Electronic Classroom  Student’s View, Clinical Site Development for Distant Learners, Course Enhancements and Resources in Distant Education For Nurses

Electronic Classroom The Student’s View In Nursing Education, Clinical Site Development for Distant Learners In Nursing Education, Course Enhancements and Resources in Distant Education For Nurses.

Electronic Classroom The Student’s View In Nursing Education

    When distance education technologies that include off-site learning facilities are used, a site coordinator or personnel assigned to assist with technology issues and provide student support is essential to having the program run smoothly. For programs where students attend virtual classrooms from their homes, centralized support systems must be in place to troubleshoot technology at a distance. 

    Students using web conferencing equipment in their homes need to test and practice using such technology prior to the start of the program. Ongoing support during all class sessions is also necessary to ensure that faculty can concentrate on instruction and students can focus on learning, while support personnel assist remote learners with technical problems. 

    Support personnel and time availability can be given to students along with options for contacting them for help via telephone, live chat, or e-mail. Logistics of ensuring availability of library, computer, and audiovisual resources must be handled by administrative and support staff. 

    Such resources are essential to successful course delivery; However, teaching faculty should not be expected to coordinate the plethora of these other relevant activities. 

   Support efforts to ensure efficient registration; advising; financial aid; locating physical resources; hiring of technicians, site coordinators, or proctors; handling of syllabi and other course materials; obtaining copyright permissions; arranging travel (if part of the instruction design); and providing other similar services are essential to the success of any distance education delivery program. Support needs will vary depending on the medium being used.

Clinical Site Development for Distant Learners In Nursing Education

    Creating collateral clinical experiences for distance learners can be a challenge for health care educators. It may be necessary to replicate all aspects of clinical practice in order to meet curriculum mandates for successful skill development and competence. This requires coordination with health care agencies to create consistent, high quality clinical experiences. 

    Site visits may be required to ensure accuracy and calibration with instruction at the main campus. Preceptors and clinical coordinators may be needed to act as mentors to distant students, to ensure adequate skill development, and to support the alliance between programs and agencies. 

    Clinical observation is required to validate student competence; However, clinical observation may be accomplished using either direct or indirect methods of observation. These methods of observation include simulation, video technologies (synchronous and asynchronous), and computerized simulations (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2012). 

    Distance video conferencing technologies can also be implemented to provide for interactive consultation. These technologies, along with other telecommunication systems, make it possible for faculty to work with students remotely, when it has been traditionally done in person. 

    Electronic document transfer, online evaluation instruments, and collaboration over interactive networks have made it feasible to assess student performance at a distance and to guide the student's clinical experience

Course Enhancements and Resources in Distant Education For Nurses

    Three factors identified as essential for distance instruction include course design, interaction among course participants, and instructor preparation and support (Crawford-Ferre & Wiest, 2012). In a blended approach to distance education, the learning value of the course is enhanced through the use of supplemental media and several adjunct resources that support instructional delivery and student time on task. 

    Electronic document exchanges, e-mail, instant messaging, and audio and video interactions are necessary enhancements. These electronic tools provide faculty and students with increased opportunities for communication throughout the term of instruction. 

    Some institutions have made available toll-free telephone numbers for enrolled students' use to facilitate their communication with faculty, registrar, financial aid advisers, and other home campus support services. Additionally, many institutions are implementing electronic portals for their distance education programs that provide a personalized online interface to all institutional support and educational activities.

Student Evaluation For Distant Education In Nursing

    First and foremost, in evaluation of students is the issue of student authentication and verification that the student enrolled in the program is the one being assessed and evaluated in the course. The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 requires programs that deliver distance accessible courses to have verification procedures in place to ensure that the student who is admitted to a program and attending a distance accessible course is the same individual (McNabb, 2010). 

    Currently a secure login and pass code are acceptable methods of identification; However, as new technologies for identification of students become available, additional measures may become necessary for verification of student identity (Cummings, 2012). 

    Ongoing evaluation of student learning provides the best measure of learning success and will provide faculty with information to improve teaching strategies and the use of technology for distance learning. Both formative and summative evaluation of distance education delivery systems should occur. Formative evaluations are extremely important for the success of the online instructor as well as the online student. 

    These evaluations can be used to determine student understanding of the content as well as instructor effectiveness. Simply ask the student, “What have you liked the most so far in this online class?” or “What have you liked the least so far in this online class?” is an effective way to obtain valuable feedback. Summative evaluations can also be done at the end of the course using a variety of online survey technologies. 

    More in-depth information related to formative and summative evaluation can be found in Chapter 23. Peer evaluation of the course by other educators familiar with technology and blended learning environments is important. Peer evaluation may occur at the local level by individuals from the school or institution, or nationally through a program such as Quality Matters. 

    Quality Matters is a nationally recognized review process that uses evidence-based standards for online and blended courses, and certifies peer evaluators. These peer evaluators may conduct peer reviews of both online and blended courses, using an evidence-based rubric (Quality Matters, nd). 

    Student and faculty perceptions of the technology and delivery efficacy should be explored, as well as the rate of student success within the course. Reasons for student attrition should be researched and strategies designed to address any negative trends. Evaluation data should also include the cost of the course to the university or college. 

    Factors considered will include salaries or wages for faculty, technicians, site coordinators, and other support staff; equipment; hardware and software; potential lease fees for facilities and communication systems; travel costs for faculty; mailing or courier charges; and other resources needed for course implementation. All expenditures must be evaluated against the income generated through tuition and provided by other financial support sources.

Need of Distant and Digital Education In Nursing

    Increased opportunities for access to higher education are becoming more readily available for students who live and work in areas remote from a central campus, as well as within a wired or wireless central community. Informational and educational technologies are regularly used to reach undergraduate and graduate nursing students, as well as registered nurses seeking nonacademic continuing education. 

    As technology infrastructures continue to improve and increased research provides greater direction for use of selected instructional paradigms, nurse educators will find additional opportunities to design technology-rich learning environments and curricula to meet the learning needs of students. Leaders must carefully assess data collected about distance education to set new parameters for future learning. 

    For nursing education, it will be necessary to determine the extent to which distance delivery will be a driving force within the educational process. Will it become the single most important process? Or will it be used predominantly to support other more traditional teaching–learning processes? 

    How will it be used to provide opportunities to extend learning to global student audiences? How will distance education influence inter professional education and other collaborative ways of learning? Can distance delivery be used to forge academic practice partnerships to facilitate learning? 

    Without a doubt, the advancement of computer-based data networks, innovative instructional design, and creative leadership will provide a solid platform for distance learning environments in the future.