Development and Implementation of Interactive Mobile E-learning Apps for European Nursing Education Erasmus Project

Project Title

Development and Implementation of Interactive Mobile E-learning Apps for European Nursing Education

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Open and distance learning

Project Summary

Today’s students expect flexibility and digital technologies in their learning process and increasingly, e-learning resources have been designed to be amenable to different devices such as tablets and mobile phones. This project addresses bachelor student nurses’ challenges and needs regarding active and flexible learning approaches and innovative teaching practices based on digital open educational recourses (OER) as well as cohesion of the nursing education in Norway, England and Spain as OER promotes international mobility.

The specific aim of this project was to develop and implement new mobile interactive e-learning applications (apps) for European Bachelor Nursing in Norway, England and Spain. Based on established and well-evaluated Norwegian rich media e-compendiums, new interactive e-learning apps to be used on mobile devices has been produced. The apps contain a variety learning tools such as text, figures, interactions, animations, videos, audio, tasks and more. All e-learning apps are made in English, Spanish and Norwegian and published on App Store and Google Play, free to download. The apps includes guidelines addressing both students, teachers and technical staff (erasmus.nursing.net).

Partnership of this project has consisted of three European universities. The University of Stavanger (Norway): Department of Health Studies and the Department of E-learning Development (NETTOP), which is the lead partner and initiator of the project. The participating organisations are; The University of Nottingham (UK): School of Health Sciences, and Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir (Spain): Department of Nursing Care.

Main activities
The project group was interdisciplinary and included educational staff, technical staff as well as researchers and nursing student representatives from all particpating universities.

The development of the app consisted of three main activities that were interacting throughout the development process:
• Content development: The pre-existing Norwegian learning materiel was translated into English and Spanish. Four of the e-compendiums were nursing focused (wound care, cardiovascular diseases, nutrition and temperature regulation) and four were biology focused (neurophysiology, kidney anatomy and physiology, respiratory physiology; anatomy and physiology of the heart). The content was adapted and adjusted according to the curricula of nurse education at the partners’ universities. Differences between the partners’ programs were identified and quality assured to comply with national guidelines.
• Technical development: A new web based app platform was developed to make the multimedia and interactive learning (i.e simulation games, images and exercises) material usable on iOS and Android mobile devices as well as all other platforms, online and offline. Audio of all text was recorded, available both in the app and e-compendiums, and separately as podcasts trough iTunesU and other channels.
• Feedback from the user perspective: Student nurses representatives were included in all phases of the development process to assure relevance. A preliminary version of the app was tested in a small group of nursing students and focus group interviews were conducted. The feedback from the student representatives and findings from the qualitative interviews guided further development of the e-learning app and its content.

Implementation and evaluation of the finished e-learning apps took place at the three universities from fall 2016 and trough spring 2017. The implementation of the apps followed the specific programs at the participating universities to ensure relevance. The evaluation included a questionnaire survey at all three universities measuring students´ use and satisfactory with the app solution and the content. Focus group interviews with students supplemented further insight and guided the further deelopment of the app. In addition, experiences and reflections from technical staff and educational staff was captured in workshops activities at transnational meetings were the wider project groups from each partnership were represented.

The questionnaire survey and the qualitative data indicated that students found the apps useful in their strategies of learning. The students highlighted the value of variation and the flexible use and reported aspects important for learning such as that the apps helped them to be more motivated, engaged and focusing on essential parts of the course. Thus, the project might have contributed to a more flexible interactive and multi-faceted e-learning environment.

Finally, the current project has provided the project participants with useful experiences regarding the value of interdisciplinary cooperation, a flexible and interacting working process, a visible working platform, open communication between the participating university partners and the importance of including the user perspective through all phases of the process.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 413409,27 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSITETET I STAVANGER & Country: NO

Project Partners

• THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM
• FUNDACION UNIVERSIDAD CATOLICA DE VALENCIA SAN VICENTE MARTIR