Overcoming The Limitations Of The Traditional Educational Paradigm with WebBased Technology

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• METHODS MATERIALS
• The WBLC was developed using an established
  project design model that includes
• 1. Strategic Planning.
• extensive information gathering and,
  consultation.
• storyboard and site map creation.
• 2. Creative Design.
• HTML pages, icons, buttons and the navigation
  system were developed (Figures 1 and 2).
• 3. Production.
• Course materials, graphic elements, and Flash
  movie clips were created using a variety of
  computer software packages and hardware
  equipment.
• Materials were edited and uploaded to the WebCT
  server.
• 4. Evaluation.
• Questionnaires were created to assess both
  computer literacy of the student users as well as
  the effectiveness of the resource for enhancing
  student learning.
• Data collection was accomplished through the
  Student Tracking feature of WebCT, on-line
  questionnaires, and informal feedback from
  students and faculty.
• Software Used Microsoft Word97, PowerPoint97,
  Macromedia Dreamweaver 3.0 Macromedia Flash
  4.0, Paintshop Pro 5.0, Adobe PhotoShop 5.5,
  WebCT 1.31.
• Hardware Used PC for Web Design Kodak DC280
  digital camera for taking pictures which were
  incorporated in flash movie clips.

• ABSTRACT
• Introduction The Faculty of Pharmaceutical
  Sciences at UBC offers a traditional approach to
  professional pharmacist training that imposes
  several limitations on both the learner and the
  teacher. Recently, computer and Internet
  technologies have been implemented in the
  development of a Web-Based Learning Centre
  (WBLC). This Centre has been utilized to overcome
  the limitations of the traditional educational
  paradigm by
• enriching the teaching and learning environment
• providing greater integration of pharmacy
  disciplines
• improving access to resource materials
• developing a learning community
• improving computer literacy
• Rationale To investigate if the WBLC can
  overcome the program limitations and enhance
  student learning and teaching practice.
• Methods The WBLC was developed using an
  established project design model that includes
  strategic planning, creative design, production
  and evaluation phases. Data collection was
  accomplished through the Student Tracking
  feature of WebCT, on-line questionnaires, and
  informal feedback from students and faculty.
• Results Within WBLC courses, the teaching and
  learning environments are enriched with graphics,
  animations, video, quizzes and problem sets not
  traditionally available. Integration through
  hypertext linking, of pharmacy courses and
  disciplines, and the use of case-based problems
  provide students with a greater understanding of
  the impact of each discipline on pharmacy
  practice decision making. The learning community
  was enhanced using email, bulletin boards and
  real-time chat tools. Students inquiries are
  minimized through continuous access to the course
  materials and the learning community.
• Conclusion A web-based educational resource was
  successfully created with the capability to
  enhance teaching and learning in pharmacy
  education. The WBLC was well received by students
  and faculty, but more work is required to
  optimize its full potential.

Overcoming The Limitations Of The Traditional
Educational Paradigm with Web-Based Technology

• 2. Integration of course materials provided
  through strategic cross-discipline linking of
  materials as well as the use of case-based
  integrated problems allows
• Understanding of the impact of each discipline on
  pharmacy practice decision making
• Development of higher level critical thinking
  skills.
• 3. The WBLC provided a set of communication tools
  to allow student-student and faculty-student
  communications.
• Threaded bulletin boards were used for discussion
  of course related (and non-related) discussions,
  and course announcements.
• E-mail and chat features were not fully utilized
  due limitations of WebCT 1.3.
• 4. Students have greater access to course
  materials due to the flexibility of the web
  environment.
• Students have access, via a single login and
  user-centric navigation bar (Figures 1 and 2), to
  all course materials in any of the WBLC courses.
• WBLC courses are available at any computer
  workstation with internet access.
• Usage statistics of the WBLC suggests that most
  students have used the WBLC courses (Table 1).

Hits to
Articles Hits to
Content Pages/ Read/ Course Index
page Students Student Student
Phar 211 3129 137
6 1 Phar 311 1259
135 6 3 Phar 325 6416
137 179 160 Phar
300 5859 139 92
71 Phar 360 13331
141 619 247 Phar
402/403 2091 118 118
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• RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
• A WWW-based educational resource tool which
  integrated Pharmacy 211, 300, 311, 325, 360, 402,
  402 and Continuing Pharmacy Education (CPE) was
  utilized to overcome the limitations of the
  traditional learning paradigm.
• 1. The interface of the WBLC utilizes a
  combination of text, interactive multimedia,
  animation, stills, interlinks, intralinks and
  URLinks to enhance teaching and learning. The
  various types of media gave the instructors more
  flexibility in teaching.
• Key concepts that are difficult to explain on
  static overheads are more effectively taught
  using animated movie clips.
• Learning was enhanced by accommodating the
  individual learning styles of students though
  the use of static and dynamic media.

• INTRODUCTION
• The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences offers a
  traditional approach to professional pharmacist
  training. Although this current educational
  paradigm remains in place for developing the
  skills necessary for the practicing pharmacist,
  the approach does impose several limitations on
  both the learner and the teacher. A paradigm
  shift, placing more emphasis on learning in
  education, continues to emerge with the ability
  to combine computer and internet technologies
  with current teaching practices to create more
  effective educational resources capable of
  addressing these limitations.
• The WBLC utilized the following strategies to
  address the current program limitations
• 1. Discipline integration involved
• Construction of detailed course storyboards and
  site maps followed by side by side analysis to
  identify natural commonalities for the purpose of
  inter-links between courses.
• Development of cross-disciplinary case-based
  problems.
• 2. Enrichment of the teaching and learning
  environment through
• The use of interactive multimedia (graphics,
  CD-ROM media, Flash movie clips).
• 3. Development of a learning community through
• Threaded bulletin board discussion forums.
• Student/Faculty e-mail.
• Live internet chat.
• HYPOTHESIS
• We hypothesize that the use of a web-based
  resource (The Web-Based Learning Centre) may
  overcome the program limitations and enhance
  learning and teaching practice.

Howard Sham, Nelson P. Kuhlen, Philip Hui, Kishor
M. Wasan and Simon P. Albon
Hits to Course Content The average number of
accesses to course material per student.
Articles Read The average number of articles on
the bulletin board that were accessed per
student.
Table 1 Usage statistics of the WBLC courses.

• CONCLUSION
• A WWW-based educational resource tool was
  successfully created to
• address the limitations of the current pharmacy
  curriculum.
• shift the emphasis from a teacher-centered to a
  learner-centered educational environment for
  students.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The SPIDERS team would like
to acknowledge generous support from the UBC
Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund (SA KW),
the Government of British Columbias Youth
Options BC Student Summer Works 2000 program,
UBCs Continuing Studies, Distance Education
Technology Department, and the Faculty of
Pharmaceutical Sciences.