Success Factors

What are the key outcomes of the initiative?

HeLM systems analysis model and contribution to the e-Framework - this is of great value to the e-learning community as a validated, generalised model that is platform-independent and can be used as a basis for future development in other institutions.

HeLM ontology: HeLM produced an ontology of the organisation and management of UK-based medical education. Although subject-related ontologies, such as SNOMED-CT (clinical terms) and TIME-ITEM (medical curriculum) exist, no other ontology of the organisation and management of medical education is known.

HeLM design: HeLM proposes integration of the student and teacher portfolio systems, to provide mutual feedback and to share data, to the benefit of both partners. This concept may be influential in the design of future learning systems.

The project has evaluated the methodologies used within a complete software lifecycle for a project with high institutional buy-in and wide scale roll-out. It makes recommendations to the community regarding the human/organisational factors that will contribute to the success of the similar endeavours that use a systems analysis approach and/or user-centred design and roll-out. It also identifies that more work needs to be done to achieve buy-in from developers without experience of UML (Unified Modelling Language), SOA (Service-Oriented Architecture), MDA (Model-Driven Architecture) and rapid application development.

A set of designs for presenting tabular and graphical summative assessment data to students and teachers has been validated for their utility.

The project has undertaken in-depth analyses of stakeholder experiences with the self-directed learning cycle. Recommendations have been made to the sector concerning training, buy-in and organisational issues.

The study has identified a methodology for measuring the quality of workplace learning in a way that could be incorporated into a placement quality management system. This approach is generalisable to placements in other subject areas, and provides an important tool for institutions to manage the quality of their placement providers.

Topcat development is in full-scale roll-out in the School of Medicine and Dentistry at Manchester and roll-out to remaining Schools in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences has been agreed.

HeLM has achieved high profile with senior management, committees and staff in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences through its work on Topcat, presentation of assessment data and the reflective discussions.

The HeLM team has had 10 peer-reviewed papers accepted for presentation and 2 journal papers published.

What follow-up activity will be/has been carried out as a result of the project?

The Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences is planning full-scale roll-out of Topcat across the Faculty. They are also planning to build on HeLM's work on the use of student feedback for teaching quality management, to build an integrated Topcat teaching loads/teaching quality management system.

It would be valuable to track usage of the model and encourage such users to contribute further refinements.

The HeLM ontology is small and UK-based, and its future may lie in amalgamation into one of the major medical ontologies and/or an international collaboration to refine it.

The HORUS e-Learning Management Extension for Tutors (HELMET) ran from 1st January 2008 to 31st March 2009 under the JISC Users and Innovation Programme. It aimed to 'use the services and experience gained from HeLM to develop and implement a Social Networking application using Web 2.0 technologies to facilitate the collaboration of tutors and subsequent capture of appropriate pieces of any collaboration for future personal development'.