Computer assisted learning (CAL) or e-learning may be one of a number of solutions to the delivery of Interprofessional education. E-approaches are thought to offer potential solutions to some of the barriers with Interprofessional education (namely deliverying IPE to large numbers of health and social care students, logistical aspects, accommodation and time constraints)
Possible barriers to Interprofessional learning include:
Barrier - Lack of appropriate learning material. Most health related digital resources focus on individual rather than collaborative learning.
E-advantage. Students can collaborate around e-resources (scenarios and activities) that are precisely tailored to address IPL outcomes and capabilities, and which encourage collaborative learning
Barrier - Stereotypical and counter-productive views of other professions often stemming from lack of knowledge of the roles, skills, values and philosophies espoused by other professions.
E-advantage. Students can explore differences in philosophical approaches, values and models of practice in a safe virtual learning environment.
Barrier - Limited professional representation: No single HEI in the UK offers programmes for every health and social care profession. This means that there are inevitably institutionally biased gaps in professional representation and perspectives which can undermine the validity and relevance of IPL
E-advantage. Students can gain access to professions which have interacted with the patient/client but who are not represented in the HEI. (Either through representation in the e-resource or guest participation in online interactions).
Barrier - Professional status and power relationships. Documented evidence suggests that students from professions perceived as ‘less powerful’ may be reticent about expressing their views when in the presence of ‘more powerful, higher status’ professions.
E-advantage. Online interaction permits timely and considered responses: students have time to form a group identity in which they feel comfortable about sharing insights.
Barrier - Unequal exposure to inter-professional collaboration during practice placements. Some placements expose students to frequent interactions with other professionals and good practice in inter-professional working, many placements do not.
E-advantage. Through e-resources, students can experience a wider and more equitable range of opportunities to fulfil IPL capabilities than can be guaranteed by their individual practice placements
Barrier - Capacity and logistics. There is often insufficient teaching space with appropriately sized and configured breakout rooms to accommodate large numbers of students from different professional courses. Meanwhile all health and social care courses require students to spend a significant part of their learning time in practice settings. Thus opportunities for inter-professional ‘classes’ are severely constrained and impacted by timetabling restrictions.
E-advantage. The use of e-approaches to IPL enables students to undertake learning at any time of day or night while in the University or on placement. Thus they can communicate via virtual learning sets even when geographically separate.
Barrier - Addressing the patient perspective: As the principle of IPL is to encourage inter-professional working around the needs of the patient, then it follows that IPL must be informed by the patient’s voice. This introduces further logistical and ethical barriers (related to patient consent and data protection) to achieving effective patient-centred IPL for large numbers of students without intimidating the patient.
E-Advantage. Patients’/clients’ authentic accounts of illness or care can be presented through an interactive virtual learning environment that facilitates interaction without the patient/client having to speak to students en masse.
One of the main strands of CIPeLs work is to test out the validity of possible solutions. CIPeL currently have three areas for staff to consider and engage in learning activites and research utilising technological solutions. These are:
CIPeL in CURVE http://curve.coventry.ac.uk
CIPeL Interprofessional Centre in Second Life (SL) - Coventry University Island.
CIPeL Centre and laboratory in James Starley Building (Coventry University). A physical space where we welcome visitors to meet, and engage with our learning technologies.
One of our current research projects is IPLOMUVE focuses on Interprofessional learning in second life. If you wish to socialise and engage with other IP activities in Second life contact e.clarke@coventry.ac.uk