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Recruiting, training and retaining an effective eye care team present challenges for the 35 ophthalmologists working in Trinidad and Tobago due to a shortage of allied ophthalmic personnel (AOP). AOP are essential members of the eye team and support both the productivity and quality of eye care provided.

With the increased need for eye care services worldwide, educators must approach curriculum design and teaching in a systematic way with a clear goal in mind: education of the whole eye care team, with specific competencies, to work together effectively to provide high quality patient care.

In order to stay current within their field, many professionals regularly attend conferences and training events in distant locales. Travel to these conferences costs professionals, and their sponsor organizations, both time and money. In the past the benefits afforded by these conferences, and the lack of comparable alternatives, have provided justification for these expenditures. However, recent studies have shown that the cost of travel extends beyond the pocketbook. Transportation is a major contributor of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, a key suspect in the argument for the negative impact of global climate change. This paper examines the potential effects of travel to these conferences on the environment and promotes online conferences as a comparable alternative to face-to-face events. A successful online conference is used to demonstrate the magnitude of the environmental and economical benefits of online conferences. The authors posit that online conferencing technologies have evolved such that they now offer another option for professional development that is effective, economical and environmentally friendly. Résumé : Afin de rester à jour dans leur domaine, de nombreux professionnels participent régulièrement à des colloques et à des activités de formation dans des endroits éloignés. Se déplacer pour assister à de tels congrès ou colloques demande des investissements à la fois en temps et en argent de la part des professionnels et de leurs établissements parrains. Si, par le passé, les bénéfices que procuraient ces colloques et l’absence de solutions de rechange comparables justifiaient de telles dépenses, des études récentes ont toutefois montré que les frais de déplacement s’étendent au-delà des coûts financiers. Les transports constituent une source majeure des émissions de dioxyde de carbone (CO2), un composé soupçonné d’être l’un des facteurs clés de l’impact négatif de l’humain sur le changement climatique mondial. Le présent article examine les effets potentiels des déplacements à de tels colloques sur l’environnement et fait la promotion des activités de formation en ligne comme solution de rechange comparable à des événements auxquels on doit assister en personne. Une activité de formation en ligne réussie est exploitée afin de démontrer l’ampleur des avantages environnementaux et économiques que présentent les formations en ligne. Les auteurs postulent que les technologies de conférence en ligne ont évolué de telle sorte que ces dernières représentent dorénavant une nouvelle manière de suivre des activités de perfectionnement professionnel, en plus d’être une option efficace, économique et écologique.

Practical guidelines are offered for the use of online synchronous conferencing software by session administrators and moderators. The configuration of the software prior to conferencing sessions is discussed, and the planning and implementation of useful collaborative activities such as “synchronised browsing.” The combination of these practices into useful ”patterns” for specific online conferencing purposes is discussed.

Practical guidelines are offered for the use of online synchronous conferencing software by session administrators and moderators. The configuration of the software prior to conferencing sessions is discussed, and the planning and implementation of useful collaborative activities such as "synchronised browsing". The combination of these practices into useful "patterns" for specific online conferencing purposes is discussed.

This report examines three text-based conferencing products: WowBB, Invision Power Board, and vBulletin. Their selection was prompted by a feature-by-feature comparison of the same products on the WowBB website. The comparison chart painted a misleading impression of WowBB's features in relation to the other two products; so the evaluation team undertook a more comprehensive and impartial comparison using the categories and criteria for online software evaluation developed by the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD). The findings are summarised in terms of the softwares' pricing, common features/ functions, and differentiating features.

This report examines three text-based conferencing products: WowBB, Invision Power Board, and vBulletin. Their selection was prompted by a feature-by-feature comparison of the same products on the WowBB website. The comparison chart painted a misleading impression of WowBB’s features in relation to the other two products; so the evaluation team undertook a more comprehensive and impartial comparison using the categories and criteria for online software evaluation developed by the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD). The findings are summarised in terms of the softwares’ pricing, common features/ functions, and differentiating features.

This report examines three text-based conferencing products: WowBB, Invision Power Board, and vBulletin. Their selection was prompted by a feature-by-feature comparison of the same products on the WowBB website. The comparison chart painted a misleading impression of WowBB’s features in relation to the other two products; so the evaluation team undertook a more comprehensive and impartial comparison using the categories and criteria for online software evaluation developed by the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD). The findings are summarised in terms of the softwares’ pricing, common features/ functions, and differentiating features.

Recent data suggests there may never be enough ophthalmologists to meet the needs of global eye care. One way to lessen the impact of the shortage is to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of each ophthalmologist by putting together a team of well trained personnel to support them. This increases both the availability and quality of eye care.