Ateneo - UPO

The course will take place in two parts: an introduction to the Internet and to the telematic networks, and a second part about experimenting internet applications, in order to experience some of the main tools provided by the Web, focusing on the nursing domain.

- Informatica di base 5^ edizione, D. Curtin, K. Foley, K. Sen, C. Morin, McGraw Hill - 2012
- Web 2.0 e social media in medicina 2^ edizione, Eugenio Santoro, Il pensiero scientifico Editore - 2011

At the end of the course, the student must be able to:
- Assimilate the basic knowledge to understand the mechanics of the Internet network
- Use this knowledge to understand the potential of Internet and of the tools offered by the new technologies
- Explore and experience the main tools offered by the Web 2.0 in the nursing domain, and to be aware of their limits and of their risks
- Exploit these tools to encourage the continuous improvement of the knowledge in the scientific / medical fields of interest

- Basic terminology and concepts related to the computer as a tool
- Basic skills in computer usage

The course consists of a first part of face-to-face theory lectures (about 70% of the total hours), and a second part that takes place, also face-to-face (or in blended or on-line modalities), in a computer lab for experimenting with the technologies exposed in the first part.

The exam will consist of a written test and an oral test.

The written test will consist of 32 questions, mostly closed with multiple choice, for a total of 24 points, aimed at assessing: 1) the student's knowledge regarding the research process, the structure of a scientific article and the process of publication, evidence based practice, the main study designs, the functioning of the internet and web research; 2) the student's ability to read and understand the results of a scientific article (the text of the article will be provided before the test in order to allow the student sufficient time to read).

The student will be able to take the oral exam only if he has achieved an overall score equal to 60% of the expected total.

The duration of the written test will be 40 minutes.

The oral test will evaluate the ability to apply the knowledge acquired through the critical reading of a scientific article of specific nursing interest (quantitative/qualitative, primary/secondary literature). The oral test will be considered passed if the candidate has demonstrated a sufficient knowledge of the theoretical concepts as well as an adequate critical understanding of a scientific article (for example correct identification of the research question starting from the reading of the abstract, correct interpretation of tables of results, forest plot, process of conducting a qualitative study, etc.)

Failure of the oral test will result in the repetition of the entire exam (written and oral). To achieve a score of 30/30 cum laude, the student must demonstrate that he has acquired an excellent knowledge of all the topics covered during the course.

Program of the first part: theory
- Introduction and brief history of the Internet and the World Wide Web
- Terminology and basic aspects of the mechanics of Internet
- Internet network tools and protocols
- Basics and technical aspects of the World Wide Web
- Evolution of the WWW and the semantic web: Web 2.0 and collaborative knowledge

Program of the second part: laboratory exercises
- Network searches: directory services (yahoo) and search methods with Google
- Web 2.0 tools: overview, potential and risks
- Hands-on experiments: subscriptions to RSS news and compilation of a wiki about medical / nursing subjects

At the end of this module, the student is expected to:

- Acquire the terminology and the understanding of computer networks
- Understand the mechanisms of the World Wide Web and of the tools available
- Know how to use these tools for the continuous updating of their skills
- Know how to use these tools in a critical way, exploiting their potential while weighing their risks