Developing a framework of design principles for an online learning design to support doctors' professional information literacy
Student thesis: Master programme thesis
- Louise Stenholt
4. term, Master of ICT and Learning (MIL) (Continuing education) (Continuing Education Programme (Master))
The rise in published medical papers is exponential. Doctors can only read a fraction of these papers. Hence information literacy (IL), knowing how to find, select, use and appraise academic papers, is essential for doctors. Yet, research shows that doctors hold low levels of IL upon graduation. Thus, there is a clear need to develop tailored learning designs for hospital doctors.
The aim of this report is to develop a set of design principles for an online learning design to develop hospital doctors’ IL. Methodologically, I base the design principles on findings from a comprehensive literature review of 17 studies and in-depth semi-structured interviews with hospital doctors and information specialists (IS).
The literature search was conducted in Medline (Ovid) and Web of Science bibliographic databases and the database platform ProQuest for the period of 1995 to February 2018. I also did a simple search in Google Scholar. 164 unique references were assessed for eligibility, with 17 studies qualified for the review.
The interviews involved three hospital doctors and three IS from health scientific libraries. Recordings were transcribed and analysed using inductive coding.
The theoretical framework consisted of a combination of learning theory, information science and design thinking from a pragmatic viewpoint.
I combined stakeholder perceptions with findings in the literature and identified the following design principles: short and clearly defined learning objects, defined medical subject areas, dialogue, flexibility, free of charge, easy access, and navigation.
Stakeholders’ needs were largely overlapping, but it is clear that IS are key to individually unlocking the concept of IL for doctors. Thus, IS need a conceptual framework using library didactics when engaging in online learning.
The main finding is the need for a balanced approach that considers the complexity of IL. It is also equally important to make clear distinctions between didactic and technological problems.
Further research is needed to test the proposed design principles.
The aim of this report is to develop a set of design principles for an online learning design to develop hospital doctors’ IL. Methodologically, I base the design principles on findings from a comprehensive literature review of 17 studies and in-depth semi-structured interviews with hospital doctors and information specialists (IS).
The literature search was conducted in Medline (Ovid) and Web of Science bibliographic databases and the database platform ProQuest for the period of 1995 to February 2018. I also did a simple search in Google Scholar. 164 unique references were assessed for eligibility, with 17 studies qualified for the review.
The interviews involved three hospital doctors and three IS from health scientific libraries. Recordings were transcribed and analysed using inductive coding.
The theoretical framework consisted of a combination of learning theory, information science and design thinking from a pragmatic viewpoint.
I combined stakeholder perceptions with findings in the literature and identified the following design principles: short and clearly defined learning objects, defined medical subject areas, dialogue, flexibility, free of charge, easy access, and navigation.
Stakeholders’ needs were largely overlapping, but it is clear that IS are key to individually unlocking the concept of IL for doctors. Thus, IS need a conceptual framework using library didactics when engaging in online learning.
The main finding is the need for a balanced approach that considers the complexity of IL. It is also equally important to make clear distinctions between didactic and technological problems.
Further research is needed to test the proposed design principles.
| Language | Danish |
|---|---|
| Publication date | 2018 |