Investigating Possibilities for E-Learning: An HCI Study with the Lundbeck Institute

This working paper presents the first results of a close collaboration between theHCI-Research Group, at the Department of Informatics, CBS and the LundbeckInstitute. KA-CHE is the abbreviation chosen as current project name for the elearningproject between the two partners. The name can be seen as dealing with twoperspectives:Knowledge Acquisition in1) Continuing Healthcare Education - Lundbeck Institute perspective.2) Computer Human Environments - HCI-Research Group perspective.This report contains the resulting descriptions of analyses, investigations andevaluations carried out in the pre-phase by the HCI-Research Group, who has takenup the part as project leaders of the pre-phase and authors of the working paper1.However, the work carried out within the pre-phase has taken a co-operativeapproach between the two partners.This working paper has a rather applied format, where the study of and with theLundbeck Institute, human computer interaction issues as well as the first designideas are disseminated. As such the report does not provide a thorough frame ofreferences within the HCI-area (Human Computer Interaction) and e-learning area,as these are seen as implicit for the understanding of the empirical study. Rather highemphasis has been given to the analysis, interpretation and argumentation based onthe empirical study. The working paper can be seen as an inspirational work forresearchers and practitioners in similar projects in the same preliminary phase.Below follows a description of the work process in the pre-phase and among thepartners, also clarifying how we found the focus areas of the pre-phase, known as theproject map (in section 1.1). The next chapter (chapter 0) provides a detailed accountof the pre-phase project results, taking a holistic view to the e-learning project,envisioning the potential scenarios, possibilities and barriers, the user group andsetting out the scene for the decisions and actions to come.The following chapters present the basic themes and the analysis that constitute thefoundation for the results in chapter 0. As such chapter 3 provides the more internallook at the Lundbeck Institute, investigating the current activities, the lessons learnedwithin Continuing Medical Education (CME), the visions of e-learning and thepeople it is targeted at. Chapter 4 and 5 provides the more external perspectivesbeing based on investigations of learning models and pedagogical tools, LearningManagement Systems (LMS), Continuing Medical Education (CME) andAccreditation considerations. The computer human interactions perspective inchapter 6 provides again a more internal aspect concerning the resources andresearch potentials within the HCI-Research Group, at the same pointing to areasthat are essential for the continuation and success of the KA-CHE project for theLundbeck Institute. The reader should thus see chapter 2 as the resulting HCI interpretations and design considerations of the preliminary analysis described in thefollowing chapters.The working paper is written considering both the current and future context of theLundbeck Institute and what we know and need to know more about with respect tothe future users of the e-learning activities. Another of our concern has been toinvestigate the Lundbeck Institute current activities and raise questions that theInstitute needs to consider when contemplating a relatively large e-learning project.However, we find that the concepts investigated and the processes we have beenthrough have a general relevance. We are thus grateful to the Lundbeck Institute forallowing publication of these pre-phase results.