Nurse Educator Self-Assessed Technology Competence and Online Teaching Efficacy: A Pilot Study

The demand for innovation in nursing education has increased the use of technology and expanded growth in online courses. Many faculty embrace online learning, while others perceive knowledge and skills associated with navigating online learning as a barrier to education (Hoffmann & Dudjak, 2012). A lack of research exits related to faculty efficacy in the use of technology for teaching in the online environment (Chang et al., 2011; Petit Dit Daniel et at., 2013; Sword, 2012). The purpose of this descriptive, correlational pilot study was to investigate educational technology competencies and efficacy in teaching online.  Additionally, the relationship was explored between educational technologies and online teaching efficacy.  Bandura’s self-efficacy theory served as the conceptual framework for the study. Two instruments were used to collect data: the Michigan Nurse Educator’s Sense of Efficacy for Online Teaching Scale (MNESEOTS) and the Duke University School of Nursing Self-Assessment of Educational Technology Competencies Scale (DUSAETCS).  The sample consisted of 64 nurse educators teaching at least 51% of course content online within a baccalaureate or graduate level program. A significant relationship was found between self-assessed competency in the use of educational technologies and nurse educators’ sense of online teaching efficacy (r = .56, p < .001). Additionally, findings from the study revealed that nurse educators reported a sense of efficacy for online teaching from “some” to “quite a bit” on scales addressing student engagement, instructional strategies, classroom management, and uses of computers with a mean of 28.94 on  the total scale with a range of scores from 19-35.   Participants indicated that they were “somewhat competent” to “very competent” in the use of educational technologies based upon responses on subscales addressing: competency, helping students achieve, implementing principles of good teaching, and creating learning experiences with a mean of 145.40 on the total scale ranging from 100-174. An OLS regression was run with predictor variables including online teaching efficacy, online teaching experience, faculty mentoring, instructional design support, and technology competence total score.  Technological competency was the only significant variable predicting online teaching efficacy (b = 0.112; p, 0.001) with 36.8% of the variance in online teaching efficacy explained by technological competence. Nurse educators with high online teaching efficacy beliefs value instructional designer support, preparatory courses, and peer or mentor support.  Additional research is needed to establish reliability and validity for the use of the DUSAETCS tool.  Replication of this study is suggested using a larger sample size of online nurse educators to verify variables affecting faculty self-efficacy in the online teaching environment.  With additional supporting evidence, strategies can be developed to enhance self-efficacy and technological competencies of nurse educators.