How to Utilize Blended Learning Solutions: SIMTICS Provides Five Tips for Allied Health Colleges and Learning Institutions Using Online Resources

The evolution of the internet now means that new learning resources online are available to students, as a support or an alternative to the traditional teaching models. As technology opens the space for new ideas, flexibility and accessibility to global information, educational environments are embracing the opportunity to develop and teach in a more thorough and efficient capacity. Using online resources enables teachers to incorporate blended learning solutions into their classrooms and provide self-directed activities for students, giving class members control of their own learning activities within formal education programs.

SIMTICS – an online learning solution developed by leading academics and practitioners to enhance healthcare education - provides allied health students the choice of studying and learning from even remote or distant locations, through online simulations. SIMTICS CEO, Cherry Vanderbeke, says that while SIMTICS was initially primarily utilized in the US market as blended learning solutions for schools, its growing popularity has seen its reach extend globally quite quickly. The simulations are now operating successfully in almost 100 countries for over 10,000 people in on-ground classes, distance learning settings, and individual self-paced study. www.simtics.com

“The product is versatile. SIMTICS continues to meet the needs of people everywhere, regardless of their country, culture, or location. It even works for students who don’t speak English as a first language, since they can take as much time as they need to understand the material and practice the simulations,” says Cherry Vanderbeke.

After conducting research about the online experiences of students and teachers, SIMTICS collected 11 general tips to help education institutions make the most out of using online resources in allied health education courses. www.simtics.com

Here are five of those tips:

1. Look for online education resources that don’t require teachers and students to be technical whizzes – don’t let the technology get in the way of the teaching and learning. Check that the product is tried and tested.
2. Build new online resources into the curriculum. This is straightforward; it just means determining where each resource best fits into the sequence of topics and how teachers are going to use each one of the simulations in their program.
3. Make it matter to the students – it’s no use investing in a new resource if the students don’t use it. So give them a reason to use each eLearning resource. For instance, require them to achieve a minimum score for certain activities and include any scores or outputs in the students’ assessments.
4. Teachers must think about what they will ask students to do when using online resources, so the students are clear about what is expected of them. Teachers can try to make it fun, too. For instance, an online resource can often be used in pairs and small groups, even in distance learning situations, not only for self-paced learning. Or teachers could create a competition to achieve the best score or the fewest errors.
5. Be clear on how students will be assessed for their online work. Does the product assess and score students’ work automatically, or will teachers need to do a manual assessment? What will be the pass mark for their online activities? Does the product allow the instructors to view their class’s scores and activity? Will the students need to print out a report or certificate from the product (if one is provided), showing the activity outcome?

Contact Information

Cherry Vanderbeke

CEO

SIMTICS

(1) 310.595.0294

cherry.vanderbeke@simtics.com