Internationalization at Home, a concept developed in the Netherlands, enables students to have a global experience and engage with international students without leaving home (Teekens, 2015). The use of technology such as social media can provide a viable mechanism by which this can be achieved (Beleen & Jones, 2015; Chan & Nyback, 2015). Social media provides students with an opportunity to share ideas, develop digital communication skills and enrich their learning experience (Roland, Johnson & Swain, 2011; Schmitt, Sims-Giddens & Booth, 2012). The purpose of this project was to create an online community of practice using a blog to stimulate discussion between Canadian and Australian nursing students, focusing on culture and family.
Methods:
Australian and Canadian nursing students participated in an international, cross-cultural blog activity that provided an opportunity to engage with each other through a shared blog experience. This learning and teaching activity was imbedded within a Bachelor of Nursing subject at each University. This activity was expected to expand their knowledge through interaction with students from another country, learn about other cultures and share ideas. Questions were posted by faculty to stimulate student discussion related to culture and family. The students posted their response to the questions and replied to each other’s postings. Students who took part in the international blog were invited to evaluate the activity. The evaluation was in the form of an anonymous online questionnaire located within the respective schools eLearning platforms.
Results:
Preliminary results indicate that students found this to be a worthwhile learning activity. They were interested in exploring each others personal and professional experience of culture and family through discussion with students from another country. Students reported that the blog was a useful medium for an international learning experience, which they also enjoyed.
Conclusion:
Participating in the evaluation provided students with an opportunity to interact with nursing students from another country in a guided learning experience. Students then reflected on their blog experience and assisted instructors to identify the strengths and limitations of the learning activity, illuminate areas for improvement and determine if it would be worthwhile repeating in future. Communication through social media is fast becoming more relevant to nursing practice and the use of social media in nursing education will prepare students to effectively utilize social media and function in a global community of practice.
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