learning Environments and Staff development Prof. ABM Jamal FCPS, FRCS(Edin), MMEd Prof. of Surgery Dhaka Medical College

Objectives of this unit Define educational environment and staff development Explain the importance of staff development Improve his own educational environment Motivate others regarding improving educational environment and development of staff.

Introduction An improved learning environment is very important for running a successful educational outcome. At the same time every institution should have a policy to develop their own strategy so that every faculty member can get a scope to develop their own carrier. Now a day, virtual learning gets a momentum to develop the environment of the institute. As any other program. It is important to clearly define the goals and priorities in medical education courses.

Key feature of virtual learning environment Large amounts of the user’s participation can be carried out online, being accessible from any where in the world at any time at the convenience of the individual user

Forms of VLEs Off-the-shelf systems--- commercial, programme of study, WebCT and Blackboard, not open to easy modification Purpose-built systems---to meet local educational contexts, own VLEs for an institute, Dundy course Open source systems---accessible, open.

Managed learning environments Should not exist as an isolation Serve personnel, finance, students records timetable information reading list

VLE modalities– on-campus vs. distance communicate with each other under same campus suits with personal lifestyles tutorship distance from the institution CPD program Health education Enhance traditional methods from distance

Participants role in VLE students Tutors Administrators Technicians

Supporting courses Access to primary teaching and learning Access to secondary learning resources Communication Course information Scheduling information Individualization and personalization Knowledge base audit and quality assurance

Concerns of VLEs Object orientation Security, authentication and identity Rules, regulation and policing Interoperability and sharing

Strengths of VLEs in medical education individuals to interact with a course support personalised learning experiences better manage the logistics better manage the administration Support and extend the essence of a community of practice support audit and quality assurance provide integration with other systems.

Summary Increasingly becoming the norm Generic off-the-shelf VLE systems may be purchased can be used to manage learners and tutors unprecedented levels of individualisation Personalisation.

Staff development Staff development or faculty development has become an increasingly essential component in medical education Staff development is a planned program designed to prepare institutions and faculty members for their various role. Important to clarify their role.

Ten roles of a teacher Assessor Evaluator Motivator Teaching-learning Curriculum planner Academic Scholar Mentor Planner Performer Assessor Evaluator Motivator Teaching-learning Vision

Target Population Medical teachers Course coordinator Administrator Health care professional Organizer

Approaches for teacher development Workshops Seminars Short courses Consultation with professional educators Fellowship, master, Diploma, Certificate

“A medical school’s most important asset is its faculty” --- Whitcomb, 2003

Effective faculty development programs Address the needs of the faculty participants and institution Takes in to account the work place of the teachers Integrate curriculum that emphasizes theory and practice Opportunity for practice and feedback build relationship among faculty members Train more than one person from a setting

Challenges Priority settings Balancing individual and organization needs Motivating faculty Obtaining nutritional support Overcoming limited resourches

conclusion Integral part of an institute Separate body for that Continuous process Open but focused.

Thank you all “ If you don’t know where you are going, you can’t know how to go there”