Title: The ties that bind: a case of establishing a mobile post-training support network

Authors: Machdel Matthee, Jacobus Liebenberg

Addresses: Department of Informatics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa. ' Department of Information Science, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

Abstract: This paper describes the implementation of a mobile platform for post-training support as part of the Basic Health Information Systems for Data Capturers programme of the National Department of Health in South Africa. Actor-network theory is used to show how the phases of problematisation, interessement, enrolment and mobilisation are negotiated by the primum movens (training provider) to establish a mobile post-training support network. This paper concludes by extracting valuable pointers from the narrative towards the establishment of a well-functioning mobile post-training support network in a developing context. It shows that the establishment of a strong actor-network during training is crucial for establishing a successful mobile post-training support network.

Keywords: mobile post-training support; mobile learning; m-learning; health informatics; telehealth; health information systems; data capture; actor-network theory; training; telemedicine; South Africa.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMLO.2011.041577

International Journal of Mobile Learning and Organisation, 2011 Vol.5 No.2, pp.175 - 191

Published online: 18 Feb 2015 *

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