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Learning and Technology Overview
Faculty and students in this focus are interested in the use of technology in health science education for health care professionals and the public.
Health Science Education Needs New Expertise
Traditionally, health science professionals learned from expert instructors and real patients. However, just as healthcare increasingly uses technology, so does the education of new health science professionals. Technology has not replaced bedside learning, instead it makes information available when and where and how it is needed.
The public is also interested in and needs health education. Many people live with chronic diseases and conditions, and look to education to help them remain healthy. Decisions children make about food and exercise can affect their lives for many years to come. Both children and adults use technology to learn.
Education using technology is expensive. A large component of this focus area is evaluation of technology-based learning environments. Questions such as "What is the best technology to teach...?" and "Does using technology teach ..... better than traditional methods?" are answered here using state-of-the-art research methods combined with ready access to experts in the field of health science as well as health science professionals in training and people living in the diverse Houston metropolitan area.
Do You Have What It Takes?
Professionals with diverse backgrounds are successful in Learning and Technology. Many have a degree in a health related field, and are interested in technology to teach some aspect of health science. Others come from the computer science background and are interested in using their knowledge in the service of health education.
What Can You Do With A Degree in Learning and Technology?
Many careers using learning and technology are emerging. Graduates can go on to develop:
- health professional training programs
- patient education materials
- decision support programs, educational games and interactive software
- just-in-time learning and communication applications
What is the Program Like?
Learning & Technology courses are project-based allowing students hands-on experience in conducting research and applying theory to design and development. The University of Texas Health Science Center within the Texas Medical Center provides the setting for conducting research and evaluating theoretically and empirically grounded instructional advancements and innovations.
Learning & Technology Core Areas of Understanding
Design - Designing technology-based health science learning environments involves a diverse set of skills, knowledge and evidence-based techniques to create optimal learning environments. These include:
- Cognitive Theory
- Learning Theory
- Evidence-based Learning
- Instructional Design Models
- Methods and Strategies for Teaching
- Curriculum Design
- Media Selection Methods (Media Matrix)
- Communication and Message Design
- Decision support design
- Interface / Interaction Design:
- User/Task Analysis
- Usability Evaluation
- Knowledge Management:
- Knowledge Modeling/Architecture
- Knowledge Representation
Development – Developing technology-based learning environments requires applying theory and many methods.
Software Development Methods and Models
Media Development (Authoring tools)
Interaction/engine development (AI, Programming, Database Design)
Project Management
Research & Evaluation – Rigorous methods for research and evaluation are needed to study the emerging issues in learning and communication in the health sciences.
- Educational Research and Evaluation Design
- Experimental Design (Quantitative/Qualitative)
- Critical Evidence Evaluation (Significance, Validity, Statistics)
- Assessment/Measurement (Instrument Construction and Validation)
Primary Learning & Technology Faculty
For BioSketch, please click on the faculty name.