BCNETwork News

April 2007

Training in the Community Equals Staying in the Community

BCIT is helping to alleviate the shortage of health care professionals in BC’s interior by delivering an innovative learning curriculum over advanced networks. Using complimentary technologies, BCIT is simultaneously bringing the Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program to students located in Kelowna and Burnaby.

In many of Canada’s rural areas, recruitment and retention of valuable health care workers is a growing concern; there is simply a shortage. Anne Andrew, Program Head of BCIT’s Diagnostic Medical School, saw an opportunity to meet the growing need for sonographers in smaller communities such as Kelowna. “Students who can learn in their own community are most likely to advance their education, live and work in their communities following graduation,” comments Andrew.

Andrew collaborated with the other program instructors including Lawrence Parisotto, the Director of BCIT’s Media and Technology Services, the Interior Health Authority and BCNET to find an answer. "Together, we devised an interactive classroom experience that has evolved from its original inception, one year ago, to its present incarnation today.”

Evolving Technology for the Classroom

Two years ago, Andrew introduced Elluminate Live and WebCT into the BCIT Sonography Program. Elluminate Live uses Voice over IP and live eLearning technology so that students can see and hear the classroom presentation, enabling them to interact through voice, text and drawing tools. Once the instructors and students became comfortable with the technology, students were given the option to attend classes from home on selected days.

Today, this experience has evolved to include additional technology such as videoconferencing and the introduction of the first truly remote cohort. Four students have attended all classes and lab demonstrations from their Kelowna classroom, connected to the Burnaby cohort through technology.

Advanced networks connect the Burnaby BCIT Campus to the sonography classroom at Kelowna General Hospital. BCNET’s super high-bandwidth connection between each location allows the videoconference stream to happen effectively and efficiently, with very low latency and zero cost fees for the data transmission.

And the classroom experience is almost seamless according to Heith Mcleod, a Kelowna sonograhphy student. “I don’t think about the fact that I am learning remotely. I am able to interact with the instructor and my fellow students, and the quality of learning is great.".

Now, the Okanagan will have a better chance of training and keeping professional sonographers in their community. Says McLeod, “I probably wouldn’t have enrolled in the sonography program if I had to leave my home and move to Vancouver or Edmonton.” When I complete the training, I plan to live and work in Penticton.”

Acting as a proof-of-concept, the BCIT sonography program has set the stage for future interactive learning endeavours, including new cohorts across Canada. “I see huge potential for this to grow,” says Parisotto. “We currently have other provinces that are interested in becoming cohorts and we have also generated curiosity about using this technology to deliver learning for more BCIT programs.”