IIHS Award winning Learner Management System provides students access to online material during the COVID-19 pandemic

International Institute of Health Science (IIHS), Sri Lanka’s premier and leading healthcare education Institute renowned for the high quality education provided for nurses in Sri Lanka have once more used innovative solutions to engage with students during the ongoing global pandemic through the improved and versatile Learner Management System (LMS).

Having won consecutive awards at the Commonwealth Digital Health Awards in 2016, 2017 and 2018 and improving accessibility to education for students, the notable key features of the LMS platform include providing access to all learner material and student centric teaching thus allowing students to access material and prepare for the online class from the safety and comfort of their home. This new and improved student-centric learning environment is set to international standards to ensure that students maintain autonomy while achieving the desired outcomes. Further, more exams are also held to match International standards and requirements.

With the use of a simple device and internet connection, students can access online                               e-Libraries and research material through LMS which provides access to all undergraduate, postgraduate students, health care professionals and teachers. The system enables IIHS to deliver local and international programs thereby reaching out to the international market during a time when travel has been suspended.

“We are constantly looking at innovative ways to improve efficiency and accessibility for our students. It’s becoming imperative for educational institutes to be able to adapt to global changes with minimal disruption to the study programs. At IIHS this is a key area of focus so that our students will always have access to their study material irrespective of time or place. By using such cost saving digital technologies for the provision of education IIHS will continue its mission of becoming a central regional hub for education” commented Dr. Kithsiri Edirisinghe, CEO & Co-Founder IIHS.

Ms. Thiyasha Karuanaratne, final year Nursing student at IIHS states, “I’ve been using the IIHS LMS since my enrollment 3 years ago but lately it has been very helpful for me to access my learning material during this pandemic. The lecturers are always online so we can reach out to them for any queries. Th LMS is in par with international standards and will support my journey in global higher education”.

Prior to the breakout of the pandemic, IIHS provided access to study content for all nurses completing the Bachelors program in Nursing. Back in 2017, as an initiative to improve accessible, affordable education IIHS provided tabs to the nurses enabling access to the LMS from home or their workplace which led to an increase in the levels of satisfaction and improved IT literacy skills among the nursing students whilst giving them the option of not having to travel long distances for education. Currently approximately 1500 state sector nurses utilize tablet devices to access the LMS, thereby adhering to the contemporary modes of learning whilst staying upto date with the latest evidence in health care. Whilst this initiative ensures that the frontline workers of our community gain access to much deserved education, it is also prominent for its positive effects on the environment.

In addition to the mentioned advances in online delivery, IIHS also created an independent LMS for the state sector nursing training schools to allow similar access to content for students and tutors. This initiative whilst reducing the workload of the tutors will also allow nursing students to access learning material from home during the pandemic.

To gain more information on the digital platforms available for students at IIHS, contact staff on 011-4651144.