In the current COVID-19 pandemic we see that previously established competency-based learning scenarios with sufficient active and collaborative learning are at risk. This is particularly frustrating for the hard-hit healthcare sector, because now more than ever workplaces are desperate to attract an adequate intake of competent young professionals, and teaching staff, who were already scarce, are often fully occupied with patient care. For teaching and learning viewing skills, high quality digital tools for a) assessment with 2D/3D images and b) capturing and visualizing the outcomes of learning activities (learning dashboards) are lacking. Such tools would support teachers in teaching visual competencies and enable learners to share a knowledge base, a joint focus and a joint means of communication. For microscopic pathology as an example of a discipline that is highly dependent on visual imaging technologies the availability of a package of high quality digital tools, training material for medical teachers to acquire digital pedagogical competencies and a good practice example of a online flipped classroom scenario for teaching medical students visual competencies with whole slide images (WSI), could make a valuable contribution to promoting excellence in teaching in higher education. Objective of the cLovid (collaborative Learning of viewing and decisionmaking skills) -project is to provide: 1) the technical conditions necessary to adapt flipped classroom scenarios with active and collaborative activities for microscopic pathology to contextual factors such as enforced social distancing (COVID-19 pandemic), limited campus facilities or the wish to offer distance learning to overcome difficulties with access to education imposed by geographical distance. 2) teaching material for training medical teachers in digital pedagogical competencies; (a) for flipped classroom courses with active and social activities in general; and (b) for supervising online scenarios for microscopic pathology teaching with task-based and collaborative learning activities in particular. 3) evaluations and research on pilot implementations of a methodological framework with a good-practice example of a flipped classroom course on microscopic pathology for undergraduate medical students. Here, both individual tasks and collaborative learning activities are fully online and supported by high quality digital content and tools A strategic partnership of a) the E-Learning Competence Center of the Institute of Medical Education and Student Affairs (IfAS) of the University of Muenster, Germany; b) the Image Sciences Institute (ISI) of the Imaging & Oncology Division of University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU), the Netherlands and c) the Centre for Research on Learning and Instruction (CerLI) of Faculty of Education of University of Turku, Finland will bring together their specific IT, educational technology and pathology-specific teaching expertise to achieve the best need-payoff possible and maximise the opportunities to disseminate its outcome throughout the European higher education sector. Work packages will be: WP 1. Project management and communication, progress and financial reporting WP 2. High quality digital content - Selection of appropriate course content for undergraduate microscopic pathology education - Design and realisation of assignments and digital content (digital slide images) for task-based learning WP 3. High quality digital tools - Selection of appropriate tools (e.g. open-source viewer and archiving system) - Adjustment and extension of VQuest assessment software - Adjustment and extension of PRISMA learning dashboard WP 4. Pilot implementations of a methodological framework with a good -practice example of an online flipped class-room scenario for microscopic pathology teaching - Designing methodological framework - Designing and creating pathology cases in VQuest and virtual group activities in videoconferencing system - Creation material for just-in-time online instruction supervisors and students for implementation - Arranging and carrying out microscopic pathology course in pilot implementations of the online flipped classroom scenario WP 5. Development of digital pedagogical competencies - Development of training material for medical teachers - Organizing and carrying out the transnational training event WP 6. Evaluation, research and dissemination - Evaluation of and research on teacher training and on pilot implementations of methodological framework with good-practice example. - Presenting and publicizing within the international medical education community Since the teaching of visual competencies with 2D/3D-images in an active and collaborative way is also important in many other domains like geography, traffic engineering, physics and chemistry, there is a potential to transfer the methodological framework developed here to fields other than pathology.
The objective of the cLovid (collaborative Learning of viewing and decision-making skills) project was to provide: 1) the technical conditions necessary to adapt flipped classroom scenarios with active and collaborative activities for microscopic pathology to contextual factors such as enforced social distancing (COVID-19 pandemic), limited campus facilities, or the wish to offer distance learning to overcome difficulties with access to education imposed by geographical distance. 2) teaching material for training medical teachers in digital pedagogical competencies; (a) for flipped classroom courses with active and social activities in general; and (b) for supervising online scenarios for microscopic pathology teaching with task-based and collaborative learning activities in particular. 3) evaluations and research on pilot implementations of a methodological framework with a good-practice example of a flipped classroom course on microscopic pathology for undergraduate medical students. Here, both individual tasks and collaborative learning activities are fully online and supported by high-quality digital content and tools.
Over recent years blended learning—the combination of online and face-to-face learning—has been used increasingly in higher education to carry out active and social learning scenarios in an efficient way. The flipped classroom, a specific form of blended learning, was generally seen as one of the most important technological developments in higher education in recent years. However, during the measures of social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw that previously established flipped classroom scenarios were compromised. The “Emergency Remote Teaching” that came in its place lacked the task-based and social activities that motivate students to engage intensively with content. To help the hard-hit healthcare sector at the time, we wanted to provide their educational system with tools, content, and scenarios that enable fully online active and collaborative learning. For microscopic pathology, as an example of a discipline that is highly dependent on visual imaging technologies, the availability of a package of digital tools, digital authentic materials, and examples of fully online flipped classroom scenarios for teaching visual competencies would make a valuable contribution to promoting excellence in teaching.