Welcome to SLOHSIG, the blog of the Sharing Learning Objects in Healthcare Special Interest Group. This SIG was conceived at the Sharing Learning Objects in Healthcare conference held at the University of Nottingham on 24th March, 2009 which was attended by some 70 delegates from all over the UK with an interest in Learning Objects and e-learning repositories and their application to healthcare education. Some of the delegates attended a post-conference meeting in order to take things forward and maintain the momentum of the conference, and to organise similar future conferences annually, and this blog is part of our ongoing project.
Purpose
The SIG is primarily focussed on the use and reuse of learning objects, and indeed e-learning resources in general, in the teaching of healthcare in UK Higher Education and the National Health Service. We are also seeking to build sharing and collaboration with colleagues outside the UK. Areas of interest include, but are certainly not restricted to:
- development of learning objects for healthcare education
- embedding learning objects in teaching practice
- e-learning pedagogy
- the use of digital repositories of learning objects
- building Communities of Practice
- facilitating content sharing
The strategic aim of the SIG is to integrate the vast number of teaching resources online into a ‘one-stop shop’ for teachers and students of healthcare, so that they can ‘pick and mix’ from a massive store of e-learning resources to use in their teaching and learning. It quickly became very clear at the conference that there are masses of resources developed, and under development, in UKHE institutions and the NHS, but very few people outside the institution are aware of them. The SIG aims to promote sharing and reuse of these materials, and to promote collaboration amongst colleagues and institutions engaged in learning object development and repositories, both within and outwith the UK.
Contacts
The SIG is currently coordinated by the SONET-ARC centre at the School of Nursing, Midwifery & Physiotherapy at the University of Nottingham. Principal contacts are:
Joining the SIG
Membership of the SIG is open to any colleague, in the UK or overseas, with an interest in the use of e-learning in Healthcare Education, and in particular Learning Objects and Learning Object repositories. To register your interest in the SIG, and to be notified of future events by email, you can subscribe to the SIG discussion list, managed by Jiscmail. If you prefer not to receive yet more email, you can subscribe to this blog’s RSS newsfeed (what’s RSS?) to keep up to date with SIG activities.
If you’re willing to become an active member of the SIG, for example a contributor to this blog, then please email one of the contacts above.
Acknowledgements
Blog authors
- Dr Heather Wharrad, Reader in Health Informatics, SONET-ARC
- Dr Richard Windle, Senior Lecturer in E-Learning
- Fred Riley, Learning Technologist, SONET-ARC
Graphics
The photograph of sloes in the blog header is from Mrs eNil’s photostream on Flickr, licenced under Creative Commons. Many thanks, Mrs eNil (aka Laura O’Halloran) 
Blog system
Thanks to WordPress for providing this blog, and making it so easy to configure, use and post.
