RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF NURSING CENTER FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 21 st Annual...

RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITYCOLLEGE OF NURSING

CENTER FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

21st Annual International Computer and Technology Conference

Using open source software for nursing education and staff

development

William F. Perry, MA, RN Clinical Information Specialist

Kettering Medical Center Network, Kettering, Ohio, USA

Peter J. Murray, PhD, RN, CompBCSIndependent Health Telematics Consultant

a différance engine, UK

Using open source software for nursing education and staff development

Presentation created with OpenOffice.org Impress

...or

'The Bill and Peter Show, 2003'

2002 - Finding and using resources for online education2001 - Using on-line teaching resources1999 - WebPearls - Web Practices and Applications for Remote Learning Services

- and other variants



New for 2003

- the open source, free software, GNU/Linux version- how and why is it different?

1. Definitions – what are Open Source, Free Software,

GNU, Linux, etc

2. Some general applications to replace proprietary

software you already have – OpenOffice.org, Linux and others

3. Online learning (some of the major issues – communications, discussion forums, pedagogy, etc)

4. Break for coffee

5. Bill's tools

6. Open Source organisations

7. Summary and questions Presentation created with OpenOffice.org Impress


... but first ...

Who are you?

Brief biopic- involvement in online education, staff development, etc.

- institutional support or 'one-nurse-band'?

- interest in or knowledge of open source

Why are you here?

What do you want?

What do you hope/want to get out of the workshop? Presentation created with OpenOffice.org Impress


Some definitions

Open Source

Free software

GNU

Linux

- will be used interchangeably unless specified otherwise



Some definitions - Open Source



“... software that has been developed and disseminated in an open forum. As such, it revolutionises the way in which software has historically been developed and distributed”.

Shaw et al (2002)

Some definitions - Open Source



Open Source Software (OSS) is software whose source code is openly published, is usually available at no charge, and which is often developed by voluntary efforts. It has come to prominence by starting to take a significant market share in some specific parts of the software infrastructure market where OSS products have demonstrated better quality and reliability than commercial equivalents at a lower cost.

OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE AND THE NHS: WHITE PAPER Colin Smith, NHS Information Authority

Some definitions Free software GNU



The Free Software Definition

http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html

“Free software”' is a matter of liberty, not price.

To understand the concept, you should think of 'free' as in 'free speech', not as in 'free beer'.

(Free Software Foundation)




Free software is a matter of the users' freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software.

More precisely, it refers to four kinds of freedom, for the users

of the software:

> The freedom to run the program, for any purpose

> The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to

your needs. Access to the source code is a precondition for

this.




> The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your

neighbor.

> The freedom to improve the program, and release your

improvements to the public, so that the whole community

benefits. Access to the source code is a precondition for

this.

Some definitions Linux GNU/Linux

Operating system originally developed by Linus Torvalds

- used much Unix and GNU as source (hence GNU/Linux)

- many variants but one official kernel



Some general applications

Replacing your common or garden office applications suite

- word processor

- spreadsheet

- database

- presentation package

- graphics package

- web browser

- email application

- operating system



OpenOffice.org

- contains many of the features of other office application suites - easily customisable- import/export facilities- readily available as download or other free sources- runs in Linux, Windows

- it's free

- what more do you want?



OpenOffice.org

word processing

- many similarities to other common word processors- can import from and export to many common formats



OpenOffice.org

Impress – presentation tool similar to Powerpoint



OpenOffice.org

html editor for webpage/site development



OpenOffice.org



Save options:.sxi, sxw, sxc (Open Office).ppt, doc, xls (Microsoft)

Export options:.html (Hypertext Markup Language).pdf (Adobe).swf (Flash) - Presentations

The Gimp



Image manipulation similar to Photoshop

Mozilla



Highly customizable web browser

GNU/Linux



Online learning – some issues



For more detail on online learning issues, see:

www.nursing-informatics.net/rutgers2002/billnpeter01.htm

> Who are your learners? What do you want them to do? (the educational philosophy of your course/programme)

> Do you want to use adult learning principles online? - are

you educating or training?

>Technology and pedagogy

> Models for online courses



Who are your learners? What do you want them to do? (the educational philosophy of your course or programme)

> 'consume' online materials (Encyclopaedia Britannica Online

syndrome)

> interaction: 1:1 email; group discussions online; collaborative

learning

> is group work a 'no-no' or to be encouraged?

> using existing knowledge or working to create new

knowledge?

> (how) does it relate to their nursing practice?



Do you want to use adult learning principles online? - are you educating or training?



Technology and pedagogy

> the pedagogy must drive everything – decide what you

want to do, then look for the technologies, not the other

way around

> technology is not a problem – there is more than

enough 'stuff' to do what you want



Support issues

> support for the learners/students – who provides it?

> support for the teaching staff – who provides it?

> 24/7 technical and educational support?



Models for online courses (Mason)

Content and support model

> the earliest and most extensive category of online course

> separation between course content and tutorial support

> relatively unchanging content

> materials which can be tutored by other teachers than the

content authors

> rudimentary amounts of collaborative activity

> the online component represents no more than about 20% of

the students’ study time.



Wrap-around model

> tailor-made materials (study guide, activities and

discussion) wrapped around existing materials (textbooks,

CD-ROM resources or tutorials)

> favours a resource-based approach to learning, giving

more freedom and responsibility to the students to interpret

the course for themselves

> real time online events sometimes feature

> 50/50 model with the online interactions and discussions

occupying about half of the students’ time



Integrated model

> the course consists of collaborative activities, learning

resources and joint assignments

> the heart of the course takes place online through

discussion, accessing and processing information and

carrying out tasks

> the course contents are fluid and dynamic as they are

largely determined by the individual and group activity ...



> dissolves the distinction between content and support, and is dependent on the creation of a learning community

> real time communication, in some cases initiated by the

participants, might be video-, audio- or text-based and would

support small group activities and tasks.

>>> is this real e-learning?



How do we do all this? What approach to take to development?

> 'course-in-a-box' VLE/MLE (WebCT, Blackboard, etc)

> home-grown VLE (virtual learning environment)

> eclectic mixture of components



VLEs and MLEs

VLE: a software product - typically web-based, allowing educators to create resources quickly and without a need for technical skills (eg WebCT, Blackboard, and others)

MLE: incorporates elements of VLEs, but also includes and interacts with other information systems, eg student records, learning management



VLE and MLE components

Communication Collaboration and reflection Presentation of materials

Testing and grading

Scores management



From 'course-in-a-box' to freeware to OSS/FS

WebCT, Blackboard, etc

Web browser, authoring environment, textual materials, graphical and AV materials, interaction environments, email

- can be done with proprietary software – or freeware – or OSS/FS

.... coming after the break

Time for break, said Zededee



Bill's tools and applications



●Content Resources●Static applications●Interactive●Ready made applications●Photographs (public domain)●Examples



Content Resources

Merlot (http://www.merlot.org/)

Medscape (http://www.medscape.com/)

National Library of Medicine (www.nlm.nih.gov)

Centers for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov)

National Institutes of Health (www.nih.gov)

Health.gov (www.health.gov)

NHS Direct Online(www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk)

Canadian Health Network(www.canadian-health-network.ca)

Health Insite (www.healthinsite.gov.au)



Tools for static pages

Open Source applications●Open Office (www.openoffice.org)●Gimp (www.gimp.org)

Free applications●Trellian Webpage (webpage.vendercom.com)●Serif Products (www.freeserifproducts.com)



Tools for interactivity

Dependent on scripting languages as well as web server permissions.

●JavaScript●Perl●PHP●ASP●Cold Fusion



Tools for interactivity

Open Source scripts●YaBB (www.yabbforum.com)

●Extropia (www.extropia.com)

Free scripts & applications●WebWiz Forums (www.webwizguide.com)●Webquestions (members.lycos.co.uk/darylrowland/webquestions2/index.htm)

Script Repository●Hotscripts (www.hotscripts.com) Look for GPL or GNU license



Ready made applications

Virtual Classrooms●Nicenet (www.nicenet.org)

●Discovery Schoolhouse (http://school.discovery.com/)

Listserv and discussion boards●Cool Lists (http://www.coollist.com/)●Topica (www.topica.com)

Communities●Yahoo Groups (groups.yahoo.com)



Public Domain Photographs

●Public Health Image Directory(phil.cdc.gov/phil/default.asp)

●NCI – Visuals Online(visualsonline.cancer.gov)



Examples

●Perl (YaBB) (informatics.dayton.oh.us/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi)●ASP (WebWiz) (www.creekspace.net/755)

●Cold Fusion (www.kmcnetwork.org/emstest/

Online groups – where to get help and support

OSHCA

IMIA Open Source Health Informatics Working Group

Open Nurse collaboration

IMIA-NI Open Source Nursing Informatics Working Group (proposed)

AMIA Working Group??

HIMSS Working Group?? Presentation created with OpenOffice.org Impress




OSHCA (Open Source Health Care Alliance) www.oshca.org

> a collaborative forum to promote and facilitate open source

software in human and veterinary healthcare

> a community of people in the health care and informatics

industries that promotes the open source software concept in

health care

> helps policy makers, commercial enterprises, and users take

advantage of the benefits of open source.



IMIA Open Source Working Group www.chirad.info/imiaoswg

> will bring together experts and interested individuals from a

wide range of health professions and with a range of interests

in the potential application of open source solutions within

their domains of expertise

> will explore the implications of the open source approach for

all aspects of IMIA's areas of interest



IMIA Open Source Working Group www.chirad.info/imiaoswg

> will work with other Working and Special Interest Groups to

explore the appropriate use of open source solutions and

applications.

Website

currently developing workplan and recruiting members

mailing list - [email protected]



Open Nurse www.open-nurse.info

Open Nurse – the nursing open source network

> an initiative to explore the application of open source and

free software in nursing, healthcare and nursing informatics.

> will provide a collaborative forum within which to explore,

promote and facilitate the use of open source and free

software and approaches in nursing, healthcare and nursing

informatics.



GNU/Linux And Open Source Medical Software Newswww.linuxmednews.com

Not a group but a resource

- news-based website with information on OSS/FS and

GNU/Linux applications, ideas, groups, etc. globally

Summary



●Technology tools abound, both as scripts and ready made apps●Open Source, freeware

Questions and discussion time



Thank you and safe journey

Bill Perry - [email protected]

Peter Murray - [email protected]

The virtual handout:

www.open-nurse.info/rutgers2003/billandpeter2003.htm



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