They said e-learning could be started initially as a pilot project. They were speaking at the inaugural session of a two-day workshop on E-learning at the University of Health Sciences (UHS). University of Liverpool’s Prof Paul Duvall said with adoption of e-learning, teachers’ role changes to facilitating the learning process and assessing student’s progress. He said e-learning techniques were not just about automation, it made the teaching process more flexible allowing every student to work through the syllabus according to their capability and need.
He said e-learning techniques were not to be seen as a replacement but as complement to traditional methods of teaching centred on regular lectures. University of Liverpool Centre of Life Long Learning Director’s Prof Ian Willis said e-learning techniques were best suited to medical education as it emphasised both practice and theory.
University of Liverpool’s Postgraduate Diploma/Master’s Programme Co-Director Dr Janett Strivens said before adoption of e-learning techniques universities should decide what courses needed only internet-based teaching and what needed both class lectures and on-line teaching. She said the concerned staff at the universities should first be trained in computer softwares and other tools that would be used for adoption of e-learning techniques. UHS Vice Chancellor Prof Malik Hussain Mubashir stressed that teachers would need to change their attitude towards teaching for e-learning techniques.
He said more detailed discussions would be held with the British team on issues pertaining to promotion of critical thinking, help with self assessment and actualisation during various workshops they were to attend.
UHS Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching director Prof Arif Khwaja said their project was selected among 17 successful projects out of 123 submitted for the award of a grant under British Council’s INSPIRE project.
The three British educators are visiting the country under the project to promote joint academic and research programmes between UHS and the University of Liverpool. They will attend various workshops at Punjab Medical College in Faisalabad, Shaikh Zayed Medical College in Rahim Yar Khan, Services Institute of Medical Sciences in Lahore, Nawaz Sharif Medical College in Gujrat and Wah Medical College in Wah Cantt during their visit.