Quikpoll - Does What It Says On The Tin

What is it?

Kwiqpoll is a ridiculously simple polling app. Create a poll and share the link on any social media site or email. It's optimized for mobile and desktop so it looks great on any screen. There is zero registration.  

 

Policy

Each poll is open to voting for either 3 or 7 days. After that, only the results will be available for another 7 days. Once those 7 days have passed, the poll will be permanently deleted.
 

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Learning Central How-To Video Demonstrations

Cardiff Player now hosts a range of how-to video tutorials, including administering basic tasks in Learning Central. Here is an example:

Loading Video Player....

Current titles include the following themes:

• Creating folders (Example above)
• Inserting audio
• Uploading and image
• Uploading a document
• Adding files to the content collection
• Embedding Flickr images
• Embedding YouTube videos

The list is being continually updated so check Cardiff Player (Martin Close) for new titles.

The Student-Information Relationship

An excellent conference presentation from the perspective of a Warwick medical student, who implemented an entirely paperless resource workflow during his studies, and why he thinks the methods he used made very effective use of some of the tools and resources available via tablet devices.

Second-Phase Virtual Patient Literature Review

We are returning focus to case-based online content and how 'virtual patient' encounters may be developed and integrated into curriculum. A comprehensive review was undertaken a few years ago and revealed how a number of national and international medical schools were making use of various virtual patient authoring tools available at the time. The study brought a number of pedagogic principals to light and suggested a basis on which to develop a system. The full review can be accessed here.

However, the perceivable changes in the development of software and devices since then have given cause to re-evaluate how case-based online resources are being developed and delivered. For example, the advent of HTML5 and increasing use of smartphones may have dictated some degree of change in approach to development and deployment of content.

A new review will firstly conduct a review of widely used authoring systems and the gathering of information relating to the success of their use within various settings across different medical education institutions. If you have any thoughts or experience of the implementation of current clinical scenario-based study resources, then please do comment and share.

School of Medicine E-Learning Team

E-Learning Resources for Neurology

The Department of Neurology now has a collection of freely available resources hosted externally via the Wordpress platform. The resources aim to support medical students and junior doctors self-directed learning, particularly whilst undergoing their clinical neurology attachments or preparing for finals examinations.

CORTEX Discussion Forum

CORTEX now has a newly integrated discussion forum, allowing anyone to open discussion around a specific topic. Please note that all submissions are moderated before they are published. The forum can be accessed here or viewed at the bottom of this page.

CORTEX on YouTube

CORTEX now has a dedicated YouTube channel (medicelearning). The purpose is to standardise the accessibility of all videos used within the School of Medicine domain so that they may be openly shared using all the features provided by YouTube. The main driver for the decision has come from a best-practice review for embedding video in material developed using the new mobile templates. The platform will also make use of YouTube's HTML5 technology, eliminating the need to convert videos in-house so that they may be used to maximum effect across platforms. Visit the channel here.

mLearning Authoring Platform for the School of Medicine

CORTEX has released a first working-prototype in efforts to acommodate mobile access to self-directed learning in the School. The platform combines latest mobile development languages such as HTML5 and jQuery for mobile devices. The present version (1.0.0) features:

• Adapts to any screen resolution
• Adapts to screen rotation
• Table of contents
• Back/forward navigation
• Smart screen-responsive image resizing
• 'Collapsible' content
• Info page

The next prototype aims to feature:

• True/false formative assessment
• Multiple-answer formative assessment
• Improved page loading speed

Click here for a sneak preview.
Please feel free to leave comments/suggestions. All feedback is greatly appreciated and will be used to shape future development!

The School of Medicine e-learning team.

Xerte Online Toolkits

Xerte, developed at Nottingham University, provides a set of tools for teachers and elearning developers to create accessible interactive learning materials easily.

Xerte Online Toolkits is a server-based environment for creating content. We have installed it at Cardiff as part of a pilot, which means that members of the University can create and edit content in their web-browser, without installing any additional software, at https://xerte.cardiff.ac.uk.

Xerte can produce learning materials that are media-rich, with images,  sound and video, charts, quizzes, interactive drag-and-drop exercises, hotspots and annotated diagrams. But creation is simple: you just select pre-defined page types and fill in a few parameters to create each slide.

To find out more about Cardiff's Xerte installation, visit the Cardiff University installation. (Requires login)

Actor Release Form

During the development of educational resources it is common, particularly within medical education, to employ actors - this includes patients who have agreed to a recording outside of the course of their treatment.

Prior to starting any recordings, actors should be provided with full details of what the recording will entail and how the recording will be used. The “actor” should then be asked to sign the consent portion of the Actor Release form to confirm they are happy to partake in the recording.

Where an actor is used within a recording, the actor, by law, retains copyright for their performance. To ensure Cardiff University retains the right to use the materials we produce, it is vital that all actors are asked to sign a Actor Release Form for their part in the recording.

The Actor Release Form is designed to record evidence that the media you are using has been granted for such use.

Before completing the form, please ensure you are familiar with the MEDIC e-learning Consent Policy.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

Obesity and overweight are not a particularly recent problem despite what is portrayed in the media. They are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health. Worldwide obesity has more than doubled since 1980 and nearly 43 million children under the age of 5 were overweight in 2010. Sadly, they are preventable diseases. Anorexia Nervosa requires a brief mention within this module as it also accounts for abnormal BMIs but will be covered elsewhere within your medical degree course.

The aim of this module is to facilitate learning regarding the topic of Body Mass Index (BMI). 

Clinical Skills

• Dr Eleanor Chiu
• Miss Alyssia Broomfield
• Miss Iona Taylor 

Launch this module

Hand Hygiene

Health Care Associated Infection (HCAI) is a critical patient safety issue. At any one time up to eight per cent of inpatients in England and Wales have HCAI (Smythe et al 2008).

Statistics for England and Wales show that 5,109 deaths involved MRSA and 13,189 involved Clostridium difficile during the period 2001-2006 in patient care establishments (NPSA, 2008).

Evidence shows that improving Hand Hygiene contributes significantly to the reduction of HCAI.

The aim of this module is to facilitate learning regarding the purpose and procedure of Hand Hygiene.

Clinical Skills

• Sian Williams (Clinical Skills Tutor/Manager)

Launch this module

Standard Precautions / Personal Protective Equipment

‘Standard precautions [formerly called universal precautions] are meant to reduce the risk of transmission of pathogens from both recognized and unrecognized sources. They are the basic level of infection control precautions which are used in the care of all patients’ (WHO 2007).

The aim of this module is to facilitate learning regarding the reasons for standard precautions and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in healthcare.

Clinical Skills

• Carole Loveridge (Lecturer in Women’s Health)

Launch this module

Rinne's & Weber's Tests

In clinical practice it is common to see patients complaining of hearing loss. It is useful to be able to have a simple test that can distinguish where the site of the cause of the hearing loss is. This can help guide the need for further examination, investigation and management.

The aim of this tutorial is to understand the purpose of Rinne’s test and Weber’s test and to understand when you would use it

Clinical Skills

• Dr Alan Stone (General Practitioner and Senior Clinical Tutor)

Launch this module

Copyright Consent Registration Form

Modern teaching practices often make extensive use of creative media to enhance the information offered to students. However, such creative media (e.g. photographs, images, videos, audio, diagrams etc.) can be expensive to produce and it can be very tempting to download something from the Internet, or copy something from a book, to avoid the need to create media from scratch.

When obtaining material (for example; images, video, articles of text), the first step is to determine whether permission has been granted for use within education. If there is no clear indication then appropriate steps should be taken to obtain permission from wherever the material has been sourced. The Copyright Consent Registration Form is designed to record evidence that the media you are using has been granted for such use.  

Before completing the form, please ensure you are familiar with the MEDIC e-learning Copyright Guidelines. 

Top Free Blogging Platforms

Blogging has become an extremely popular electronic means to share knowledge and ideas in the form of a chronological journal. Read more about what blogs are in the previous article.

For those interested in setting up a blog for any subject specific purpose, here is a short list of what can be considered as a few of the top free blogging platforms available on the web;

Wordpress
Blogger
Tumblr
Posterous
TextPattern

Collaborative Work using Google Docs

Google Docs is a collaborative workspace which is already being used within the medic elearning team whilst writing documentation requiring frequent input from two or more contributors. If you are not already familiar with Google Docs, it is another cloud-based web service which allows files/documents to be created and edited in real-time by multiple authors. Google Docs allows creation of documents as:

• Text
• Spreadsheets
• Presentations
• Drawings
• Forms
• Tables

The service is useful for the creation of dynamic content such as forms and surveys, useful for quick questionnaires should the need arise. Google Calendar is a useful feature for sharing an event or establishing availability without the need for extra effort in 'chasing' people up.

Once you have created your document, you can invite people to view/edit it via email.

Sign up to Google Docs now, or
Try without signing up

Sharing Files using Dropbox

In addition to email, you can now share files with the medic e-learning team via Dropbox. Dropbox is a cloud-based file sharing service which allows two computers to edit and share content using dedicated space on Dropbox. This means that there is no need to manually upload or download a latest copy of whatever file you have been working on with someone. Share your files now with medic e-learning.

Instructions:

1. Install Dropbox on the computers and/or mobile devices you use
2. Put files in your Dropbox folder
3. Share your folder with others

Pros:

• Automatic synchronise
• Un-delete option
• Revert to old copy
• Share files with two or more users
• Install on mobile devices

Cons:

• Limited storage
• Registration required

ePortfolio

Overview
The ePortfolio software currently used on the Undergraduate curriculum has been developed in-house to support the Year 5 requirements to encourage structured reflective writing, to provide a mechanism to get feedback on that writing and to provide assessment tools that allow online submission and marking. At time of development no COTS product could be identified that fulfilled these requirements.

The system has been developed with significant influence from blogging engines, but adding additional structuring and tools to facilitate the guided reflection the Year 5 programme wished to cultivate. The portfolio also has a strong concept of privacy, with student content being private unless they choose to share it. However, they are free to share their content with anyone.

The portfolio provides an online rich text editor (similar to a blogging engine) with the ability to attach files and images. To support reflective writing, the ePortfolio includes a mechanism to provide templates to the students to provide structure and guidance. The templates are loaded into the rich text editor (if a student selects one) and the student can then work within the template to create their content.

Students can organise their content using keywords (tags and groups) and can share their content with anyone else by using the person’s email address to invite them to view items of content. This use of email address allows users without Cardiff University login details to also gain access to the system.

The ePortfolio uses groups to provide organisation within the portfolio and providing a subset of students with access to specific templates, information and assignments.

System Usage
To-date the ePortfolio is only used in Year 5. It was initially introduced to support students on their Medicine in the Community placement. Since then the system has been rolled out across the whole of Year 5, with requirements to produce reflective content for all three of the Year 5 clinical placements. The system has undergone a number of revisions to support this expansion and to resolve technical problems experiences by students on placements where there is either poor or no Internet connectivity.

The Medicine in the Community placements are the only placements using the submission and marking tools built in to the ePortfolio.

System Administration & Support
System administration has become simpler and less time consuming as the system has developed and become more robust and user friendly.

Main areas of administration are:

Configuration of the Groups for each of the placements during each academic session. This is usually a matter of copying groups from the previous year and adding students to the appropriate groups.

Occasionally additional templates or resources have to be added to groups to meet the changing requirements of the course.

Support for Students
Sometimes students change the order of their rotations requiring their access to groups to be modified. Other technical problems do occur occasionally, which require investigation.

Support for NHS Staff
NHS staff access the ePortfolio through the email invitation system. When they are invited to view a student’s content they receive an email informing them of this. The first time they access the system they are required to activate their account, providing a few personal details and a password.

Once this has been completed they can log in using their email address as a user name and the password they generated during activation. This process can sometimes cause problems (missing emails, forgotten passwords, misread emails etc.), and it is necessary to diagnose and resolve problems with NHS staff accessing the site. The System Administration tools provide information on the state of an account (e.g. whether it has been activated or not) as well as the ability to reset a password (there is also an automated password rest function available from the log in screen).

Future Plans
A number of initiatives within the School will have significant impact on the future of the current ePortfolio system:

The Harmonisation programme is looking to blur the lines between the fifth year of the undergraduate course and the first year Junior Doctor programme. Use of the ePortfolio system currently used by the Junior Doctor programme within Year 5 is strongly being considered.

The C21 curriculum redesign programme is generating a lot of interest in ePortfolios across the curriculum. At present discussions are fragmented and there is need to ensure discussions about an ePortfolio and the associated requirements are curriculum-wide to ensure any solution is used and applied consistently across the curriculum and that the purpose of the portfolio is well understood by staff and students.

Along with the discussions above about use of an ePortfolio there is a real need to look at the ePortfolio from an educational and a student perspective. It is vital the purpose of the portfolio is clear and well communicated and it is not just a tool used for administrative benefits.

Clinical Skills Modules

The Clinical Skills component of the curriculum, at present, makes most use of the School's e-learning provision. The focus on practical procedures has been successfully aided by the addition of accompanying self-directed  learning modules, for study prior to attending practical sessions, and in the lead-up to OSCE examinations.

Click on a thumbnail image to launch a module.
(PowerPoint source availability to be announced).

< Back to Module Categories 

Airway Management	Arterial Puncture	Basic Ward Monitoring	Blood Cultures
Blood Glucose Monitoring & Sliding Scale	Blood Pressure & Basic Physical Signs	BMI	Drug Calculation
ECG Recording	Female Catheterisation
Hand Hygiene	Handwashing, Gloving & Gowning	IV Drug Administration	IV Fluids & Pump Setup
Lumbar Puncture	Male Catheterisation	Nose, Throat & Skin Swabs	Clinical Waste Management
Pregnancy Testing	Personal Protective Equipment	Rinne's & Weber's	Safe Injection Administration
Safe Prescription Writing	Dealing With Sharps Injuries	Shock	Suturing
Urinalysis	Venepuncture	Venous Cannulation	Wound Assessment

  < Back to Module Categories