SBIR-STTR Award

The objective of the proposed STTR project is to develop an online distance learning system and online courses to teach low vision rehabilitation to occupational therapists, vision rehabilitation teachers, ophthalmic and optometric technicians, nurse educators, and nursing home and assisted living center staff. Recent changes in Medicare coverage policies have created a demand for low vision therapists that will continue to grow as the population ages. The proposed distance learning system will make it possible to educate therapists and other health care service providers who work with the visually impaired by means of self paced courses that can be scheduled at the convenience and tailored to the background of the student. The specific aims of Phase 1 are to 1) integrate the distance learning system and develop the system software, 2) develop and test content authoring tools, and 3) develop a prototype online optics and low vision refraction course and test it with ophthalmic technicians. Phase 2 will refine the distance learning system and develop and evaluate the online courses for the target health care service providers. The distance learning system will host online lectures, virtual workshops, live online case conferences with problem based learning groups, and online examinations and course evaluations. The online lectures will employ graphics, animation, video clips, and audio. The online workshops will be based on interactive 2D and 3D models combined with presentation matedal and exercises. Downloadable PDF/RTF files will provide supplemental material. Online case conferences will have a presentation window, whiteboard, 2-way audio, seating chart, "hand raising," and microphone passing. The problem-based learning groups will employ text-based chat. A prototype optics and low vision refraction course that consists of two online lectures, a virtual workshop, and a live online low vision refraction case conference will be developed and presented to volunteer ophthalmic technician CE students to evaluate the performance of the system and the acceptance of the distance learning format.

Thesaurus Terms:
Internet, computer assisted instruction, educational resource design /development, health care personnel education, rehabilitation, vision aid, vision disorder computer graphics /printing, computer program /software clinical research, human subject, medical rehabilitation related tag

The goals of this proposed Phase 2 STTR project are to further develop and test the online distance learning system and courses that we developed in Phase 1 to teach health care professionals to provide low vision rehabilitation services. The first aim is to develop and test interactive online lectures. Online lectures will have hyperlinks in the slides that will jump to context-sensitive mini-tutorials for students who require more background information to understand the slide. Students also will be able to post questions to the instructor or make comments in the forum during the lecture. And, students will be able to type notes for each slide during the lecture that will be saved with a printable copy of the slide. Aim 2 is to develop and test interactive computer simulations of the components of low vision rehabilitation. In Phase 1 we developed a simulation of visual acuity testing and trial lens refraction. In Phase 2, we will develop simulations of kinetic visual field, Amslergrid, contrast sensitivity, reading ability, and color vision testing; taking the patient's history; mobility, eccentric viewing, and home environment ADL and safety evaluations; rehabilitation plan development; home adaptations for ADL and safety; and teaching patients eccentric viewing and how to use low vision devices. Aim 3 is to improve our current synchronous online case conference capability and to develop best practices for case conferences. Aims 4 and 5 are to develop and test interactive web video for synchronous online clinical observations where the students watch an instructor work with patients (Aim 4) and synchronous online clinical mentoring where the instructor supervises and guides the students who are working with patients (Aim 5). All testing will be done with volunteers recruited from among students taking the online low vision course developed in Phase 1.

Thesaurus Terms:
Internet, blindness, computer assisted instruction, education evaluation /planning, educational resource design /development, health care personnel education, rehabilitation blind aid, telemedicine clinical research, medical rehabilitation related tag