Designing Courses Its Principles and Ways of Course Materials for Online Learning In Nursing Education

Designing Courses and Learning Activities for Online Education In Nursing, Principles of Course Design In Nursing Education, Ways of Learning Course Materials for Online Learning In Nursing Education.

Designing Courses and Learning Activities for Online Education In Nursing

    Offering a module, course, or academic program fully or partially online provides faculty an opportunity to re-conceptualize the way the course or program is designed and sequenced. Evidence for best practices indicates that course design influences how students learn and how well the course influences time on task and productive use of students' learning time ( Palloff & Pratt, 2003). 

    Ideally, faculty have access to course design specialists such as instructional designers, graphic artists, and web technicians. Ultimately, however, faculty are responsible for the design and integrity of courses that are moved to the OLC and must be aware of course design fundamentals. 

    Evaluation of students using methods other than testing has spurred the popularity of grading rubrics. A rubric should not be added as an afterthought when creating an assessment activity but rather it should be integrated during the development process (Dennison, Rosselli, & Dempsey, 2015). 

   If written well, most rubrics can aid in evaluation of both in-class and online assignments with slight modifications (eg, scholarly papers can be graded with the same rubric; however, the online student submits an electronic file to the LMS rather than turn in a paper version during class). 

    Nurse educators should develop their online courses according to theories of teaching and learning and instructional design (Bolan, 2003; Hollingsworth, 2002a; O'Neil, Fisher, & Newbold, 2004; Sternberger, 2002). These theories suggest that students learn when they actively engage, interact in a social and applied context, and reflect on their practice. 

    When developing online courses, faculty first need to consider whether the course, the course content, and the needs of the students can be best met in a fully online course; in synchronous or asynchronous modes; or with a mix of online activities, on-campus meetings in a classroom or laboratory, or clinical practice. 

    At this time, faculty also need to consider what learning or course management tools and online resources are available or need to be acquired to support the pedagogical goals. Course development should also be guided by frameworks and models that ensure attention to all steps of the teaching–learning process (Sternberger, 2002; Zsohar & Smith, 2008). 

    Course development should also be guided by the use of good practices in education (Bali, 2014; Chickering & Gamson, 1987; Lowery & Spector, 2014), as well as by evidence of best practices (Billings, Skiba, & Connors, 2005; Suen, 2005). These practices include high expectations, active learning, feedback, interaction with faculty, interaction with classmates, time on task, and respect for diverse ways of learning.

Principles of Course Design In Nursing Education

    Basic principles of course design are discussed here. However, we suggest that faculty work with an instructional design team when developing courses for the first time. 

1. Start with the learner. The student is the focal point for designing online courses. Educators must assess student learning styles, learning needs, current knowledge, motivation, and adaptive needs . 

    Although not all students prefer learning online or have well developed self directed learning skills that are essential to success in an OLC, most students can adapt and draw on strengths and resources that facilitate their learning when online coursework is required. 

    Educators must also understand the current generation of “m-learners,” those students who use mobile wireless devices and who are accustomed to multitasking and acquiring and processing information just as they need it and in a context that meets their needs (Alexander, 2004) . 

    Faculty should also understand the learner's technology skills and provide learner support and adequate resources, particularly when online courses are offered for the first time. 

2. Define learning outcomes, objectives, and competencies. Specifying learning outcomes is a curricular process and should be completed within the context of course and curriculum development . Outcomes in all domains of learning can be facilitated within online courses, and the course design can accommodate a variety of learning domains and levels within the domains. 

3. Organize content into short, logical units such as lessons or modules. Courses designed for the classroom are typically planned for the semester and class hour schedule of the institution. With web-based courses, however, there is more flexibility in scheduling, and thus the content can be organized with additional attention to pedagogical principles. 

   Storyboards and course plans facilitate the organization of modules and courses (Hollingsworth, 2002a). Each unit should include an overview, outcomes and objectives, learning activities, readings and assignments, and evaluation (Zsohar & Smith, 2008). 

4. Integrate educational practices.Mounting evidence indicates that the use of these educational practices enhances outcomes such as learning, socialization, student satisfaction, and transition to practice, as well as a sense of caring and social presence in the course (Billings et al., 2006; Brownrigg, 2005 ; Burruss, Billings, Brownrigg, Skiba, & Connors, 2009; Diekelmann & Mendias, 2005; Pullen, 2006; Sitzman & Leners, 2006). 

5. Provide students with opportunities to practice and apply course principles in context. Additionally, learning activities should be designed for the higher levels of the cognitive domain to assist the students in moving from comprehension to synthesis and evaluation and to connect the learning to clinical practice (Benner, Sutphen, Leonard, & Day, 2010). 

   The course should begin by establishing clear and high expectations. These are communicated in the full syllabus. Learning activities should require active learning and participation interaction with the content, course, classmates, and the teacher. 

    In repeated studies of teaching in courses conducted fully or partially online, findings demonstrate the importance of selecting effective teaching strategies and well-designed learning experiences (Billings, Connors, & Skiba, 2001) to foster active student learning. 

    In general, teaching practices used in the classroom are also effective for promoting discussion and active learning in the online environment. These educational practices  have been derived from work by Chickering and Gamson (1987) and adapted for use in the online classroom (Beitz & Snarponis , 2006; Chickering & Ehrmann, 1996; Daroszewski , Kinser, & Lloyd, 2004a; Edwards, Hugo, Cragg, & Peterson, 1999; Phillips, 2005). 

    A variety of learning activities such as debates, games, concept maps, Web Quests, case studies, questions, treasure hunts, or written work such as papers and reflective journaling and projects engage the student in active learning. Most nursing textbook publishers have created virtual environments and interactive learning activities that accompany the textbook; faculty can integrate these rich resources into the course design to provide students opportunities for active and self-directed learning. 

    Other sources for learning activities include RLOs that are self-contained modules with learning outcomes, learning activities and an assessment component, websites that have developed no-cost learning activities for specific content such as quality and safety , and consortia that have developed low-cost modules on a variety of topics (Wink, 2009). 

    Assignments that foster active learning at higher levels are those that promote analysis or critique of a concept. These include concept clarification, case studies, and debates. Identifying a challenging clinical problem or ethical health care issue and having students brainstorm solutions or debate the pros and cons of a given solution to the problem are other examples of higher level discussion techniques that promote discussion and interaction. It is relatively easy for students to identify real life issues in nursing practice that can be used to generate online discussion.

    Students must receive feedback while they are learning. Feedback in online courses can include acknowledgement, for example, by recognizing that students have submitted work; information, by giving information or direction; and evaluation such as making judgments about students' work and offering information for improvement (Bonnel, 2008). 

    Feedback can come from students themselves, classmates, and the faculty. Bonnel (2008) recommends creating a multitude of opportunities for feedback during the course design stage. These may include use of automated responses and computer-graded practice tests. Self-graded case studies are simple ways for students to check their own progress. 

    Peer review on written work or small study and discussion groups provides students an opportunity to learn from each other. Faculty must provide feedback at every step of the learning process by monitoring student work, correcting errors, and providing examples of expected outcomes. The faculty role also includes developing the students' own capabilities for self reflection. 

    Interaction is essential in online learning. Students must have opportunities to work with each other, share ideas, collaborate, and work in groups. When students work together there is a sense of social presence and being connected to the course (Brownrigg, 2005). The isolation often attributed to online courses can be overcome by course design that encourages interaction. 

    As noted earlier, faculty, too, must be actively engaged and “present” in the course by responding to students' questions, providing feedback, and establishing a collegial learning environment (Diekelmann & Mendias, 2005). Faculty can demonstrate caring by providing feedback, responding to students in a timely fashion, and conveying a sense of empathy (Sitzman & Leners, 2006). 

    The use of social networking software, web conferencing, and other Web 2.0 tools can be used to facilitate interaction and collaboration. Online courses must also be designed to respect the diversity of ways that students learn and the diversity of the learners themselves. 

Ways of Learning Course Materials for Online Learning In Nursing Education

    This occurs by providing options for participating in the course, for ways of learning course material, and for assessing and evaluating learning outcomes. Because of the increasing racial, ethnic, generational, and language diversity of students in nursing schools, faculty must also design courses and communicate expectations for respecting differences of opinion and ways of learning. 

1. Create assessment, evaluation and grading plans. The evaluation and grading criteria should be clearly stated. A variety of strategies for evaluation can be adapted for use in online learning environments. These include tests, case studies, simulations, journals, debates, discussions, and portfolios. 

    Many classroom assessment techniques (CATs) have been modified as “e-CATs” and are effective for both students and faculty to assess learning. Evaluation strategies should be selected to provide formative feedback to students while they are learning and also to evaluate learning outcomes at the end of the module, lesson, or course. The faculty must indicate the grading plans and guidelines to the student at the end of the course. 

2. Use graphic design principles. Course design is improved through the use of colors, fonts, and visual images (Hollingsworth, 2002b). The use of colors and fonts must meet design standards and the use of images must not infringe on copyright; faculty are well served by working with design experts. The course designer should integrate media such as videos, audio, and visuals thoughtfully. 

3. Respect copyright laws. Because of the easy availability of graphics, text, and video media, it is tempting to include many of these resources in online courses. Faculty and instructional designers, however, must work within the guidelines of the US Copyright Act and the Technology, Education and Copyright Harmonization Act (TEACH Act). 

   Reising (2002) advises faculty to be familiar with these laws and consider that copyright works can be used only for educational purposes, for “fair use,” and with permission of the copyright holder .