The influence of social networks on students’ learning
J Hommes

Collaborative learning is supposed to facilitate interaction and it’s impact on student learning

Difficult to quantify the role of informal learning

Informal social interaction: behaviour is the result of interactions and relationships between people

Many variables can impact on student learning (e.g. motivation)

How does the effect of SN on students’ learning relate to possible confounders?

Methods:

• Academic motivation scale (determine motivation)
• College adaption questionnaire (determine social interactions)
• GPA (previous performance impacts on future performance)
• Factual knowledge test
• Social network analysis (looked at Friendship, Giving information, Getting information)

Social interaction in informal contexts has a substantial influence on learning

Could it also be true that good learners are also well-developed social beings? If learning is inherently social, then people who are more social might just be better learners, and it has nothing to do with the social network?

Veterinary students’ use of and attitude toward Facebook
Jason Coe

Physicians share information on Facebook that could potentially upset their patients

People disclsoe more personal information on Facebook than they do in general

32% of students’ profiles contained information that could reflect poorly on the student or profession → venting, breaches of confidentiality, overtly sexual images / behavioural issues, substance abuse

78% of students believe that their profile pictures accurately reflected who they were at that time, 56% of students believed that their current profile pics accurately represents them as a future professional

More professionals believed that posting comments and pictures about clients on Facebook was acceptable, than students

Should professional students’ be held to a higher standard than other students?

Should Facebook information be used in hiring decisions?

An awareness of consequences causes students’ to disclose less on Facebook than they do in general

Individuals have a right to autonomy → education and guidelines can minimise risks

The issue of disclosure is important when it comes to using online social networks

Developing a network of veterinary ICT in education to suppor informal lifelong learning
S Baillie and P an Beukelen

Goals were to generate evidence of benefits and limitations of informal, lifelong learning using ICT

Questions in focus group that would affect participation in an online group:

• What activities? Networking, finding information, asking questions, discussions
• What motivations? Anonymity, sharing knowledge, convenience, saving time, travel and cost issues, required component
• What support? Employer support, attitude, help desk, post moderator (reliable information)
• What barriers? Time to participate, lack of confidence, lack of technical knowledge, understanding
• What challenges? Poor site usability, professionalism issues / behavioural change

Was important to have behavioural guidelines for participation in the online network e.g. respect, etc.

Can YouTube help students in learning surface anatomy?
Samy Azer

Aim: to determine if YouTube videos can provide useful information on surface anatomy

For each video, the following was recorded:

• Title
• Authors
• Duration of video
• Number of viewers
• Posted comments
• Number of days on YouTube
• Name of creator

No simple system is available for assessing video quality, but looked at (yes = 1, no = 0):

• Content – scientifically corrent, images clear
• Technical
• Authority of author / creator (but how was this determined?)
• Title reflects video content?
• Clear audio quality
• Reasonable download time
• Educational objectives stated
• Up to date creator information

57 out of 235 videos were deemed to be relevant, but only 15 of those were determined to have educational usefulness. Several videos were created by students and were often of a high quality

Conclusion was that YouTube is currently an inadequate source of information for learning surface anatomy, and that medical schools should take responsibility for creating and sharing resources online

Social media and the medical profession
Dror Maor

What is public and private? How do we separate out our personal and professional identities? Should we separate them out?

Discussion of the role of, and use of, social media by medical professionals (http://ama.com.au/node/6231)

Why do people think that using social media takes anything away from what we already do? Social media doesn’t take anything away from the hallway conversations…it’s not “better” or “worse” than “the old” way of doing things.

From “knowledge transfer” to “knowledge interaction” – changing models of research use, influence and impact
Huw Davies

Research, evidence and practice → moving from “knowing differently” to “doing differently”

There’s a lot of noise, but are we having any impact on practice? Who are we talking to? What kinds of conversations are we having? How can our collective input have an impact?

Currently, the model entails doing research, publishing it and hoping that clinicians change behavioural based on the results. No questions about how the knowledge transfer takes place?

How does knowledge “move around” complex systems?

The current system is too:

• Simple
• rational
• Linear

Current outcomes are variable, inefficient, ineffective, unsafe, and sometimes, inhumane

Why is it that when we know more than ever before, do we perform so poorly within our healthcare systems?

• Goals are ambiguous
• Workforce is multiple
• Environment is complex
• Tasks are complex and ambiguous

Even though organisations are highly social, yet the belief is that caregivers act as they do because of personal knowledge, motives and skills

Major influences on outcomes are through the organisations and systems through which services are delivered, not individual characterstics (applies equally to educational outcomes)

Context matters → it’s situational, not dispositional (behaviour is as much about the context as it is about dispositions)

Reductive and mechanistic approaches only get us so far. “Rocket science” is merely complicated. Tackingly educational and health issues is genuinely complex because of connections of people, each with own unpredictable behaviours and contexts that changes over time in non-linear ways

Throwing information at people doesn’t generate appropriate responses / behaviours

For some, “evidence” is reduced to research on “what works”. Consequnces of this:

• It’s relative straight-forward if the right methods are used
• It provides instruction on what to do i.e. it allows us to make choices more easily
• Assumes that the answers are out there to be found

Knowledge required for effective services is more broad than “what works”?

• Knowing about the problems: their nature, inter-relationships, “lived experiences”
• Knowing why: explaining the relationship between values and policies, and how they have changed over time
• Knowing how: how to put change into practice, what is pragmatic
• Knowing who: who should be involved, how do we build alliances, connect clinical and non-clinical

Challenge of integrating “knowledge”:

• Uncertain process, engages with values, existing (tacit) knowledge, experience
• socially and contextually situated
• not necessarily convergent
• may require difficult “unlearning”

Also, not just what knowledge:

• Whose knowledge / evidence?
  “evidence” may be used selectively and tactically, use is not necessarily disinterested (evidence is what the powerful say it is)
  Knowledge and power are co-constructed

Knowledge is not “a thing”, is it a process of “knowing”?

Knowledge is what happens when you take data from research, and combine it with experience, and shared through dialogue

Uncovering evidence and understanding its complexity
Barry Issenberg

“If there’s evidence, I feel confident. If there’s no evidence, I’m uncomfortable”

Evidence is only useful if it meets the needs of the user. Who is the user?

Features of learning through simulation (BEME guide 4), a systematic review:

• Feedback
• Repetitive practice
• Curriculum integration
• Varying difficulty
• Adaptive learning
• Clinical variation
• Controlled environments
• Individualised learning
• Defined outcomes

Discipline expertise doesn’t mean you can teach

Implementing clinical training in a complex health care system is challenging

Understanding the complexity of medical education → relationships between:

• Learner characteristics, experiences, educational and professional context
• Learning task: looked at psychomotor and procedural skills but behavioural not addressed
• Instruction (deliberate practice under direct supervision in groups or individually, for as long as it takes)
• Teacher characteristics and qualifications (these are not well-defined), clinical experience doesn’t equal teaching experience
• Curriculum content and format, blend of presentations and practice sessions, expert demonstrations, orientation
• Assessment: content and format
• Enviroments should be supportive, needs to be infrastructure, time set aside
• Evaluation of the programme: target, format, consequences (Kirkpatrick levels)
• Society: politics and culture taken into account, patient safety, clinical opportunity, clinical advances
• Setting: wide variety of settings, including schools, workplaces
• Organisation: need to involve all stakeholders

Journals have a limited role to play in knowledge interaction, and appeal mainly to people who just want to do more research

Without context and explicit intention, medical education will never have the impact on society that it would like to (Charles Boelen)

The influence of social networks on students’ learning
J Hommes

Collaborative learning is supposed to facilitate interaction and it’s impact on student learning

Difficult to quantify the role of informal learning

Informal social interaction: behaviour is the result of interactions and relationships between people

Many variables can impact on student learning (e.g. motivation)

How does the effect of SN on students’ learning relate to possible confounders?

Methods:
Academic motivation scale (determine motivation)
College adaption questionnaire (determine social interactions)
GPA (previous performance impacts on future performance)
Factual knowledge test
Social network analysis (looked at Friendship, Giving information, Getting information)

Social interaction in informal contexts has a substantial influence on learning

Could it also be true that good learners are also well-developed social beings? If learning is inherently social, then people who are more social might just be better learners, and it has nothing to do with the social network?

Veterinary students’ use of and attitude toward Facebook
Jason Coe

Physicians share information on Facebook that could potentially upset their patients

People disclsoe more personal information on Facebook than they do in general

32% of students’ profiles contained information that could reflect poorly on the student or profession → venting, breaches of confidentiality, overtly sexual images / behavioural issues, substance abuse

78% of students believe that their profile pictures accurately reflected who they were at that time, 56% of students believed that their current profile pics accurately represents them as a future professional

More professionals believed that posting comments and pictures about clients on Facebook was acceptable, than students

Should professional students’ be held to a higher standard than other students?

Should Facebook information be used in hiring decisions?

An awareness of consequences causes students’ to disclose less on Facebook than they do in general

Individuals have a right to autonomy → education and guidelines can minimise risks

The issue of disclosure is important when it comes to using online social networks

Developing a network of veterinary ICT in education to suppor informal lifelong learning
S Baillie and P an Beukelen

Goals were to generate evidence of benefits and limitations of informal, lifelong learning using ICT

Questions in focus group that would affect participation in an online group:
What activities? Networking, finding information, asking questions, discussions
What motivations? Anonymity, sharing knowledge, convenience, saving time, travel and cost issues, required component
What support? Employer support, attitude, help desk, post moderator (reliable information)
What barriers? Time to participate, lack of confidence, lack of technical knowledge, understanding
What challenges? Poor site usability, professionalism issues / behavioural change

Was important to have behavioural guidelines for participation in the online network e.g. respect, etc.

Can YouTube help students in learning surface anatomy?
Samy Azer

Aim: to determine if YouTube videos can provide useful information on surface anatomy

For each video, the following was recorded:
Title
Authors
Duration of video
Number of viewers
Posted comments
Number of days on YouTube
Name of creator

No simple system is available for assessing video quality, but looked at (yes = 1, no = 0):
Content – scientifically corrent, images clear
Technical
Authority of author / creator (but how was this determined?)
Title reflects video content?
Clear audio quality
Reasonable download time
Educational objectives stated
Up to date creator information

57 out of 235 videos were deemed to be relevant, but only 15 of those were determined to have educational usefulness. Several videos were created by students and were often of a high quality

Conclusion was that YouTube is currently an inadequate source of information for learning surface anatomy, and that medical schools should take responsibility for creating and sharing resources online

Social media and the medical profession
Dror Maor

What is public and private? How do we separate out our personal and professional identities? Should we separate them out?

Discussion of the role of, and use of, social media by medical professionals (http://ama.com.au/node/6231)

Why do people think that using social media takes anything away from what we already do? Social media doesn’t take anything away from the hallway conversations…it’s not “better” or “worse” than “the old” way of doing things.

From “knowledge transfer” to “knowledge interaction” – changing models of research use, influence and impact
Huw Davies

Research, evidence and practice → moving from “knowing differently” to “doing differently”

There’s a lot of noise, but are we having any impact on practice? Who are we talking to? What kinds of conversations are we having? How can our collective input have an impact?

Currently, the model entails doing research, publishing it and hoping that clinicians change behavioural based on the results. No questions about how the knowledge transfer takes place?

How does knowledge “move around” complex systems?

The current system is too:
Simple
rational
Linear

Current outcomes are variable, inefficient, ineffective, unsafe, and sometimes, inhumane

Why is it that when we know more than ever before, do we perform so poorly within our healthcare systems?
Goals are ambiguous
Workforce is multiple
Environment is complex
Tasks are complex and ambiguous

Even though organisations are highly social, yet the belief is that caregivers act as they do because of personal knowledge, motives and skills

Major influences on outcomes are through the organisations and systems through which services are delivered, not individual characterstics (applies equally to educational outcomes)

Context matters → it’s situational, not dispositional (behaviour is as much about the context as it is about dispositions)

Reductive and mechanistic approaches only get us so far. “Rocket science” is merely complicated. Tackingly educational and health issues is genuinely complex because of connections of people, each with own unpredictable behaviours and contexts that changes over time in non-linear ways

Throwing information at people doesn’t generate appropriate responses / behaviours

For some, “evidence” is reduced to research on “what works”. Consequnces of this:
It’s relative straight-forward if the right methods are used
It provides instruction on what to do i.e. it allows us to make choices more easily
Assumes that the answers are out there to be found

Knowledge required for effective services is more broad than “what works”?
Knowing about the problems: their nature, inter-relationships, “lived experiences”
Knowing why: explaining the relationship between values and policies, and how they have changed over time
Knowing how: how to put change into practice, what is pragmatic
Knowing who: who should be involved, how do we build alliances, connect clinical and non-clinical

Challenge of integrating “knowledge”:
Uncertain process, engages with values, existing (tacit) knowledge, experience
socially and contextually situated
not necessarily convergent
may require difficult “unlearning”

Also, not just what knowledge:
Whose knowledge / evidence?
“evidence” may be used selectively and tactically, use is not necessarily disinterested (evidence is what the powerful say it is)
Knowledge and power are co-constructed

Knowledge is not “a thing”, is it a process of “knowing”?

Knowledge is what happens when you take data from research, and combine it with experience, and shared through dialogue

Uncovering evidence and understanding its complexity
Barry Issenberg

“If there’s evidence, I feel confident. If there’s no evidence, I’m uncomfortable”

Evidence is only useful if it meets the needs of the user. Who is the user?

Features of learning through simulation (BEME guide 4), a systematic review:
Feedback
Repetitive practice
Curriculum integration
Varying difficulty
Adaptive learning
Clinical variation
Controlled environments
Individualised learning
Defined outcomes

Discipline expertise doesn’t mean you can teach

Implementing clinical training in a complex health care system is challenging

Understanding the complexity of medical education → relationships between:
Learner characteristics, experiences, educational and professional context
Learning task: looked at psychomotor and procedural skills but behavioural not addressed
Instruction (deliberate practice under direct supervision in groups or individually, for as long as it takes)
Teacher characteristics and qualifications (these are not well-defined), clinical experience doesn’t equal teaching experience
Curriculum content and format, blend of presentations and practice sessions, expert demonstrations, orientation
Assessment: content and format
Enviroments should be supportive, needs to be infrastructure, time set aside
Evaluation of the programme: target, format, consequences (Kirkpatrick levels)
Society: politics and culture taken into account, patient safety, clinical opportunity, clinical advances
Setting: wide variety of settings, including schools, workplaces
Organisation: need to involve all stakeholders

Journals have a limited role to play in knowledge interaction, and appeal mainly to people who just want to do more research

Without context and explicit intention, medical education will never have the impact on society that it would like to (Charles Boelen)

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This is a difficult problem with no easy answers. How much of a policy will be a system of rules, and how much will just indicate good practice?

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My SAFRI project for 2010 looked at the use of a social network as a platform to develop clinical and ethical reasoning skills through reflective discussion between undergraduate physiotherapy students. Part of the assignment was to prepare a poster for presentation at the SAAHE conference in Potchefstroom later this year, which I’ve included below.

I decided to use a “Facebook style” layout to illustrate the idea that research is about participating in a discussion, something that a social network user interface is particularly well-suited to. I also like to try and change perceptions around academic discourse and do things that are a little bit different. I hate the general idea that “academic” equals “boring” and think that this is such an exciting space to work in.

I also included a handout with additional information (including references) that I thought the audience might find interesting, but which couldn’t fit onto the poster.

One of the major challenges I experienced during this project was that I didn’t realise how much time it’d take to complete. I’d thought that the bulk of my time would be used on building and maintaining the social network and facilitating discussion within in, but the assignment design (see handout) took a lot more effort than I expected. I had to make sure that it was aligned with the module learning objectives, as well as the university graduate attributes.

In terms of moving this project forward, I think that it might be possible to use a social network as a focus for other activities that might contribute towards a more blended approach to learning and clinical education. For example:

• Moving online discussions into physical spaces, either in the classroom or clinical environment
• Sharing and highlighting student and staff work
• Sharing social and personal experiences that indicate personal development, or provide platforms for supportive engagement
• Extensions of classroom assignments
• Connecting and collaborating with students and staff from other physiotherapy departments, both local and international
• Helping students to acquire skills to help them navigate an increasingly digital world

I think that one of the most difficult challenges to overcome as I move forward with this project is going to be getting students and staff to embrace the idea that the academic and social spaces aren’t necessarily separate options. Informal learning often happens within social contexts, but universities are about timetables and schedules. How do you convince a staff member that logging into a social network at 21:00 on a Saturday evening might be a valuable use of their time?

If we can soften the boundary between “social” and “academic”, I think that there’s a lot of potential to engage in the type of informal discussion I see during clinical supervision, and which students have reported to really enjoy. I think that the social, cognitive and teacher presences from the Community of Inquiry model may help me to navigate this space.

If you can think of any other ways that social networks might have a role to play in facilitating the clinical education of healthcare professional students, please feel free to comment.

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