Abstract:

Within the past few years, colleges and universities have introduced and incorporated a number of e-learning technologies to increase flexibility in course offerings and to enhance student-learning experiences. Given the changing workplace environment and the requirement for continual employee learning, many working adults are searching for universities that offer their courses utilizing e-learning technology and programs. Besides, the rapid growth in e-learning is occurring without an effective design of Internet-based courses.
The European Higher Education places the student as the essence of the teaching-learning process. This change has been linked to a methodological change that enhances the student's to an active, initiative and critical thinking. In this new setting, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) plays a crucial role, providing new contexts and possibilities for the development of these skills.

This Master is the first on-line multidisciplinary master in Visual Rehabilitation to be developed by a University in Spain and Europe . It was born to answer the training needs of the socio-health students and professionals involved in the process of integration and normalization of people with low vision and visual impairment. We proposed a model that incorporates proactive student characteristics, the utilization of e-learning tools and educational outcomes within an Internet learning environment, based on the use of LMS platforms, using the resources provided by the University of Valladolid. It was developed within the IOBA Institute of Ophthalmology of the University of Valladolid, Spain, The Master addresses the lack of formal training in this area that is not covered by any other Spanish University. This Master is designed from a multidisciplinary point of view, which comes from the experience of the professionals involved in the care of this type of patients. An Academic Committee was selected to design the knowledge, skills and competences of this Master. These competences would become tools and different resources that would impact the student’s ability to achieve his or her learning goals and objectives. This oral presentation will provide the clues of this new postgraduate program, in which teachers from three Spanish universities and 6 well-known private clinic centers in the area have participated.
Our objective is therefore to share this experience in developing innovative skills of the Master with other universities who may be interested in following it.

Keywords:

European Higher Education Area, e-learning, experiences in education