Why should I develop distance learning or online CPD courses?

Professor Rebecca Bennett

My background

• Philosopher working in medical ethics for 21 years.

• Developed a distance learning MA/LLM in Healthcare Ethics and Law which launched in February 2002.

• In September 2011 launched short non-award bearing online courses in Healthcare Ethics and Law

Worries about Distance/online Learning

• It’s dumbing down • It will remove the need for

teaching/teachers• It’s expensive and time consuming to

develop and deliver• Students will do less well than in face to

face teaching• Spending all this time on DL and online

learning will harm my promotion prospects.

The positives I have found in distance and online learning

• It has allowed my Centre to reach markets we would not otherwise reach and allowed us to survive in a shrinking market.

• Developing distance and online learning resources and interfaces has encouraged our staff to use this experience to enrich campus based courses and enhance the student experience on campus.

• Developing these materials has allowed me to understand my teaching better and improve the other teaching I do.

The positives I have found in distance and online learning

• Students do as well if not better on well designed online and distance learning courses – and these courses allow students more flexibility.

• Spending time on Distance learning and online learning didn’t harm my promotion prospects.

But

• they are expensive and time consuming to develop and deliver.

2 ends of the DL spectrum

• MA/LLM/PGDip/PGCert in Healthcare Ethics and Law – formal teaching and assessment, award bearing

• Online CPD courses in Healthcare Ethics and Law – self-guided learning and online assessment, non-award bearing.

Why Distance Learning?

• Distance Learning MA/LLM has been highly successful allowing us to maintain the market share in a shrinking market.

• Online CPD courses allow us to:– Increase income– Bring more students into our Masters level

programmes– Provide us with flexible online materials to

use to support other teaching activities.

MA/LLM by DL CPD/online courses by DL

Attendance No attendance – optional study day per year

No attendance

Award Masters level awards, PGCert and PGDiploma

No academic award but CPD points available.

Assessment Essays and dissertation Online quizzes (no marking needed)

Delivery Open University style delivery with online materials, discussions, multimedia etc and posted out workbooks.

Through Dreamweaver webpages embedded in Blackboard or another VLE.

Workload Relatively heavy: DL at masters level done well involves extended one-to-one interaction with students

Very light: These courses are designed to need very little input from staff apart from a few hours a year updating.

Price £6,500 (non EU £14,500) £90-600

Development Based on existing campus based Masters – initially emulating the structure of this existing programme.

Based on my experience of the needs of healthcare professionals and healthcare and life science students.

Online/CPD coursesDesigned to work on different

levels• For individuals:– You can work through the materials,

consolidate with the summary and complete the online quizzes.

– You can do all of the above but in addition follow up the extra reading (via the University Library) and use video lectures and other resources.

Online/CPD coursesDesigned to work on different

levels• For organisations/courses:– These online courses can be used to

support UG or PGT courses where specialist teaching may be needed e.g. nursing, audiology, medicine, dentistry, optometry.

– Adding different assessment to these courses allows them to be flexible and work for these further purposes.

– These courses can be used across campus and I intend to sell them to other institutions.

Current online CPD

• Medical Decision-Making: Ethics and Law– Introduction to Health Care Ethics and Law – Introduction to law and legal research – The moral and legal importance of the principle of respect

for individual autonomy– The importance of valid legal consent – How much information is enough? – Mental capacity, competence and consent – Refusal and withdrawal of treatment – Treating children and adolescents – Confidentiality

Current online CPD

• Introduction to Research Ethics

Coming soon:• Mental Capacity Law and Deprivation of

Liberty Safeguards• Genetics and Ethics• Death or Serious Injury in Healthcare:

Regulation and the Criminal Law

Making distance learning work?

• Know your market and provide something that they want.

• Use the tools that work best to provide this learning experience and fit the needs of your students – whether this is fully online, some workbooks, mixed with face-to-face teaching.

• Don’t give up. If you are convinced there is a good market for these courses keep going.

http://www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/tandl/resources/distancelearning/index.html

For access to a free sample of the CPD courses email:Rebecca.Bennett@manchester.ac.uk