Innovations in teaching international health: Evaluation of a combined use of Blackboard Collaborate, Facebook, and lectorials to enhance student academic engagement and outcomes

Aims: There is currently a plethora of virtual platforms and web 2.0 applications designed to augment or replace traditional face-to-face modes of teaching delivery, and enhance student engagement and learning outcomes (Hussein, 2016; Shafhausser, 2015; Tonsmann, 2014). This teaching initiative aimed to explore the effectiveness of a disruptive approach to traditional unit delivery and consultation within an International Health unit. This paper will report on the teaching and learning outcomes of a combined use of Blackboard Collaborate, Facebook Closed Groups, and a lectorial in a final year International Health unit. Methods: Students were provided with one two-hour weekly lectorial, and two one-hour Blackboard Collaborate sessions in lieu of an in-class tutorial. The ‘messaging system’, ‘break out groups’, ‘live chat’, and ‘webshare’ tools on Collaborate were all used in these sessions. The students also formed Facebook Closed Groups to discuss assessments, share resources, and prepare for the final exam. These approaches were evaluated using the QUT Pulse and Insight Surveys, feedback via the Facebook Groups, and a qualitative analysis of the written and spoken activity during the Collaborative sessions. Results: Key findings included a substantial increase in attendance and in-class engagement in weekly lectorials in comparison to previous cohorts in the same unit. Collaborate allowed a large amount of information and web-resources, including journal articles, news reports, and social media stories to be shared immediately and rapidly. It also allowed for more reserved students to participate more actively in discussion. Facebook Groups enabled highly efficient consultation processes involving assessment. Students reported that Collaborate and Facebook should augment, not replace in-class teaching and learning. Conclusion: This pedagogical research demonstrates ways in which virtual learning can positively affect offline academic practice for both staff and students. It has implications for the power of Collaborate to influence democratic participation in learning processes, and a compatibility with other virtual platforms as well as traditional delivery modes within tertiary contexts. Note: The authors have no interests to declare in relation to the advocating of the specific software and platforms recommended as a result of this pedagogical research.