blended learning

Enhancing Regulatory Capacity of Diverse Healthcare Stakeholder Communities: Reflections on the Development and Delivery of a Graduate Certificate Programme

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Rathi SARAVANAN*, Osman Bin Mohamad, Soumyanarayanan UTTARA, Faith TAN, Silke VOGEL, and LEONG Wai Yeen, James

Centre of Regulatory Excellence, DUKE-NUS Medical School, Singapore 

*rathi@duke-nus.edu.sg

 

Saravanan, R., Osman bin Mohamad, Uttara. S., Tan, F., Vogel, S., & Leong, J. W. Y. (2023). Enhancing regulatory capacity of diverse healthcare stakeholder communities: Reflections on the development and delivery of a graduate certificate programme [Poster presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/enhancing-regulatory-capacity-of-diverse-healthcare-stakeholder-communities-reflections-on-the-development-and-delivery-of-a-graduate-certificate-programme/

SUB-THEME

Communities and Education

 

KEYWORDS

Capacity-building, regulatory science education, blended learning, team-based learning and collaborative learning

 

CATEGORY

Poster Presentations 

 

ABSTRACT

Timely access to safe and good quality essential medicine relies on the capacity and partnerships of diverse stakeholders in the healthcare environment: patients, healthcare professionals, regulators, the industry, academia, and research communities. Regulation of health products is the fundamental approach to safeguard patients against products that are harmful or ineffective. However, navigating this complex and highly dynamic healthcare regulatory landscape requires regulatory knowledge, critical skills, and competencies that are not imparted in standard and structured programmes. The primary challenge for regulatory professionals in diverse stakeholder communities is acquiring the relevant baseline knowledge, and staying relevant with updated current regulatory developments arising from globalisation and technological advancements. Despite the vital role of regulators in accelerating the development and access of life-saving health products, there is limited options for training and continued education in health products regulation, locally and within the region. Addressing this need, the Centre of Regulatory Excellence (CoRE) at DUKE-NUS Medical School in Singapore, launched a graduate certificate (GC) programme in health products regulation in 2017. The GC programme aims at building capabilities of regulatory professionals, while simultaneously promoting partnerships across stakeholders for an efficient and effective regulatory environment in the region.

 

As a team of educators at CoRE, the poster documents the reflections on the journey of developing and delivering the GC programme. The tailored curriculum, leveraging on social constructivism theory, principles of blended learning, team-based learning (TBL), as well as engaged and educated regulatory professionals from diverse stakeholder communities in Singapore and across Asia- Pacific. The active learning strategies utilised in the classroom setting, across physical and virtual platforms, foster 21st-century competencies of collaboration, communication, critical thinking skills, and awareness of the global regulatory landscape. Through the structured curriculum and pedagogical approaches adopted, participants are equipped with the practical skillsets necessary to perform and excel in their roles within the regulatory and healthcare systems. The positive feedback from participants is testimony to the effectiveness of the programme in strengthening the capacities of health product regulatory systems. The key insights outlined will support and refine similar capacity-building efforts as well as collaborative learning programmes in higher education locally and elsewhere.

 

REFERENCES

Bada, S. O., & Olusegun, S. (2015). Constructivism learning theory: A paradigm for teaching and learning. Journal of Research & Method in Education, 5(6), 66-70. Retrieved from https://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jrme/papers/Vol-5%20Issue-6/Version-1/I05616670.pdf.

Michaelsen, L. K., & Sweet, M. (2008). The essential elements of team‐based learning. New directions for teaching and learning, 2008(116), 7-27. https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.330

Goodsell, A. S., Maher, M., Tinto, V., Smith, B. L., & MacGregor, J. T. (1992). Collaborative learning: A sourcebook for higher education. National center on postsecondary teaching, learning, and assessment publishing, Pennsylvania State University

Konduri, N., Rauscher, M., Wang, S. C. J., & Malpica-Llanos, T. (2017). Individual capacity- building approaches in a global pharmaceutical systems strengthening program: a selected review. Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice, 10(16), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40545-017-0104-z

Kusynová, Z., van den Ham, H. A., Leufkens, H. G. M., & Mantel-Teeuwisse, A. K. (2023). Pharmaceutical scientists’ perspectives on capacity building in pharmaceutical sciences. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 112(7), 1997-2003. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xphs.2023.04.015

Vaughan, N. (2007). Perspectives on blended learning in higher education. International Journal on E-learning, 6(1), 81-94. Retrieved from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/6310/.

 

Creating Teaching Videos Using AI-generated Voices

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David CHEW
Department of Statistics and Data Science, Faculty of Science (FOS)

david.chew@nus.edu.sg

 

Chew, D. (2023). Creating teaching videos using AI-generated voices [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/creating-teaching-videos-using-ai-generated-voices/

SUB-THEME

AI and Education 

 

KEYWORDS

Technology-enhanced learning, AI voices, videos, blended learning,  transferability

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentation 

 

ABSTRACT

The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) presents a remarkable opportunity for various industries, and education is no exception. Within the realm of educational technology, a promising opportunity has emerged with the use of AI voices to create teaching videos. This innovative approach harnesses the power of AI to enhance educational content and delivery methods, revolutionising the way knowledge is imparted to learners.

 

In this talk, I describe an effort to make use of AI-generated voices to create teaching videos for the course ST2334 “Probability and Statistics”. ST2334 has an enrolment of 800 students every semester and is offered in a blended learning manner. Each week, students view at their own time 30 to 40 minutes worth of pre-recorded videos, before attending a “live” lecture delivered by the course coordinator. As the course is taught by different faculty members in different semesters, it was decided that the pre-recorded videos will be made with a “neutral” voice. An AI voice software Descript was then used to create the pre-recorded videos.

 

There are several ways you can use Descript.

(A) Use it as a video recorder cum editor

  • Record your teaching videos using your own voice.
  • Import the videos into Descript. Voice narrations will be automatically transcribed into text and aligned automatically to the audio. It is then easy to edit your videos in a word processor-like environment (Figure 1). Instead of working with sound waves (as with many other video editing software), the user can work on the script/words directly. Deleting words will automatically remove the associated video footage.
  • If you like to replace (the audio of) a mispronounced or wrong choice of word, it is possible to select that word, correct it and have that word replaced using a trained AI voice that sounds exactly like you.
  • Annotations/animations can be timed to coincide with text easily.
The Descript interface. Annotations/animations can be timed to sync with words
Figure 1. The Descript interface. Annotations/animations can be timed to sync with words (See blue arrows).

 

(B) Use it to construct your videos from scratch using an AI voice

  • Import your slides/videos into Descript.
  • Overlay the slides/videos with AI voices by typing out a script.
  • You may use (i) a stock AI voice, or (ii) train and use an AI voice that sounds exactly like you.

 

Here are some advantages of using an AI voice software like Descript:

  • The videos can be edited easily in the future, much like how one can easily edit a Word document or a PowerPoint file. Slides can be replaced, the script can be edited and audio regenerated easily in Descript.
  • The videos are easily transferable. Colleagues taking over the course do not have to record new videos using their own voice, but can easily reuse these videos since they are made with a “neutral” stock voice. They can also choose to train and use their own AI voice.

 

The use of an AI voice to produce teaching videos holds tremendous potential. This technology is heavily utilised by podcast content creators. There are many aspects of harnessing AI that educators can learn from such content creators to produce teaching videos that are engaging and accessible to students.

 

REFERENCES

Descript (2020). Introducing Descript [Video]. https://youtu.be/Bl9wqNe5J8U

Descript (2022). Descript Storyboard: Preview & Demo [Video]. https://youtu.be/P7SfbmsEK24

 

 

Exploring Padlet as an Online Tool for Collaborative Peer Learning in Blended Learning Environments: A Case Study in Civil Engineering Education

cdtlsd Paper Presentations , , , , ,

Kevin S. C. KUANG
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Design and Engineering (CDE)

kevinkuang@nus.edu.sg 


Kuang, K. S. C. (2023). Exploring Padlet as an online tool for collaborative peer learning in blended learning environments: A case study in civil engineering education [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/exploring-padlet-as-an-online-tool-for-collaborative-peer-learning-in-blended-learning-environments-a-case-study-in-civil-engineering-education/

SUB-THEME

Others

 

KEYWORDS

Padlet, online tool, collaborative peer learning, blended learning, asynchronous learning

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentation 

 

INTRODUCTION

Blended learning approaches have gained significant attention in recent years, as educators strive to create engaging and interactive learning experiences for students (Garrison & Vaughan, 2008, Owston et al., 2013). By combining traditional face-to-face instruction with online components, blended learning offers the potential to enhance student engagement and promote collaborative learning (Dziuban et al., 2018). In alignment with NUS BL2.0 initiatives, courses are being transformed or designed to incorporate blended learning, thereby enhancing the overall learning experience for students.

 

In the graduate engineering course CE5515 “Structural Health Monitoring”, a blended learning format was adopted to enhance the students’ learning experience, many of whom are working professionals. This module was introduced for the first time in the second semester of Academic Year 2022/23, with a cohort comprising 22 students. The course incorporates a range of student activities, including laboratory work, critical analysis of journal papers, and the completion of mini projects. These mini projects centres around tackling practical, real-world issues such as early landslide detection and the assessment of damage to coastal infrastructure caused by rising sea levels. Collaborative teamwork is emphasised, as students are expected to devise innovative solutions to these complex real-world challenges.

 

An essential element in promoting collaborative learning is the availability of a user-friendly and visually appealing platform that functions as a virtual gallery. This platform serves as a space for students to engage in critique, appreciation, and the exchange of ideas, fostering cross-fertilisation of knowledge and promoting active learning. A digital tool that offers both content curation capability and content distribution will be ideal in achieving the aims and learning outcomes of this course.

 

In the context of CE5515, the focus is on the utilisation of Padlet, an online tool, as a means of facilitating collaborative peer learning in an asynchronous learning environment. Padlet provides a digital platform for students to share their work, ideas, and insights, fostering interaction and collaboration among students (Frison & Tino, 2019). The asynchronous nature of the online tool further facilitated increased opportunities for peer-learning. Students could access and contribute to Padlet at their own pace, allowing for deeper reflection and thoughtful responses. This flexibility in time and space enabled students to engage in discussions and collaborations beyond the confines of traditional classroom settings.

 

Surprisingly, the interaction among students in the Padlet environment exceeded expectations. Students actively engaged with their peers’ work, offering thoughtful feedback, posing relevant queries, and providing constructive comments. This experiment revealed students’ willingness to actively participate and contribute to their classmates’ learning experience, indicating a strong sense of community and a desire for meaningful engagement. The benefits of peer learning is also well recognised in the literature (Slavin, 1983).

 

To incentivise participation and encourage further engagement, a leaderboard and point system were introduced. Students were awarded points based on the quality of their textual input, taking into consideration the depth of their thoughts, the relevance of their responses, and the originality of their ideas. Additionally, evidence of meaningful interaction, including back-and-forth discussions between questioners and respondents, was also rewarded with points. This gamification element motivated students to actively interact with their peers’ work and promoted a sense of healthy competition. Figure 1 shows a screenshot of the Padlet environment used in this study. In this presentation, the author will explore the benefits, challenges, and student experiences of using Padlet as an instructional tool in teaching a graduate course. The aim is to provide practical implications for educators who are interested in integrating collaborative technologies into their own courses.

 

Screenshot showing the Padlet layout used for this study.
Figure 1. Screenshot showing the Padlet layout used for this study.

 

In conclusion, this study aims to provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of blended learning strategies and in particular, the benefits of digital tools such as Padlet which they bring to student learning outcomes. By embracing blended learning and leveraging online tools like Padlet, educators can create engaging, collaborative, and student-centred learning experiences that prepare students for success in a rapidly evolving educational landscape.

 

REFERENCES

Dziuban, C., Graham, C. R., Moskal, P. D., Norberg, A., & Sicilia, N. (2018). Blended learning: The new normal and emerging technologies. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 15(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-017-0087-5

Frison, D., & Tino, C. (2019). Fostering knowledge sharing via technology: A case study of collaborative learning using Padlet. Connecting Adult Learning and Knowledge Management: Strategies for Learning and Change in Higher Education and Organizations, 227-35. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29872-2_13

Garrison, D. R., & Vaughn, N. D. (2008). Blended learning in higher education. Framework, principles, and guidelines. Jossey-Bass Publishers. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9781118269558

Owston, R., York, D., & Murtha, S. (2013). Student perceptions and achievement in a university blended learning strategic initiative. The Internet and Higher Education, 18, 38-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2012.12.003

Slavin, R. E. (1983). When does cooperative learning increase student achievement? Psychological Bulletin, 94(3), 429-45. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.94.3.429 

 

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