UTas delivers what the MOOC is made for

The University of Tasmania’s Understanding Dementia MOOC does what it says and now there’s one on MS

Staff of the university’s Wicking Centre wanted to know what impact their MOOC had, so they surveyed a sample of the 42 000 people (no CMM did not add a 0) who have completed it. Claire Eccleston and colleagues report the results in the journal Science of Learning.

Using Wicking’s Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale, they discovered that people, with all sorts of experience in dealing with dementia and different levels of education increased their knowledge.

This is very good indeed. “The current data indicate that the UDMOOC is effective in improving awareness and understanding of dementia, across groups including informal carers, care workers, health professionals and the general public,” the team suggest.

So, listen-up ministers and mandarins, what works for dementia may also be delivered by MOOCs a bunch of other community needs where the state relies on citizen carers to carry the burden.  It’s time for powerful people to ask Wicking about what they have done and how they have done it.

And then they can ask about a new JV at UniTas, between Wicking and the Menzies Institute for Medical Research. They will launch at the end of the month a six-week MOOC, Understanding MS.

“Members of the public will increase their knowledge of MS-related issues and those in the MS Community will be empowered to create and contribute to personalised MS management plans.”

Good stuff, really good stuff.


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