Online collaborative learning for healthcare continuing professional development: a cross-case analysis of three case studies

Figures & data

Table

Practice points
•There has been increasing interest in online collaborative learning for healthcare continuing professional development but many schemes appear to be unsuccessful.
•The key factors are the need for implementation based on the requirements of users, the acceptance of this approach by the user and the development of a supportive organization within which the healthcare professionals work.
•This study has highlighted the overall low level of activity and the uniqueness of the healthcare context that is outside formal education settings.
•It is recommended that further implementation is based on an understanding of the phenomenon within the healthcare context.

Figure 1. Structured tasks of the discussion board.

Figure 2. Interview guide for telephone interviews.

Table 1.  Technical problems notified to technical support help desk facility

Group and member ID	Number of problems	Category of problem
A 80	2	Access difficulties—general IT
B 107	1	Difficulty opening attachments
B 108	1	Log on difficulty
C 119	1	Password default problem
C 133 Male	1	Password default problem
C 168	3	Password default problem
C 197	2	Not receive email details

Note: The results are presented as a cross-case analysis of the three case studies.

Table 2.  Reasons given for never entering the online collaborative learning discussion board

Group and member ID	Reason given
A 80	Illness
A 81	Work commitment
B 264 Male	Work commitment
B 265 Male	Work commitment
C 124	Work commitment
C 136 Male	Work commitment
C 148 Male	Illness
C 92	Change in practice

Note: The results are presented as a cross-case analysis of the three case studies.

Table 3.  Example of the decline in interaction over time: Discussion board A

Week	Total postings
1	14
2	9
3	9
4	5
5	4
6	3
7	1
8	2
9	3
10	2