Dl Pullen

An Evaluative Case Study of Online Learning for Healthcare Professionals

BACKGROUND This evaluation study assessed the pedagogical and instructional design (e-pedagogy) effectiveness of online continuing professional education (CPE) courses offered by a large Australian CPE provider. METHODS A naturalistic theory approach and a multilevel evaluation were used to examine the impact of web-based learning on more than 300 healthcare professionals. Participant satisfaction, learning achievement, self-reported practice performance change, and e-pedagogical courseware characteristics were assessed by various qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. RESULTS Findings revealed that learning online was an effective means for increasing CPE knowledge (p < .05) and improving self-reported practice performance change (p < .05). Courses containing a clinical tool resulted in an increased self-reported practice performance change over courses that did not (Zobs = 3.757). CONCLUSION Online CPE offers a convenient format for healthcare professionals from educationally and geographically diverse populations to update their knowledge and view best practice.

Technoliteracy, Discourse and Social Practice: Frameworks and Applications in the Digital Age

Design and technology education Hybrid identity design online ICT in language learning Lack of technology integration Literacy of gaming Literate practices Multiliteracies and games Technoliteracy in practice Technology in society Vodcasting

Conceptualizing Trauma for Children of Drug Addicted Mothers: A Developmental Mapping

Children of drug addicted mothers are exposed to highly stressful experiences and experience high levels of psychological and emotional distress, alongside psychiatric nosology with multiple comorbid symptoms. The following study extends the work of Lombard, et al. classify the consequences of prolonged or ongoing trauma of children of addicted mothers using lifespan domains. Children of addicted mothers are often exposed to severe and ongoing events of trauma, or environments that are not conducive to adequate development, resulting in a complex array of comorbid and compounding physical and psychological problems. Results showed that the prevalence of trauma experienced by children were categorized as being from social and physical domains, with the emotional domain (reported neglect=26) also being high. These experiences resulted predominantly in behavioral problems and emotional problems. The most salient problems included a child who reported hearing the devil speak to them in an ongoing manner, two children reporting attempted homicides on siblings, and three children reporting hurting animals. Further research in capturing and detailing the extent of the trauma experienced and the resulting lifespan domain problems is necessary.

Pre-Service Teachers’ Perception of Age Through a Developmental Lens

The present study examined the perception of aging among a cohort of pre-service teachers undertaking an undergraduate degree in primary school education. Using a self-reported questionnaire adapted from the work of Rubin and Berntsen, 331 undergraduate students were asked a series of questions relating to their perceptions of aging. It was concluded that younger pre-service teachers held a more positive perception of aging than older pre-service teachers. Younger pre-service teachers seemed to display a greater level of optimism toward future life experiences, eager to explore their world and make new relationships, than were older aged students.