Adapting social media as a scaffolding tool for teaching health informatics

Abstract

Health informatics is an applied hybrid discipline of health and life sciences, computer science and business. Teaching this subject to undergraduate students, presents the challenge of learning without the assistance of internship or work experience that enable placing the learning in context. We used the university’s learning management software as a form of social medium to stimulate discussions in preparation for two assignments, while creating an environment in which scaffolding could occur for both students and teachers.

An iterative action research process was used, which included an assessment of student digital mindedness, scaffolded online discussions that were assessed as part of each of the two assignments, and a questionnaire at the end of the semester. We found that the online discussions were valued by the students and added value to their learning, because they could use their social presence in a format familiar to them, and also use a process of collaborative knowledge creation about health informatics.