Posts Tagged ‘learning management system’

Webcast: Open Source Web Technologies in Continuing Medical Education

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

Open source Web technologies present exciting and innovative opportunities for the continuing medical education community to deliver high-quality content that engages learners in unique ways, streamlines educational outcomes measurement, and reduces administrative costs.

I recently had the pleasure of co-presenting with Logan Thomison of OptumHealth Education, a subsidiary of United Healthcare, on our experience of integrating two popular open source applications (i.e., Drupal content management system, Moodle learning management system) to create a full-featured, Web 2.0 platform: EthosCE.  DLC Solutions provided all of the techical expertise for the project including: stategic planning, graphic design, software engineering, and project management.  The presentation was given at Johns Hopkins University Medical Center’s Annual MedBiquitous Conference held on April 30th in Baltimore, Maryland.

DLC Solutions is also proud to have sponsored the conference and provided our PresentME Webcasting Services. Please click on the below image to view the presentation.  The accepted abstract is also included below.

Click on image to launch presentation

Click on image to launch presentation

Abstract: The Role of Open Source Web Technologies in Continuing Medical Education: A case study

The rapid emergence and evolution of open-source Web technologies are transforming the delivery and measurement of continuing medical education (CME). Today, healthcare organizations are able to leverage, customize, and integrate free, open source software applications to create innovative, collaborative learning environments that facilitate communication, collaboration, and the transfer of knowledge among healthcare professionals.

DLC Solutions and OptumHealth Education partnered together to create a full-featured Web platform for CME. The platform was designed to: 1) facilitate learning through access to learner-driven communication tools, SCORM-compliant courseware, and live activities; 2) streamline and reduce costs associated with CME program administration and data collection; and 3) conduct education outcomes studies by combining data from multiple public and proprietary sources. The Web platform was developed by integrating two industry-leading open source applications: Drupal and Moodle. Drupal is a comprehensive content management system with rich Web 2.0 features. Moodle is a SCORM-compliant, collaborative learning management system widely used by universities and associations.

This presentation will discuss the authors’ experience in the planning, development, and implementation of this open-source CME platform. Special attention will be given to describing the feature set, the benefits and limitations of the platform, and the integration of multiple data sources for outcomes analysis.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in CME, Continuing Medical Education, Drupal, EthosCE, Moodle, Web 2.0, cancer, consumer health, e-learning, eCME, health 2.0, learning management system, open-source software, social networking | No Comments »

CME: New Online Performance Improvement Programs for Physicians

Monday, May 18th, 2009

As the technology partner of the New Jersey Academy of Family Physicians (NJAFP), DLC Solutions is please to announce the launch of two innovative, online Performance Improvement Programs on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and colorectal cancer (CRC).  These easy-to use, interactive professional development programs are designed to educate physicians on incorporating quality improvement (QI) initiatives into their practice, which can impact patient care and outcomes.

CME Performance Improvement Plan

Throughout each module, physicians will be able to identify areas of practice strength and opportunities for improvement through the collection and comparison of patient and practice data.  Physicians will be able to develop a QI plan, implement interventions, and complete a post-assessment process to determine if improvement was achieved.

Each self-paced module is accredited for 20 hours of American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Performance Improvement credit.

To participate in one of the New Jersey Academy of Family Physicians’ Online Performance Improvement Programs, please visit: http://www.njafp.org/education/onlinecme.asp

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in CME, Continuing Medical Education, e-learning, learning management system, open-source software, physicians | 2 Comments »

EthosCE: Continuing Medical Education (CME) Meets Drupal and Moodle

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

After months of development (and dedication by our team), we are pleased to announce the release of EthosCE, an open source Web 2.0 platform for the management and delivery of continuing medical education (CME).

EthosCE is a full-featured, open source Web platform that has been specifically designed by healthcare clinicians and technologists to streamline and enhance the administration of continuing medical education activities. The platform seamlessly integrates two industry-leading software applications: Drupal™ Content Management System (CMS) and Moodle™ Learning Management System (LMS).

EthosCE enables organizations to produce and manage robust CME Websites that offer peer-to-peer networking, communities of practice, online and offline CME activities, performance improvement programs, and outcomes analyses. EthosCE can be fully customized and managed by your staff to reflect your organization’s branding, content navigation, data collection, and integration with third-party applications. As an open-source application, you are not subject to annual licensing fees or restrictions on the number of users.

Key Features

Content Management

  • Centralized, browser-based content authoring.
  • Template-driven, permission-based publishing.
  • Support for multiple Websites and languages.
  • Document management and tagging.
  • Customizable forms.
  • Google Search and Analytics.
  • Personal preferences and profiles.
  • Geolocalization of content.
  • Web-based site administration.
  • Version control.
  • Caching to maximize performance and scalability.

Web 2.0, Social Networking, and Online Communities

  • Moderated discussion forums (eg, communities of practice, support groups).
  • Peer-to-peer social networking.
  • Content rating system.
  • Calendars.
  • Public and private blogs.
  • Multimedia and e-learning support.
  • Polling.
  • Content syndication (e.g., RSS).
  • User-generated media sharing (eg, YouTube, Facebook, MySpace)

Learning Management

  • Centralized curriculum, test, and assessment administration.
  • Secure, customized user registration process.
  • Support for 50,000+ learners.
  • Integration with SCORM 1.2-compliant multimedia courseware.
  • Automated CME assessment scoring and certificate generation.
  • Surveys and evaluations.
  • Multiple question formats and test bank.
  • Real-time online reports on program participation and impact.
  • Data export to other outcomes measurement platforms and databases.
  • Collaboration learning via discussion forums and calendars.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in CME, EthosCE, health 2.0, learning management system, open-source software | No Comments »

Moodle Learning Management System

Thursday, November 13th, 2008

Watch how DLC Solutions is leveraging and customizing Moodle, the industry-leading, open source learning management system, for continuing medical education. This brief video shows how easy it is for learners to register, select and review a course, complete a scored assessment, and receive a certificate. In addition, we highlight some of the core reporting functionality. Moodle can be completely customized and integrated with other robust application such as Drupal CMS.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in CME, Continuing Medical Education, Drupal, Moodle, elearning | Comments Off