Push for technology enhanced learning…with what you can afford

Welcome to this new issue of IPP and ‘warm’ greetings from Qatar. It is a country developing at a very fast pace and striving to build its society on strong educational foundations. Reflection is an important component of adult learning and in that domain Qatar has greatly benefited from the good, as well as not so good experiences from its neighbouring nations.

Although financial wealth can buy you all the latest gadgets, their use does not necessarily guarantee the provision of high quality or effective education, nor is it always necessary to achieve set learning objectives.

A report addressed to commissioners and providers of health and social care education was published last year in the UK by the Department of Health (2011). Its focus was to present a framework providing guidance to help deliver high quality, cost–effective education, training and continuous development to the workforce through the use of technology. This Framework for Technology Enhanced Learning identifies six key principles regarding the use of technology as part of a learning solution (Department of Health, 2011). These principles have been derived for the benefit of patients to ensure that the education provided to the healthcare workforce improves patient outcomes, safety, and experience. The recommendations of the framework are that technology enhanced learning should: