Students from the Centre for Aboriginal Studies attend HealthInternet workshop
Current topicThe HealthInfoNet conducted a HealthInternet workshop on 4th May 2005 in our new location at the School of Indigenous Australian Studies, Kurongkurl Katitjin, Edith Cowan University, Mount Lawley, WA. Participants in the workshop included Indigenous primary health care and mental health students, from all around Australia, studying at the Centre for Aboriginal Studies at Curtin University. They were accompanied by Associate lecturer Cheryl Davis who teaches primary health care in the second year of the Associate Degree in Aboriginal Health.
The purpose of the workshop was to provide participants with an interactive introduction to the use of Indigenous health information resources on the HeathInfoNet website, and to gain feedback on how the website could be developed to better meet their information needs. The workshop was facilitated by Sam Burrow and Kim Hansen, and the HealthInfoNet Multimedia Coordinator, Krishanka Gunasekera, set up the computers and provided technical support. The workshop commenced with a demonstration of the HealthInfoNet site. Participants then proceeded through a series of guided exercises that illustrated how to find Indigenous health information on the website, and how to use the range of other online resources and services. The workshop activities gave participants the opportunity to explore the HealthInfoNet site and the Internet more widely, to find health information relevant to their immediate study needs.
The workshop was well received and provided constructive feedback for developing the HealthInfoNet website further. Some students had extensive experience with computers and had used the website and/or the Internet previously, while others were relatively new to computer use. The flexible nature of the workshop made it possible to cater to the needs of individuals with different levels of computer and Internet literacy. It is anticipated that the students will be able to apply the hands-on experience and skills gained during the workshop to more readily locate information relevant to their studies and work in Indigenous health. On completion of the workshop, participants received a certificate, and were provided with a current copy of the HealthInfoNet site on a CD-ROM, and promotional material to take back to their places of study and/or work. Participants highlighted the need to let others know about the HealthInfoNet’s various web-based resources, and planned to distribute promotional materials to colleagues working or studying in related areas. There is growing interest in workshops of this type and it is hoped that funding may be obtained in the future to conduct similar workshops across Australia on a more regular basis. We would like to thank the workshop participants who provided written permission for us to display their photos here. |
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