Advanced Practice Nursing Students’ Experiences of the Virtual Learning Cafe Method

Abstract

Background: The Learning Café method based on educational constructivism may increasingly be used as Online Learner Collaboration facilitated by the teacher. Purpose: This qualitative study draws together Advanced Practice Nursing students’ experiences of the Virtual Learning Café method. The findings can be useful when evaluating the suitability of the method for students undertaking Master-level health or social studies, especially from the perspective of developing evidence-based clinical practice and interprofessional collaboration. Materials and Methods: 28 nursing students earning a Master’s Degree in Advanced Practice Nursing were requested to write an essay reflecting on a Virtual Learning Café experience. The data was analyzed using inductive content analysis. Results: The study participants agreed that the Virtual Learning Café could be effectively used for both learning and development, or as a collaborative learning structure and as a model transferable to the development of health service practice. According to the participants, the method may be effective in development efforts for individual professionals, in interprofessional teams, in and between organizations, and between citizens and health service professionals. The participants appreciated the dialogic and participatory nature of the method and emphasized collective construction of knowledge. Conclusion: The Virtual Learning Café method is a suitable learning method for advanced students who already know each other and wish to participate in virtual sessions from any location. The method may be used to develop evidence-based clinical practice. It may also be useful in promoting interprofessional collaboration.