TY  - JOUR
AU  - Edirippulige, Sisira
AU  - Smith, Anthony C
AU  - Armfield, Nigel R
AU  - Bensink, Mark
AU  - Wootton, Richard
PY  - 2012
DA  - 2012/12/18
TI  - Student Perceptions of a Hands-on Practicum to Supplement an Online eHealth Course
JO  - J Med Internet Res
SP  - e182
VL  - 14
IS  - 6
KW  - Telemedicine
KW  - Remote consultation
KW  - Education and training
KW  - curriculum
AB  - Background: Since 2000, the Centre for Online Health (COH) at The University of Queensland has offered a range of online eHealth courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate level. While online learning has a number of advantages, in some domains, it can present some challenges to the development of practical skills and experience. Objective: To assess students’ perceptions of the value of an eHealth practicum. Methods: To supplement our online learning program, we introduced an eHealth practicum component that aimed to expose students to a range of clinically relevant learning experiences. Subsequently, by means of a questionnaire, student perceptions of the practicum were assessed. Results: Over two semesters, a total of 66 students participated in the eHealth practicum, and questionnaire responses were very positive. The majority of students agreed that the practicum allowed them to gain necessary skills in eHealth applications (59%) and provided them with an opportunity to explore ways of using different eHealth tools for the delivery of health care at a distance (62%). Conclusions: The study shows that a practical component in eHealth teaching was well received by students. While online teaching is appropriate for providing knowledge, the opportunity to develop practical skills may encourage students to use eHealth techniques in their future practices. 
SN  - 1438-8871
UR  - http://www.jmir.org/2012/6/e182/
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.2029
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23246840
DO  - 10.2196/jmir.2029
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/jmir.2029
ER  -