Perhaps one of the most important educational affordances offered by mobile technology is the opportunity that it provides in terms of enabling connected learning. Connected learning can be described as a pedagogical approach that ‘seeks to integrate three spheres of learning that are often disconnected - personal interest, peer relationships, and academic achievement’ (Mizuko et al., 2013, p. 63). This enables the learner to uniquely integrate personal connections, in-class and out-of-class experiences, collaborations, and resources of all kinds resulting in a deeper learning experience that better addresses learners’ specific needs. Importantly, connected learning requires not just the acquisition of knowledge but also an understanding of how to use connections to ask questions, find answers and develop competencies (Educause, 2013).
These rapidly emerging trends offer exciting possibilities which have the potential to enrich the educational experience of nursing and allied health professional students, particularly within the clinical practice context. Unlike classroom learning, students in the clinical setting frequently have to contend with situations that are unplanned, complex, multidisciplinary in nature and needing to be dealt with quickly on the basis of incomplete information (Yorke, 2011). These and other factors complicate the realisation of integrative educational experiences and, potentially, the quality of learning outcomes achieved by students. Given the potential of mobile technologies to enable connected learning outcomes, our question is whether, and in what way/s, an m-Learning solution designed to facilitate interprofessional student collaboration during clinical practicums might complement the supervisory guidance being received and enhance the overall quality of student learning.
This presentation reports on our work in progress to develop a mobile app designed to provide a real-time means by which students from nursing and allied health disciplines can meaningfully connect with each other during the course of a clinical placement in order to share insights, pose questions, receive feedback and reflect on their learning. The app’s conceptual design draws upon four principles of connected learning: accessible learning experiences which allow participation in different ways, are linked to participatory and experiential activities, centred around shared interests which create a ‘need to know’, and provide a means by which learners can share their work, knowledge and skills with others (Mizuko et al. 2013). It includes a social networking strategy for students to introduce themselves to other members of the peer-based community, conversation triggers to stimulate dialogue amongst the community and opportunities for the real-time sharing of thoughts, questions, ideas, suggestions, insights etc. regarding their experiences in the various clinical settings in which they were placed.
Twenty two undergraduate students from the disciplines of nursing, social work and nutrition and dietetics volunteered to participate in the pilot which was conducted in late 2016/early 2017. A short briefing session about the aims of the project and how to use the app were provided to students prior to the commencement of the pilot. Evaluative feedback was collected using a purpose-built online survey and a face-to-face focus group discussion. Basic statistical procedures were used to analyse the quantitative data, and thematic analysis was used to identify and analyse patterns in the qualitative data yielded from the focus group discussion (Braun & Clark, 2006). Quantitative and qualitative data indicate that students valued the opportunity to connect with their multidisciplinary peers during the course of a clinical practicum in the workplace. However, content analysis of their online dialogue (Miles & Huberman, 1994), and commentary during the focus group discussion, highlight several issues which have important practical and curriculum implications for their engagement with the app and consequent realisation of learning benefits. Outcomes from the pilot are being used to refine the initial prototype app for testing on a wider scale in the latter part of 2017.