LearnHybrid - A hybrid training model to ensure the development of competence in health sciences

LearnHybrid

LearnHybrid supports learning and competence in hybrid teaching.

Funders

Project information

Project duration

-

Funded by

European Structural and Investment Funds - European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)

Funding amount

161 902 EUR

Project coordinator

University of Oulu

Contact information

Contact person

Project description

LearnHybrid supports learning and competence in hybrid teaching.

LearnHybrid project will develop new sustainable digital methods for teaching and guidance that will have a positive impact on the development and well-being of future health sciences professionals and experts and the competence of educators.

  • The LearnHybrid project will develop a model for hybrid teaching and education for educators to implement hybrid teaching and strengthen their competence.
  • The results of the project are necessary to ensure the adequate competence of future health sciences professionals and experts and the flexibility, quality and equal treatment of students, as well as the competence development of educators̕ and planning and implementation of the education. The hybrid education model can be applied and further developed in a multidisciplinary way in different educations regarding continuous learning as well as complemented by various technological solutions such as virtual reality applications.

Project actions

1. Hybrid education model -developing and piloting hybrid teaching

In the first phase of the project, hybrid education model for teaching will be developed and the model will be piloted in education concretely.

In this context, hybrid learning refers to flexible learning and teaching synchronously to have both student face to face and online. Teaching in hybrid learning environments involves pedagogical challenges, such as how to activate and engage online students equally with those in face to face teaching. In addition, communication technology, as well as students' technological skills, must be taken into account.

The hybrid education model can provide students flexible way to participate in studies, either online or in face to face teaching. In a hybrid education model, the benefits of online learning can be combined with the benefits of face to face learning in a way that supports different students and different life situations. The hybrid education model will support different learners, giving more diverse opportunities to influence their own learning styles and habits. The hybrid education model also allows educators different ways to organize teaching. The model provides clear guidelines and recommendations for managing the workload of educators, utilizing team-teaching and technology and collaborative methods between different experts.

The construction of the hybrid education model is based on recent studies about the hybrid learning as well as new information that will be gathered during the project. The project applies user-oriented design, in which educators, students and different experts are involved in designing and developing the model by implementing Design Thinking workshops. The method helps to understand the needs of users, to reformulate problems in people-centered ways, to create new ideas in brainstorming sessions, and also to try and test them before implementation.

2. Course for the educators about hybrid teaching

In the second phase of the project, course (2 ECT) will be created to develop health science educators hybrid teaching competence.

In the course, multidisciplinary support of different experts are offered for educators to strengthen pedagogical competence and, in particular, to implementing hybrid teaching. The course will support educators̕ ability to manage hybrid teaching at a safer and higher quality level. It will strengthen their ability to utilize team-teaching with other educators, give a clear path and process for managing hybrid learning situations, and provide necessary support in students̕ learning process.

The course will be implemented for educators as hybrid education model, integrating the digital learning and teaching methods suitable for hybrid teaching developed in this project in the course. The competence of the educators to be trained will be assessed by self-assessment before and after completing the course, so that the effects of the hybrid teaching competence development of the educators̕ can be assessed.

Project results

Integrating the hybrid education model into teaching and testing the model with health science students and educators.

The pilot phase involves careful planning for teaching; taking technical perspectives into account, the roles and workload of educators and students and developing interactivity. In the pilot phase, hybrid teaching is conducted in a LeaF learning environment, that is learning space where students’ and teachers’ social interactions can be observed, experiences gathered, and changes in the functionality of the model immediately adapted.

As a result, guidelines are prepared for educators to implement effective hybrid education and to take into account the necessary pedagogical aspects in hybrid, synchronous face to face and online education.

Hybrid education model and online course

The hybrid education model developed in the project, as well as the hybrid teaching competence course will be published as open online material, that can be used by anyone for the development of hybrid teaching.

The new hybrid education model offers a flexible transition from contact and / or e-learning implemented by traditional methods to education with no time and space limitations. In the future, the hybrid education model can be used directly for health science education nationally, but the hybrid education model is suitable for use in all education for adults.

Links

Partners

The project will be conducted in collaboration of Faculty of Medicine and Learning & Educational Technology Research Unit (LET).