Assignment for Twitter Research

Course: NUR 2095

Hashtag: #NUR2095

Instructor: @RoseH

Objective: To monitor contemporary healthcare issues facing clinical nurse leaders.

The purpose of this assignment is to develop research and technology skills to monitor professional associations, policy makers, and/or other news sources regarding developments in healthcare. The technology used for this assignment is Twitter, an online social networking service that posts short, timely updates for followers. Throughout the semester, you will identify and follow at least three Twitter accounts such as:

• Center for Disease Control
• World Health Organization
• Nurses Association
• American Cancer Society
• American Heart Association
• National Institute for Health

There are hundreds of credible agencies that post short Twitter updates (called tweets) to help practitioners stay current with healthcare conditions and practices. You will want to follow large, active agencies that tweet updates several times per day. Then, through the discussion board, you’ll share timely and relevant information four times during the semester – Modules 2, 4, 6, and 8. 

To begin this assignment, complete the following steps:

1. Every student at the University of Pittsburgh has access to excellent Lynda.com tutorials through my.pitt.edu . 
2. From the main my.pitt.edu page, scroll down the descriptive listings, and click Lynda.com Login. 
3. You will be taken to a Web Authentication login page (https://idp.pitt.edu/idp/Authn/UserPassword ).
   Use your Pitt username and password, and you will be logged into Lynda.
4. In Lynda in the Browse the Library search box at the top of the webpage, type Twitter.
5. Select Up and Running with Twitter with Maria Langer and watch the following videos:

• Part 2. Getting Started (there are six short videos for a total of 19 minutes)
• Optional: Under Part 6. Setting Twitter Options, there is a video titled “Setting Security and Privacy Options” that might interest you.

After your account is set up:

1. Select at least three Twitter feeds that you want to follow. Select agencies that are interesting and useful to you. You can follow the tweets on your smart phone or online. Most students find it easier to follow tweets online, but this is a personal choice depending on your cell phone payment plan and comfort level using your phone. If you are not satisfied with the quality or quantity of your tweets, it is fine to change the agencies you are following at any time during the semester. Check the feeds 5-6 times during weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8. You want the information you share with the class to be a timely as possible.
2. In the discussion forums for Modules 2, 4, 6, and 8, share a summary of the timely information you learned through the tweets that you followed. Your summary should be 3-4 sentences. Plus, respond to these questions:

• How is the information you learned from the tweets relevant to your practice?
• Do you find the information posted credible? Why or why not?

You’ll also read the posts of others in the course, but responding is optional.

Rubric to Assess Twitter Postings

The following rubric will help you self assess the Twitter summaries you post for the class in the discussion forums.

Assessment Criteria Proficient Partially Proficient Relevant ·      Is the information timely? ·      Does the information relate to nursing practice? ·      How will you use the information? ·      Were you aware of the topics prior to using Twitter? Credibility ·      Is the source credible? ·      Did you find similar information from other news sources? ·      Did the tweet provide a hyperlink for more information? Support & Follow-up ·      Did you read the Twitter summaries posted by other students? ·      Did you respond to other students? ·      What Twitter accounts might you follow in the future?

Three key terms for Twitter users:

Tweets: the updates of up to 140 characters that are sent from a subscriber’s Twitter account.

Hashtag: the hash character (#) before a word or unspaced phrase that forms a unique label. A hashtag allows the grouping of similarly tagged messages. For example, “#NUR2095” included in tweets would allow all of our Twitter updates to be collected together. In a tweet, hashtags are clickable keywords that take users to the list of updates that include the same label.

@username: this tag allows users to reply to others’ individual, group, or organization Twitter account. Make sure you are replying to the correct Twitter username.