It takes many years for an innovative practice with technology to show evidence of impact and
benefit. Since 2012 our clients have used OB3 to bring content and discussions together in the
same place. Lecturing staff and students can pose questions and respond anywhere within the
content, bring examples and adapt to study requirements. It makes contributing as easy as in a
face-to-face classroom.
Our clients’ achievements demonstrate OB3 enables:
Over 17 years, the University of Sydney and the University of Otago have collaborated to deliver
a hybrid degree in ophthalmic sciences. The programme is undertaken by busy early career doctors
wishing to learn about the scientific foundations of ophthalmology. Study involves 18 months
part-time online study followed by a two-week intensive in-person practical.
The distance learning units are delivered using educational technology that brings content
authoring and online discussions together in the same place and transforms students into active
participants. This change in interaction design provides a seamless online learning environment
for students and lecturers from both institutions.
A high level of collaborative content development is enabled, and alumni are provided with
lifelong access to the latest lectures, wiki page collections and study notes. Lecturers and
students across both countries interact online asynchronously and conduct all learning remotely.
Once all the online units are complete, a practical unit is undertaken to reinforce the
theoretical knowledge learned and to expand into practical hands-on experience.
The balance between distance and face-to-face teaching has been a strength of the programme
which is highly rated by students and provides excellent flexibility in the changing medical
environment. Ease of communication between academics in Sydney and Otago universities is also
allowed as well as the ability to innovate, easily update and enhance online content.
Students show excellent engagement with the course content and immediate benefits in the
lecturer-student connection are experienced. Over time, these connections deepen into a
wider-range of collaborative activities between learners. Otago-Sydney students and academics
co-design assignments, with students in control of decision making and having substantial
influence on wiki-style co-written documents, journal clubs, and student-led online lecture
development with multimedia content. Good quality assignments become elements in the curriculum.
The Bachelor of Midwifery programme at Ara Institute underwent a massive change from
face-to-face to blended learning in 2009. The change was driven by issues relating to access and
equity particularly for students living in rural areas or from outside main centres to be able
to study Midwifery, so they did not have to uproot their families/whanau by having to travel to
urban centres to study, with the consequence of many of them never going back.
This programme involves the use of hybrid and flexible teaching models with technologies
that support synchronous and asynchronous delivery. It is based on a distributed model of
blended learning and a network approach in its curriculum design and design of learning
opportunities.
Educational experiences are distributed across a variety of geographic settings, time and
various interactive media. The programme is distributed across the upper South Island/Te
Waipounamu, with satellite students and lecturers/kaiako from across Canterbury, as well as
Nelson, Marlborough, and the West Coast. The educational experiences involve small regional
tutorial groups, centrally located block courses, and midwifery practice placements in
community, hospital and virtual reality. Technologies (i.e. online network learning, a virtual
reality birthing woman, and e-portfolios) are used to network learners with other learners, with
lecturers and experts.
Students are enabled to complete most of the programme in the areas in which they live and
only come to Christchurch, for the block week of face-to-face classroom sessions and some
specialist practice placements. Local midwifery practice placements supported by a local
lecturer, and online learning coordinated from the Christchurch-based centre has increased the
opportunities for midwifery practice placements, and therefore the numbers of students accepted
into the programme.
The Ara Institute collection of graduate destination outcomes statistics indicates with this
new programme, most of the students have remained in their home areas after graduation. This
outcome has made a significant difference in rectifying midwifery shortages in the regional and
rural areas of the upper South Island and supports the 2010 WHO recommendations for improving
the recruitment and retention of rural and remote health workers.