The use of handheld computers and personal digital assistants in the clinical learning environment in order to support and enhance student learning HSAP303

The BSc (hons) Radiotherapy and Oncology (RT) degree at Cardiff University is an integrated degree where students undertake 50% of their learning within the clinical environment. Current practice requires staff and students to leave the clinical departments to undertake reflection and access the current software. There are often considerable delays in feedback to students as staff cannot leave the workplace to attend to this, leading student having to 'chase after' staff to have objectives signed off. The aim of this project was use mobile technology to benefit students, practice based educators and clinical staff by making learning and teaching interactions more timely and effective, utilise staff time more efficiently while ensuring that students can have their competencies assessed with immediate feedback on their clinical learning. A number of learning packages were created to support students' clinical education while on placement, and competencies and objectives were recorded using the InPractice software. The project team were awarded nine Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and Bluetooth keyboards. It also used Microsoft Photo Story to create learning resources and the InPractice software, used for planning and administration was developed to create a mobile version. As a result of this project, it was found that students have become more engaged with their clinical education; actively seeking ways to improve their understanding of the link between academic learning and clinical practice and suggesting ways to enhance their own performance in clinical assessment by suggesting and self producing PDA learning packages. For staff, an appreciation of student strategies for learning has helped to develop pedagogical practices to meet the needs of individual students