TLC Initiative Launch
IACLE launches The TLC (Teach. Learn. Connect.) Initiative
IACLE has today announced the launch of a new initiative to support its members, their students and the contact lens industry, and help reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global contact lens education.
Teach. Learn. Connect. is a new online education program and communications campaign beginning this month that will supplement IACLE’s existing educational activities as the recovery from the pandemic continues.
‘The Impact of COVID-19 on Global Contact Lens Education’ survey conducted in May 2020 among IACLE Educator Members worldwide reveals:
• 71% of their institutions are currently closed to students to attend in person
• 76% expect to provide more online lectures in light of the COVID-19 pandemic
• 87% expect to use IACLE resources more in future and none expect to use them less
Full results of the survey, with respondents across 32 countries, will be released to members soon.
The TLC Initiative will include:
• A full program of live and recorded webinars on a global, regional and national basis to help educators and students adapt to new ways of teaching and learning.
• A half-day virtual conference in September to ‘Bring the focus back to contact lenses’. The conference will examine the way forward for education, practice and for the contact lens industry.
• Our new teaching online platform – IACLETOP – which will become IACLE’s central point to access all IACLE’s online resources and teaching materials. Fifteen webinars are already available on IACLETOP and new resources will be added, starting with an online Student Trial Exam and new tools for teaching and learning practical skills.
• Opportunities for industry to connect with educators and students worldwide.
• Communications providing new information to support all sectors during the pandemic recovery, including IACLE’s first social media campaign.
IACLE’s next series of global webinars will begin on 23 June with ‘Exploring the move to online teaching, learning and assessment’, led by Richard Beggs from Ulster University’s Centre for Higher Education Research and Practice. This webinar will explore how educators can best teach online in a way that encourages student participation. Future webinars will include an opportunity for students to share their own experiences of learning online.
IACLE President Dr Shehzad Naroo commented: ‘IACLE already has a vast range of online resources and programs and is ideally placed to support our community of educators, students and industry with new methods of teaching, learning and connecting. The TLC Initiative will provide essential resources to help all of us to adapt to the rapidly changing situation, and continue to deliver world-class education to the practitioners of tomorrow.’
– ENDS –
For media enquiries please contact:
Alison Ewbank
Communications | International Association of Contact Lens Educators
International Association of Contact Lens Educators
London | United Kingdom
Email: a.ewbank@iacle.org
Work: + 44 208 390 9378 | Mobile: + 44 7732 121 959
Skype: alisonewbank1 | Web: www.iacle.org
Amelia Morgan
Marketing Consultant | International Association of Contact Lens Educators
Leeds | United Kingdom
Email: amelia@ameliamorgan.org
Work / Mobile: + 44 7740 858 395
Skype: ameliagracemorgan_1 | Web: www.iacle.org
NOTES FOR EDITORS
1. More information about the TLC (Teach. Learn. Connect) Initiative.
2. ‘The Impact of COVID-19 on Global Contact Lens Education’ survey of IACLE Educator Members worldwide was conducted online in May 2020. A total of 214 responses were received from 32 countries across all three of IACLE’s global regions. The survey covers the current effects of the pandemic on contact lens education worldwide, and how educators and institutions plan to adapt in future.
3. Dr Shehzad Naroo is Reader at Aston University in Birmingham, UK.
4. Information on all IACLE activities and membership benefits is available at www.iacle.org.
About IACLE
The International Association of Contact Lens Educators was established in 1979 and is a non-profit, non-political association. IACLE has 938 (as of December 2019) active members in 79 countries and welcomes contact lens educators from all eye care professions and related disciplines. IACLE is dedicated to raising the standard of contact lens education and promoting the safe use of contact lenses worldwide. It is the leading provider of educational and information resources essential to contact lens educators. IACLE is supported by leading global contact lens manufacturers: Platinum Sponsor Alcon, Gold Sponsor CooperVision, Silver Sponsor Johnson & Johnson Vision, Bronze Sponsor Bausch + Lomb and Donor Sponsor Euclid.