Technology Use, Technological Self-Efficacy and General Self-Efficacy Among Undergradute Nursing Faculty

Nursing faculty are expected to use technology in educational setting yet there is little knowledge about faculty’s confidence, use of this technology, or supports available to implement this expectation. A non-experimental, descriptive correlational design was used to describe and explore the relationship among technology use, technological self-efficacy and general self-efficacy in undergraduate nursing faculty who teach at a Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredited nursing program.  Undergraduate nursing faculty (N= 272) from a nationwide sample completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, the ***** Technology Use Scale (RTUS), the Technology Self- Efficacy Scale (TSES) and the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) through online surveys. With a response rate of 14.5%, data analysis revealed that participants who taught didactic content had moderate technology use as compared to teaching didactic and clinical/laboratory who content had high levels of technology use. Correlations were strongest between how faculty rated their relationship with innovation utilizing the framework of Rogers’s Diffusion of Innovation Theory and general self-efficacy (P = .615, p < .01) and the perceived impact of technology on student learning and general self-efficacy (P =.333, p <.01). A weak relationship between age and technological self-efficacy (P =.127, p<.05) was also found.  This study adds the following points to this topic: (1) faculty should have access to a technology point person since many in this study state that they are on their own for learning and integrating technology in their teaching; (2) most faculty are not familiar with/ have not taken the Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform (TIGER) Initiative training; (3) nursing curriculum preparing students at the masters and doctoral levels need to increase the amount of training and education in the area of technology; and (4) despite being digital immigrants, faculty are using technology and an inverse relationship was noted between age and technological self-efficacy.

It is clear that the information derived from this study and future research in this area can lead to improved support of undergraduate nursing faculty as they prepare tomorrow’s nurses. Undoubtedly, technology and innovation strategies that will be used in the near future to support learning for undergraduate nursing students have not yet been developed but will be coming in the near future.  The demands for faculty to continue to grow their repertoire of technology skills is important, however developing supports and infrastructures for faculty to develop these skills are essential.  The present study’s findings lends evidence that these supports need to be enhanced in order to continue these positive efforts.