Prioritising topics for developing e-learning resources in healthcare curricula: A comparison between students and...

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Educational Technology
• Curriculum Development

Background:

• Student engagement in e-learning development is crucial for effective implementation.
• Discrepancies often exist between student and educator priorities for e-learning content.
• This highlights a potential gap in aligning educational resources with learner needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare topic prioritization differences between students and educators.
• To analyze these differences across three healthcare curricula for reusable e-learning object (RLO) development.
• To inform more effective e-learning resource development strategies.

Main Methods:

• A modified Delphi study involving 43 educators and 377 students from three universities.
• Participants ranked topics from syllabi for RLO development in two rounds.
• Topic priority was determined by frequencies, proportions, and a 5-point Likert scale, with mean scores compared.

Main Results:

• A mismatch in topic prioritization was found between students and educators at University Malaya and Taylor's University Pharmacy programs.
• At Universiti Putra Malaysia, student and educator priorities aligned in both study rounds.
• Harmonization for UM and TU Pharmacy involved prioritizing topics with higher mean scores from both groups.

Conclusions:

• Significant differences in topic prioritization between students and educators were identified in some healthcare programs.
• These discrepancies underscore the importance of conducting thorough needs assessments prior to e-learning development.
• Addressing these factors can lead to more relevant and effective e-learning resources.