Application of web 2.0 technology for clinical training

Abstract

In clinical training, students plan, implement and evaluate their learning activities by themselves. They apply theories and concepts in a real clinical environment and learn through social interaction and reflective thinking to experience, conceptualize, apply and create new knowledge to solve clinical problems. Since students are sent to different clinical locations for training and are mentored on a one-to-one basis, it is difficult for students to share their knowledge, make enquiries or interact with their peers and mentors for social and reflective learning. Web 2.0 provides a collaborative and social interactive platform that allows learners to exchange, share, acquire, codify, distribute, and disseminate knowledge. Its functions and features are able to construct a virtual and distributed environment for learners to gather, filter and update the knowledge over different Internet sources. This chapter thus aims to discuss the functions and features of Web 2.0 technology and its applications to clinical training. © 2009, IGI Global.