Nursing Education & Instructional Technology, Library Resources and Distance Education
Instructional Technology in Nursing Education, Distance Education in Nursing Education, Library Resources In Nursing Education.
Instructional Technology in Nursing Education
Information and instructional technology must be up to date and support the achievement of program goals. Productivity is directly related to the technology available to students and faculty, which enables them to meet their responsibilities and to create a dynamic learning environment. Outcome measures can be specifically stated in this area.
For example, one might state that increasing numbers of faculty incorporate virtual simulations into teaching methods until all faculty use virtual experiences to enhance student learning. Another outcome measure might state that virtual technology will be integrated throughout curricula by a stated target date.
Assessment of virtual lab usage that includes frequency of use and type of learning experiences from simple to complex simulations can be completed. Faculty and student satisfaction with the virtual lab is another effective outcome measure. Technology needs should be linked broadly to the mission and goals of the school and specifically to the teaching, scholarship, and learning needs of faculty and students.
Also, an assessment of student and faculty skills in the use of information technology at the time of admission or employment should be included. This data provides information for student and faculty development opportunities in the use of both software and hardware in the school itself and in resource facilities such as the library or a computer laboratory.
Exciting advances have been made in instructional technology available for the teaching and learning of skills in nursing, but they require planning for availability of the equipment and software and preparation of faculty and students to use these resources. Creating a collaborative relationship with the information system’s personnel is necessary to ensure an effective, ongoing dialogue between users of technology (faculty and students) and personnel who maintain the technology equipment.
Distance Education in Nursing Education
Distance education is becoming more common in higher education and in nursing education. Distance education, in the context of course credit hour allocation and program review, is defined by various national and state commissions of higher education.
In one state, a course is offered at a distance if 80% of the course content is offered at a distance and a program is offered at a distance if 80% of the program requirements are offered at a distance (Definitions of Distance Education (courses, programs and students) for SIS Coding and Compliance Review and Reporting Credit Hour Allocation, 2013).
Mixed or blended models can also be found where learners use printed and electronic materials and come together face-to-face at specific intervals in addition to the online or distance component.
When a program uses distance education for part or all of course delivery, the influence of this delivery mode on program outcomes, teaching learning practices, and the use of technology and the teaching and learning quality that results must be considered in evaluation.
Methods of data collection may need modification for distance education programs. Because students are not on-site, creative methods such as the use of video and portfolios may be needed to assess student learning. Different instructional strategies that are interactive and creative are needed.
Recruitment and retention of students require special consideration in distance education because some students may lack the motivation or technological competence to be successful.
Other aspects of program implementation that need special consideration for distance education include faculty development and support, student orientation and instruction on how to learn on-line, and learning resources and support services.
The appropriate technology, especially Internet delivery modes, and user support must be available to sustain distance education. Costs associated with distance education should be considered in the financial analysis.
Library Resources in Nursing Education
Library resources must be sufficient to support the programs of learning offered by the institution and the school. Issues of concern in this evaluation include the holdings (books and journals), services, and rates of use. Faculty, students, and librarians are important stakeholders in this review, and each cohort often has a very different perception when the same questions are asked.
There is controversy about the relative importance of on-site holdings and access to holdings through interlibrary loan and online databases. Clearly, a core collection of holdings is crucial to students and faculty. Various standards are used to measure the adequacy of library holdings. Some schools use published source lists as standards for library holdings.
The American Journal of Nursing list of resources, based on an annual review of books, is often used as a standard. Some schools consider it important to include any required textbooks and required readings in the library holdings, at least at the undergraduate level.
Graduate programs may require more extensive databases with access to more materials than undergraduate programs because of the scope of reading expectations. Faculty task forces are often assigned to review library holdings in relation to graduate education in specialty majors. Comparisons with the holdings of peer institutions with similar programs are sometimes used in these reviews.
Some programs rely on the expertise of the faculty on the task force. Still others survey all faculty in the major for lists of holdings they consider to be critical. The aggregate becomes a point of reference for the review. Library services are as important as the holdings and are usually assessed by a survey method. Evaluation of library services should occur on a consistent basis.
Librarians, students, and faculty may indicate their views about services offered and the effectiveness of those services. Surveys may be internally developed and provide very specific information about library services. For example, an internal survey may review the interlibrary loan system to determine both satisfaction and levels of use related to the time frame for borrowing materials.
This may be measured against an established goal, such as an average time of 1 week to secure a book. In addition to the quantitative data, an opportunity to comment on the best features and areas of concern related to library holdings and services often provides valuable qualitative data.
Some libraries maintain specific use data by school or division. Others do not but can estimate whether a given group of students use the library facilities less, the same, or more than other students. Some libraries have very liberal hours, and some don’t. This may become an evaluation question, depending on the context. Most libraries can make effective use of technology.
The Internet provides access to a wide variety of resources and access to full-text articles and copying services. This type of information, ubiquitous because of the Internet, brings new opportunities and challenges to the provision of information resources to students over a wide geographic area.
Those who make use of this opportunity will establish specific criteria for evaluation geared to access. It is important to identify and review the databases available to faculty and students and methods used to orient them to the use of this service.