Abstract:

The use of technology to facilitate connected learning is currently receiving an increasing amount of attention in higher education. Connected learning can be described as a set of design principles that aim to engage, empower and equip students to learn effectively, purposefully and continuously throughout their lives (Connected Learning Alliance, 2016). It enables learners 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. In workplace learning contexts where students are placed for clinical practice in their respective discipline areas this is all the more important because these are particularly challenging learning environments for students. Given the potential of mobile technologies to enable social interactions, our question was whether, and in what way/s, an mLearning solution designed to facilitate student collaboration in the workplace might complement the supervisory guidance being received in the workplace and enhance the overall quality of student learning.

This paper reports on our work in progress to develop a mobile app designed to enhance the learning experience of health professional students undertaking clinical placements in a variety of health facilities. A key aim of the project is to provide a real-time means by which students from multiple health disciplines can meaningfully connect with each other during the course of a placement in order to share insights, pose questions, receive feedback and store reflections on their learning. Principles of connected learning have been used to underpin the design of the prototype app. Sixteen students from the disciplines of nursing, social work and nutrition and dietetics volunteered to participate in the pilot which was conducted during 2016. A short briefing session about the aims of the project and how to use the app were provided prior to the commencement of the pilot. Evaluative feedback was collected using an online survey and a face-to-face focus group discussion. Quantitative and qualitative data indicate that students value the opportunity to connect with their multidisciplinary peers whilst on placement in the workplace. However, analysis of their online dialogue and comments during the focus group discussion highlight several issues which have important 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 early part of 2017.

Keywords:

Mobile learning, work integrated learning, app technology, technology enhanced learning.