Online Learning Week for Nurses in Sexual Health; Building Knowledge and Understanding Enhanced by Web 2.0 Technologies within Communities of Practice (cop).
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Abstract
With an ongoing drive to innovate, STI AIDS Netherlands developed in close collaboration with nursing communities an Online Learning Week (OLW). Developed in a time frame of 10 months, this event was executed from 31 October 2012 until 6 November 2012 . The OLW appeared to be a sufficient answer to a further withdraw of nursing participants visiting the once in every two years organized Nursing Symposium. With 342 registered participants, instead of 175 for the Nursing Symposium, a reward of 7,6 for the program and 90% of participants would join again, the OLW turned out to be a success.
Key to this success is the underlying approach of development.
1. Develop an innovative online learning event in close collaboration with cop. To enhance knowledge, skills and attitudes of professionals by offering online learning, cop deliver expertise. From this perspective representatives of the nursing communities involved, are equal partners in the development of the learning content. Also, they became spokes persons within their cop about the development process and delivered specific sources of content like interview reports, film, voice-over presentations, guidelines in development etc., from which colleagues could learn.
2. Collaborative learning as a pedagogical approach stimulates learning within the cop. Various sources of content are developed in collaboration with educational experts and members of the nursing communities. Web 2.0 communication tools enhance learning by its functions of stimulating active involvement of participants and actively processing the learning content, so that new understanding is constructed among participants within the cop.
3. The open source Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is tailored to the needs of the nursing communities and STI AIDS Netherlands. Experts in learning technology supported the development of the VLE and how to manage the learning content.
4. Before creating a VLE and learning content it’s essential to know who the potential participants are. Two surveys were held among 400 members of the nursing communities: one focused on technological barriers and barriers to participate in an online event, the other on the subjects derived from a brainstorm session with nurses to determine the workshop topics.
5. To overcome technological and managerial barriers for nurses to participate in the OLW, a PR group was launched. Effective methods to create higher awareness among nurses and managers of public health clinics in the Netherlands where used. This involved: minimal technological demands for access, suggestions on time management and recognizing online learning sources and communication tools.
All 13 workshops in the OLW are evaluated by its participants. An evaluation survey about experiences with online learning two weeks after the OLW was filled in by 200 respondents. Results show the success of the OLW. Critical points of feedback are taken into account. In this case, the above described approach has possibly led to a good fit of the online learning program to the needs of the nursing communities to build new knowledge and understanding.
Key to this success is the underlying approach of development.
1. Develop an innovative online learning event in close collaboration with cop. To enhance knowledge, skills and attitudes of professionals by offering online learning, cop deliver expertise. From this perspective representatives of the nursing communities involved, are equal partners in the development of the learning content. Also, they became spokes persons within their cop about the development process and delivered specific sources of content like interview reports, film, voice-over presentations, guidelines in development etc., from which colleagues could learn.
2. Collaborative learning as a pedagogical approach stimulates learning within the cop. Various sources of content are developed in collaboration with educational experts and members of the nursing communities. Web 2.0 communication tools enhance learning by its functions of stimulating active involvement of participants and actively processing the learning content, so that new understanding is constructed among participants within the cop.
3. The open source Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is tailored to the needs of the nursing communities and STI AIDS Netherlands. Experts in learning technology supported the development of the VLE and how to manage the learning content.
4. Before creating a VLE and learning content it’s essential to know who the potential participants are. Two surveys were held among 400 members of the nursing communities: one focused on technological barriers and barriers to participate in an online event, the other on the subjects derived from a brainstorm session with nurses to determine the workshop topics.
5. To overcome technological and managerial barriers for nurses to participate in the OLW, a PR group was launched. Effective methods to create higher awareness among nurses and managers of public health clinics in the Netherlands where used. This involved: minimal technological demands for access, suggestions on time management and recognizing online learning sources and communication tools.
All 13 workshops in the OLW are evaluated by its participants. An evaluation survey about experiences with online learning two weeks after the OLW was filled in by 200 respondents. Results show the success of the OLW. Critical points of feedback are taken into account. In this case, the above described approach has possibly led to a good fit of the online learning program to the needs of the nursing communities to build new knowledge and understanding.
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