The creation of group wikis by first year undergraduate physiotherapy students

The control of infections in hospitals and other health care settings is currently an important issue. The Physiotherapy Practice Team at the University of Hertfordshire devised a group wiki assessment for first year undergraduate physiotherapy students to evaluate infection prevention issues experienced during a five week placement. Both Practice Team staff and students received hands-on training in wiki technology. Students also received a compulsory session on infection prevention issues. In groups of 6-8, the students used wikis to record their analysis of specially devised videos relating to infection prevention. They also considered their own practice and that of others during the placement and kept a reflective log on the wiki which recorded their own personal thoughts on the whole process. Post assessment evaluation was augmented by use of a student questionnaire. Initial findings suggest that this method of facilitating learning in the practice environment is successful. Considerations for improvement of the activity have centred around the timing of the pre placement assessment introductory lecture, the use of a formative activity and further information for students on the nature of remote collaborative working.