Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre

Free Dementia Education Worldwide: Bridging the Gap

Carolyn King

Tony Carew, Jo-Anne Kelder, Justin Walls,

Andrew Robinson and James Vickers

What is a MOOC?

• Massive: up to 100,000 participants at a time

• Open: FREE!

• Online: Online

• Course: within broadest possible terms

What is a MOOC?

Expansive and diverse set of content, contributed by a variety of experts, educators, and instructors in a specific field, and then aggregated into a central repository.

What is a MOOC?

Engagement is a key feature, whereby content is not just about information but what can be done with it, providing a platform for interaction and discussion

Where did it all start?

• Khan Academy

• Stanford, Harvard, MIT

• Coursera, EdX, Udacity

• xMOOCs and cMOOCs

• Best of both worlds?

Understanding Dementia

• University of Tasmania’s first MOOC

• Addressing need for high quality dementia education to improve standard of care

• International focus – eg. Dementia Friends

• Underlying Narrative: Quality of life across the trajectory of dementia

MOOC structure

• 11 week course

• 3 x 3 week units separated by weekly breaks

• Units:

• the brain

• the diseases

• the person

MOOC Content Cont…

The Brain

• Why start with the brain?

• Normal Brain Anatomy

• Normal Brain Function

• Pathology of Dementia

• Future Directions of Research

MOOC Content Cont…

The Diseases

• How is dementia different to normal ageing?

• Risk Factors

• Early Warning Signs

• Diagnosis

• Dementia Symptoms

• Medical Management

MOOC Content Cont…

The Person

• The Insidious onset of Dementia

• Dementia Progression and Staging

• Living with Dementia

• Dementia Palliation

• Behaviours in Dementia

• Strategies and Therapies

Module Structure

• Core content: interviews/video clips

• Activities: reflective notes, discussion forums, quizzes, case studies, scenarios, surveys.

• Engagement/interaction and application of information for learning

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Body Central

Understanding Dementia Pilot

• 3 week pilot released 18th April

• 184 registrants (128 active)

• 25 completed final feedback survey

• 87% rated pilot good or excellent

• 88% stated that they would be interested in completing the full course

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Understanding Dementia Pilot

• Pathway from MOOC into UTAS Associate Degree in Dementia Care

• Elective Unit

• From November 2013

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Personnel Involved

Non-UTAS (Wicking)

Fran McInerney

Jenny Abbey

Jane Tolman

Andrea Price

Kate Swaffer

Hazel Bucher

Martin Morrissey

Central

David Sadler

Luke Padgett

Christopher Shelverton

Stephen Linquist

Sue Mulcahy

Joanna (Aska) Smietanska

Robin Shang

Gary Williams

Natalie Brown

Bronwyn Davies

Derek Rowlands

Katrina Dewis

Jo Bailey

Rachel Perkin

Gordon Campbell

Nell Rundle

Laura Chatwin

Debra Jones

Alicia O’Grady

Brooke Gordon

Cherrie Cooper

Peter Cochrane

Faculty

Justin Walls

Jo-Anne Kelder

Kathleen Doherty

Ellen Ennever

Kiri Fitzpatrick

School and Wicking

James Vickers

Andrew Robinson

Mathew Summers

Matthew Kirkcaldie

Tony Carew

Carolyn King

Nelle Pittman

Jo Hanuszewicz

Graeme McCormack

Alison Canty

Nick Cooling

Netty Gibson

Jamie Chapman

Jeremy O’Reilly

Susan Quarmby

Alex Burnaz

Steve Giltjes

Andrea Carr

External

Rob Phillips

Aidan O’Mara

Kevin Lyall

Robert Harrison

Red Jelly

Understanding Dementia Full Release

Registrations for full 11 week course will open in July

www.utas.edu.au/wicking/understanding-dementia

Register your interest at the Wicking table in the sponsors area

Thank You!

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