Table 1
Existing Equipment and Facilities (Feb 2016).
| Facility | Capacity | Existing Equipment |
|---|---|---|
| Auditorium (main lecture room) | Seating for 50 to 60 students | Whiteboard. Data projector only on request |
| Annex Classrooms (3) | Seating for 20 to 30 students | Whiteboards with badly cracked surfaces |
| Students’ Computer Laboratory | Twenty PCs on an intranet | Running Linux with OpenOffice |
| Lecturers’ Computer Laboratory | Five PCs on an intranet | Running Linux with OpenOffice |
| Dell Server | 72 terabyte storage | Moodle with some lesson content (not regularly updated) |
| Wi-Fi Network | Not functioning | |
| Library | About 6,000 medical and pharmacy books | Manual stock and loan system. Open from 8 am to 4 pm weekdays only |
Figure 1
Proposed E-learning Infrastructure.
Table 2
ICT Infrastructure Installed (May 2016 to May 2017).
| Hardware | Software |
|---|---|
| Dell PowerEdge Server, uninterruptable power supply (UPS) and switch. | Microsoft Office 365 licenses for 450 students and lecturers. |
| Five data projectors (one for each lecture room and one spare) with five spare bulbs. | Special interface in SharePoint to simulate a LMS. |
| 55-inch monitor screen mounted on the wall of Lecturer’s Laboratory. | SharePoint configured with COHLS course outline structure and populated with existing as well as new e-learning content. |
| Jabra omnidirectional microphone and Logitech webcam. | CmapTools [15] (Concept map). |
| Lecture hall loudspeaker system consisting of two remote handheld microphones, internal battery supply, Bluetooth connections and internet connectivity. |
Table 3
Workshops.
| Workshop Topic | Software Used | Application for the COHLS |
|---|---|---|
| Concept Mapping for Knowledge Transfer | CmapTools | Empowers users to construct, navigate, share, and criticize knowledge models represented as concept maps. Attendees got practical experience on how to create concepts maps of their lectures. These can be used by lecturers for teaching and evaluation and by students for learning. |
| Creating Sreencasts/Videos Using PowerPoint | Office 2013 or 2016 with PowerPoint | Attendees got practical experience on creating their own screencasts/videos of their lectures using PowerPoint. We covered some PowerPoint’s basics and progressed to recording the lecturer’s voice over their slides. Each person was given a headset microphone. We concluded with producing a screencast or video of a PowerPoint lesson. |
| Finding Evidence-based Medical Information on the Internet | Laptop with a browser and internet connection. | Hands-on experience on how to find evidence-based information on the internet. The workshop covered Boolean logic and progressed to using Medical Subject Headings (MesH) for retrieving results from PubMed and its related medical databases. We concluded with an overview of a wide range of open source online journals. |
| Using OneNote and Class Notebooks | Microsoft OneNote and Class Notebook | Lecturers and Teaching Assistants were taught to use the tools on Office 365 in for creating online lessons for uploading to their LMS. Online sources of free, peer-reviewed medical courses were also evaluated for possible inclusion in their modules. |
| Medical Apps for Your Smartphone | Online workshops with supporting PDF and video. | Lecturers attended the online workshops on using various useful apps on their smartphones to support patient care. Several apps were demonstrated, including a drug database and HIV treatment guidelines. |
Figure 2
Capacity Building Workshops.
Figure 3
Overview of Office 365 Functionality for the COHLS.
Figure 4
The E-learning Model.
Table 4
Lessons Learnt.
|