Framework for Online Radiographer Clinical Education Erasmus Project

Project Title

Framework for Online Radiographer Clinical Education

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Partnerships for Digital Education Readiness

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Quality and Relevance of Higher Education in Partner Countries; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Open and distance learning

Project Summary

CONTEXT
The profession of Radiography provides a critical frontline healthcare service. Clinical competence and the use of technology in the management of patient pathways are core to Radiography Practice education. The COVID-19 crisis has impacted on the stability of clinical training schedules for student radiographers and reinforced the need for learning options and digital transformation within Radiography curricula. Furthermore, Radiography Institutions across Europe and internationally are at varying stages of digital readiness and resourcing to optimise distance learning and this project will offer realistic support options to enhance Radiography training and develop digital learning skills sets in staff and students. Successes over the 26 year history of the Erasmus Radiography Group (ERG) have been collaborative efforts to harmonise curricula, and also to offer professional support across national boundaries as staff within the profession develop their role. The FORCE project will leverage this international experience in order to deliver a resource that encompasses a pan-European dimension of radiographic practice that would not be possible within a project developed on a local basis. The FORCE project aligns to the focus of building and implementing online, blended and distance learning and the development of educators to enable them to deliver high quality inclusive digital education. The FORCE PROJECT involves a consortium of 8 academic partners and promotes networking, the sharing of expertise and sharing of resources. Academic staff, digital technology providers and importantly student radiographers will participate in the project.
AIM
The overall aim of the FORCE project is to develop a virtual web-based learning resource where Radiography undergraduates across Europe can engage in interactive, problem based development of radiographic knowledge, ability and professional awareness.
SELECTED OBJECTIVES
1. Establishment of a web based virtual learning environment accessible initially across partner organisations, and subsequently deliverable as an open resource.
2. Develop comprehensive patient stories to capture the personal and medical history of each.
3. Delivery of a variety of interactive tools through which students can negotiate the learning material in the VLE. In essence the VLE will present students with a simulation of an imaging and therapy “department”, with patients to be examined and problems to be solved.
4. Harvest evaluation from both students and staff on the functionality, ease of operation, usefulness, level of competence development and future potential of the resource.

EXPECTED IMPACTS
1. Harmonisation and enhanced educational practices employed for Radiography education throughout Europe. The standards of education will be enhanced from the production of high-quality learning content and innovative pedagogical approaches. The development of “Patient Story Base” will be a novel validated teaching resource which will support the teaching of a variety of core topics, in an interactive manner, to a large audience. New graduates will be expected to have a greater awareness of patient care pathways and are expected to have enhanced appreciation of clinical decision making upon graduation that they will bring to their daily work practice. The enhanced patient care learning resources will also contain a purposely increased content dealing with equality, inclusion and diversity issues. Provision of this content is expected to improve inclusivity awareness in new graduates so it is embedded into the professional culture which will in turn enhance patient care outcomes. The breadth of this curriculum enhancement will extend across diagnostic and radiotherapy specialities and routine to critical care examinations, across healthcare systems. The availability of the open access resources produced by FORCE will support Radiography educational institutions across Europe of varied economic status.
2. An increased awareness of the potential for clinical simulation to be incorporated within the Radiography education. As digital simulation opportunities develop and as they grow in complexity and possible cost it is important the profession understands the impact of the simulation and is leading how simulation is best used in Radiography education. The experience and outputs reported by FORCE will form an evidence base for the profession as digitalexperiences grow. Additionally, the knowledge gained through the implementation of increased levels of simulation will impact on professional discourse when reviewing traditional opinion. Historically there has been a reluctance within the profession and by national professional regulators in healthcare to formally recognise clinical simulation and the outcomes of this project will impact positively on the evidence base needed to debate this topic.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 299844 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, DUBLIN & Country: IE

Project Partners

• UNIVERSITY OF SUFFOLK LTD
• UNIVERSITA TA MALTA
• HOGSKULEN PA VESTLANDET
• TAMPEREEN AMMATTIKORKEAKOULU OY
• INSTITUTO POLITECNICO DO PORTO
• FH-CAMPUS WIEN – VEREIN ZUR FORDERUNG DES FACHHOCHSCHUL-, ENTWICKLUNGS- UND FORSCHUNGSZENTRUMS IM SUDEN WIENS
• TURUN AMMATTIKORKEAKOULU OY