A VIRTUAL LEARNING COMMUNITY SUPPORTING THE GENERAL PRACTICE EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN AUSTRALIA

The range and ubiquity of freely available web-based tools has resulted in possibilities for Web 2.0 technologies to facilitate teaching activities in ways which were previously unimaginable (Boulos & Wheeler, 2007). Web 2.0 technologies provide the capacity for a community of learners to support each other via web-based trusted networks, resource sharing and collaborative building of learning resources. This project has undertaken an extensive investigation of the applicability of Web 2.0 tools for the General Practice (GP) learning community. This research involved over 150 participants from 15 Australian education institutions, including medical students, GP registrars, medical educators/teachers, GP supervisors, junior doctors and International Medical Graduates (IMGs). Questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were used to collect the data. The results obtained indicate the potential for a user-friendly and multifunctional digital habitat in facilitating the communication and resource sharing among different learner groups and in supporting the vertical integration of GP learners. Based on these results, a pilot model of a digital habitat, containing a range of Web 2.0 tools, has also been developed and assessed. This paper provides recommendations for a framework for future development of a digital habitat to support communities of GP learners utilising Web 2.0 technologies.