Using Discussion Boards as a Teaching

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Using Discussion Boards as a Teaching Learning
strategy Experiences gained teaching final
year nursing students in Ireland

• Sile A Creedon,
• PhD student, MSc (Res), BNS, RNT, RGN, RM, Dip
  (Teachers) IT.
• Lecturer, Co-ordinator Year 4 BSc

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Overview

• Genesis for module
• Modular objectives
• Interaction / Engagement
• Survey

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Genesis / background

• Own background in nursing informatics
• Health system ICT framework HSE 2003
• National Health Information Strategy 2004
• Nurses are the largest group of healthcare
  workers

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Modular descriptor

• NU4025 Health Informatics for Nurses
• Optional (N99)
• Two pedagogical approaches
• web-based and classroom based.

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Module objectives

• To examine implications for health delivery
  arising from telemedicine, ehealth
• To examine the status of information technology
  within the Irish Healthcare sector
• To explore and evaluate models of patient
  information data management systems

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Interaction (engagement)

• interaction is a reciprocal exchange of
  information which enhances knowledge
  development.goal is to increase understanding or
  mastery of defined goals Thurmond (2003)
• Learner / content
• Learner / student
• Learner / lecturer
• Learner / medium
• VLE Blackboard

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Course operationalisation

• Three week cycle
• Week 1 attend for lectures (web tools, ppt,
  reading). Discussion thread provided
• Week 2 Submit to Discussion board.
• Clear guidelines date, time, word limit, no
  lurking
• Feedback from lecturer.
• Week 3 Peer review to discussion board.
  Feedback from lecturer.

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Discussion boards

• Strengths
• All information is shared equally between student
  and lecturer
• Permanent record
• Convenient place for students to work as groups
  and learn from each other
• Students have the opportunity to reflect before
  posting
• Limitations
• Less convenient than email
• Lurking
• Lecturer may have difficulty in determining
  original thought

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Factors that influence success

• Value need to meet learning outcomes
• Baskin 2001
• Challenge thread needs to be stimulating
• Non-threatening small electronic groups
• Northover 2002
• Feedback need to know they are on the right
  track
• Chou, Liu 2005, Leng et al 2006
• Encouragement lecturer must provide a positive
  learning environment and be able to manage
  groups.
• (Pallof, Pratt 2001)
• Authentic thread has to be realistic, meaningful
  and build knowledge in a contextualised relevant
  way.
• (Herrington, Oliver 2000, McLoughlin, Luca 2001)

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Learner / content interaction

• .students examining the course content and from
  participating in class activities .(Moore and
  Kearsley 1999)
• Variables
• Clarity of course design
• Web tools
• Consistent (ppt, hyperlinked reading)
• Time
• concerns,
• requirements realistically identified
• approx 200 hits to Blackboard per week
• Medium used for module delivery
• Web based / modified lectures
• (Swan 2001, Sole Lindquist 2001, Faux, Black
  Hughes 2000))

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Learner learner interaction contd.

• Divided into groups of 5 electronically secure
• Facilities for file transfer, email, chat and
  discussion board.
• Submit reflections (discussion boards)
• Review peer submissions
• Submit peer review
• Very explicit expectations, submission dates and
  times.
• Protected time

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Learner lecturer interaction

• Most significant predictor of learning
• (Leong, Ho, Saromines 2002, Jiang and Ting,
  1999).
• Differed to traditional email, discussion boards
  
• Provided timely feedback on each submission.
• Considerable time required

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Learner interface interaction

• Course required interaction between internet,
  web-tools and blackboard.
• Varying degrees of literacy
• Blackboard user friendly
• Use of two pedagogical mediums web based and
  lecture-theatre based

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Evidence of student learning

• Summative assessment
• Design a nursing information system for the ward
  / unit you are most familiar with.
• Content
• Engagement with literature relevant citations
• Creative, logical, original thinking
• Mastery of the subject
• Contextualised within national / international HC
  system
• Marked 2 lecturers / 1 ext examiner
• Results majority second or first class hons.

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Major findings from survey (n89)

• Engaged with content that they did not even know
  existed (51)
• Read more for this module than any other (45)
• Peer review was excellent and made them more
  critical of their own work (80)
• Computer skills had improved (even though this
  was not a learning outcome) 45

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What they said (Markclass)

• Student / content
• I have learned such a lot about IT in the health
  services in Ireland. Thank you!
• This was a fabulous module, the content is really
  relevant. I would recommend that this should be
  a core module.
• Excellent content, very relevant to nursing, I
  really learnt a lot
• This module really got me thinking about the way
  we manage patient records todayallowed me see
  how changes could be made within my own
  discipline
• Very motivating for us as future staff nurses in
  relation to using ICT to manage patient data

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What they said.

• It was such a help getting feedback after each
  discussion. I really learned from this course
• Excellent to be able to review my peers
  workthis is critical learning
• This was such a different approach to teaching
  wonderful.knowing how you were doing made such a
  difference,
• Fantastic.guidance from sile really helped
  mebest experience in the four years.

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Conclusion / Recommendations

• Genesis
• National developments,
• Nurses are the largest group in healthcare
  delivery
• Engagement
• Evidence of student learning
• Recommendations
• Replication of course design
• Comparison with traditional methodologies
• Instrument development (valid / reliable)

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