Paper: Online Teaching for Nursing Faculty: From Classroom to Computer Learning (40th Biennial Convention (October 31st- November 4th, 2009))

Monday, November 2, 2009: 3:50 PM

Anne T. Vitale, PhD, RN
Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL

Learning Objective 1: discuss three online teaching strategies to engage and sustain a community of student learners

Learning Objective 2: contrast two pedagogical strategies from the classroom and online teaching

Over the past ten years, distance education (DE) delivered via web-based and Internet accessed courses has improved accessibility to academic nursing education, BSN, graduate and doctoral programs for RNs. A sustained nursing shortage coupled with rapid changes in the delivery of health care entail many forces that demand nurses to have continued access to higher education. DE programs in nursing, particularly electronic management platforms that utilize asynchronous methods, such as Ecollege and Blackboard among others, are attractive to adult learners interested in nursing education.

An increasing number of nursing faculty contemplating or engaged in DE teaching represents a paradigm shift in educational pedagogies within nursing education. A major challenge facing nursing online educators is not only how to become better facilitators of student knowledge acquisition, but how to help learners become more self-directed and collaborative with their peers than in traditional lecture-based courses. It is important to acknowledge and embrace that proficiency in classroom teaching alone does not guarantee a successful transition to online faculty work.

This presentation includes an overview of essential concepts necessary to create a DE course environment with actively engaged students within a community of learners. Strategies for making an online course as student-centered as possible, including basic strategies to initially engage students, yet clearly setting the rules of engagement are essential for DE faculty to understand. Basic DE communication strategies common to all course management systems such as the use of Announcement features and frequent opportunities for students to ask course-related questions are identified. Suggestions for the threaded discussion feature, the heart of online discussion, will assist educators in crafting thought-provoking discussion questions within small group implementation. A handout with imaginative examples proven useful to sustain interactive online student is offered.

See more of: Technology and Learning
See more of: Oral Paper & Poster: Leadership Sessions