The modern development of Internet technologies and their implementation in all the spheres of life, including education, has led to the popularity of online Learning Management Systems (LMS). These are specialized platforms, where various tasks, works, seminars on training specialists of different profiles are presented in a convenient and understandable form. These systems began to be actively used in medicine. On the example of one of the most popular of them (Moodle), it will be rather interesting to imagine how it could function in such a serious place as a hospital operating room and what issues medics and their management should take into account.
The Need and Benefits of Moodle LMS
Moodle is not without reason one of the leading and developed LMS. Its capabilities allow the heads of different medical structures to provide staff with all the necessary skills and achieve high learning outcomes. Concerning a hospital operating room, such a system can monitor the training of nurses and doctors and, according to Sherwood (2017), offers a large list of various training tasks that help to improve skills and gain new knowledge. As Rice (2015) notes, each lesson includes a set of tests, quizzes, surveys, and projects. That is why Moodle’s demand for today is justified and is not a subject to doubt.
There are many advantages and benefits of this electronic system of knowledge control. For example, as Rice (2015) claims, online chats, which are included in Moodle, allow staff to get rid of the fear of presenting his or her research in public and gives the opportunity to download all of the results through the system. Besides, as Almarabeh, Mohammad, Yousef, and Majdalawi (2014) write, Moodle system, unlike most new resources, has come to the liking of many users of the network, and it has not been abandoned as from many other online platforms. In addition to a pleasant and convenient interface, the system has a wide variety of useful and interesting tasks in profiles, where surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nurses may find the right material and can improve and sharpen their professional skills.
Stakeholders and Recommendations for Introducing Moodle LMS
Not only medics themselves but also their superiors are interested in the implementation of Moodle system. When it comes to a medical institution, the qualification of specialists plays an important role, because mistakes in this sphere are unacceptable, especially when performing operations and surgical intervention. According to Horvat, Dobrota, Krsmanovic, and Cudanov’s (2015) research, women express more interest in working with the program than men, who, nevertheless, also take part in the work and note the functionality of the platform. Tripathi and Mukerji (2017) also note the fact that it is the supervisors who should organize the work of their subordinates in this system and follow the information of each account to draw appropriate conclusions and analyze the results.
To implement Moodle in such a place as a hospital operating room and launch the platform without any problems, both medics and their heads should participate in the process of temporary testing, and start using the program. Moreover, as Maddison and Kumaran (2016) claim, a systematic study of all the possibilities of Moodle (library resources, task types, etc.) in the process of implementing the platform will increase the functionality of the system and make the work in virtual learning space more efficient. Besides, it may be better to work with Moodle so that all the users of the system are divided according to their age since the level of skills of particular medics for using electronic training tools is certainly different (Horvat et al., 2015).
Plans to Test the System and Support Staff after Implementing the LMS
In order the LTS system to work efficiently, it is worthwhile to ensure that its implementation is reasonable. According to Almarabeh et al. (2014), it will be correct if the introduction of an electronic training system meets certain criteria. Here, the authors include a sufficient level of education and qualification of medical staff, adequate technical equipment, as well as the desire to obtain and share knowledge. An integrated approach to test the work of Mudle will be useful, where not only practicing surgeons and personnel who are directly related to a hospital operating room are involved but also the top managers (Maddison and Kumaran, 2016). It will be easier to work if the whole structure of a particular institution is interested in the installation of an electronic system. It is better for competent people who can set up a platform interface and coordinate all the work properly to be engaged in tuning and testing the functioning of a new LMS. It may help even an inexperienced computer user to work with Moodle without any difficulties.
Despite the relative simplicity of working with the LMS, some employees may still have questions. Rice (2015) remarks that potential users of Moodle should prepare for work carefully, and their superiors need to tell nurses and doctors all the nuances that are worth taking into account. Introductory training lessons will help to bring all the necessary information and thereby relieve medics of additional questions (Almarabeh et al., 2014). It is also superfluous to set individual goals and explain to employees that to achieve them no one needs to apply a lot of efforts and delve into the functionality of the platform.
Potential Problems While Implementing the New LMS
In the process of introduction Moodle system in a medical institution and in particular in an operating room, there is a risk of some problems. For example, poor skills in working with such LMSs can lead to their misuse, and medics themselves can just refuse to participate in e-learning. To avoid this trouble, managers should attract the attention of trained employees and give them a detailed explanation of all difficult moments (Tripathi and Mukerji, 2017). Besides, some people may think that the workload in the process of using Moodle is higher than of learning with common resources. In this situation, Sherwood (2017) advises the management to give the employees adequate time frames for the fulfillment of tasks and the completion of all the activities.
Summing up, it is possible to say that implementing of Moodle learning management system in a hospital operating room is real. It is only necessary to be guided by all the rules that may help work with the system and strive to ensure that all medical workers understand the importance and necessity of mastering such a platform. If there are no questions left, management can be satisfied with employees’ progress, and the staff themselves will be able to appreciate the functionality of modern learning methods and understand the need to improve their skills and abilities.
References
Almarabeh, T., Mohammad, H., Yousef, R., & Majdalawi, Y. Kh. (2014). The University of Jordan e-learning platform: State, students’ acceptance and challenges. Journal of Software Engineering and Applications, 7, 999- 1007.
Horvat, A., Dobrota, M., Krsmanovic, M., & Cudanov, M. (2015). Student perception of Moodle learning management system: A satisfaction and significance analysis. Interactive Learning Environments, 23(4), 515-527.
Maddison, T., & Kumaran, M. (Eds.). (2016). Distributed learning: Pedagogy and technology in online information literacy. Amsterdam, the Netherlands: Elsevier.
Rice, W. (2015). Moodle e-learning course development (3d ed.). Birmingham, England: Packt Publishing.
Sherwood, R. (2017). Supporting e-learners by increasing digital literacy skills in healthcare educators. Journal of Learning and Teaching, 10(1), 93-109.
Tripathi, P., & Mukerji, S. (Eds.). (2017). Handbook of research on technology-centric strategies for higher education administration. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.