Using Web 2.0 applications by teaching staff in health care institutions' field training

Abstract

The study aimed to study the current use of Web 2.0 applications such as Wiki, Blogs, Facebook, Wikipedia by teaching staff in field training at health care institutions, in Saudi Arabia by identifying the most widely used web applications. The study also aimed to identify the obstacles of using Web 2.0 applications in field training at health care institutions. A descriptive approach was used in this research. The four-dimensional study tools were applied to 46 teaching staff social work, who are the training supervisors at health care institutions. The results indicated that the most common Web 2.0 application used by teaching staff in field training at health care institutions is the application of Wikipedia, whilst many obstacles were found to the use of Web 2.0 applications in field training at health care institutions. These included the many teaching hours per week by teaching staff social work, students' weakness in the use of the English language, the lack of periodic maintenance for computers and Internet connection at colleges, and the lack of exchanging experiences and knowledge between universities regarding using Web 2.0 applications in education. Based on these results, recommendations were made for increasing teaching staff ' awareness of the importance of using Web 2.0 applications when teaching social work.