This document discusses open education in health professional programs. It begins by outlining the driving forces for open education, including recommendations from educational organizations. Two models are described that can facilitate open education: constructivism and sociocultural theory. An example is provided of an undergraduate nursing program that used online problem-based learning. Students found benefits like accessibility and efficiency, while relationship development and visual cues were challenges. The document concludes with a call for examples from other programs and discussion of implementation strategies and new technologies.

1. Open Education in Health
Professional Programs:
conceptualization and
applications from an
Undergraduate Nursing Program
Ruth Chen RN, PhD
McMaster University School of Nursing
Lisa-Anne Hagerman RN, Ed.D
Conestoga College Institute of Technology and
Advanced Learning

2. Education “is the kindling of a
flame, not the filling of a vessel”
(Socrates).

3. OVERVIEW
• Driving forces for “Open” Education within
Health Professional Education (HPE)
Programs
• Models that help to facilitate Open
Education within HPE Programs
• Undergraduate Program research
• Discussion

4. Driving Forces
• WHY is open education in HPE
important?
• WHAT would it look like in HPE?
• HOW to do it?

5. DRIVING FORCES FOR OPEN
EDUCATION WITHIN HEALTH
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
(HPE) PROGRAMS
Open
Access
(Online)
Face–to–
Face
(F2F)

6. WHY ?
• Ministry of Training, Colleges &
Universities
• Higher Education Quality Council
of Ontario
• Canadian Association of Schools
of Nursing (CASN)
• College of Nurses of Ontario
(CNO)

7. MODELS THAT HELP TO
FACILITATE OPEN
EDUCATION WITHIN HPE
PROGRAMS

8. Model to Support Online
Learning
Constructivist Theory & Vygostsky’s
Sociocultural Theory
1. Active & Collaborative Learning
2. Problem-Based learning
3. Social and motivational learning
4. Social dialogue
5. Reflection
6. Promoting Professional Competence

9. ONE UNDERGRADUATE
PROGRAM EXAMPLE

10. An Evolution …
• Synchronous < Asynchronous
• Synchronous = Asynchronous
• Synchronous > Asychronous

11. Online PBL
Final Year, Advanced Nursing Concepts
Courses (2 semesters)
• Mixed Methods, Descriptive design
• Quantitative
• Collaborative learning, Group/Individual
goals, Tutor effectiveness (6.6 – 6.9 / 7)
• Qualitative
 Accessibility, Efficiency, NI-ETP competencies
 Relationship development, visual cues

12. Discussion
• Examples from participants’
departments
• Implementation strategies, challenges
• New developments in distributed
learning (e.g. Web 3.0)