In the Management Strategies in The Educational Setting: Distance Learning In Nursing Education and Technology involve planning, designing engaging materials, using technology appropriately, ensuring quality are involved.
Management Strategies in The Educational Setting: Distance Learning In Nursing Education and Technology
Teaching Using Distance Technology and Distance Learning
Students in general have high expectations of instructors. In online classes, students often expect 24/7 access to instructors. Be clear with students about when and how often you will be online. Let students know how to contact you if they are having difficulty. Student ratings of instructional effectiveness are often the key to continuing employment, not to mention tenure.
Students are more likely to rate an online instructor positively when the expectations are clearly spelled out in class. Using the seven Principles of Undergraduate Education will help guide you in developing your own teaching style. Students often have misconceptions about online education. The most common misconception is that an online class is easier and less time-consuming than a traditional class.
Distance Learning
Distance learning is a broad category of instructional methods that involves a multitude of technology. Programs often include more than one distance learning techniques. The first distance learning programs were correspondence courses. Since those first programs were started, distance nursing programs now involve interactive video, online, and combinations of the methods. Technology is best used when it enhances interactivity between faculty and students and students and students.
Technology must be used effectively so that learning occurs with a reason able expenditure of time and effort on the part of the students and faculty. Distance learning programs must maintain the same high academic standards as traditional courses. New instructors may mistakenly think that distance courses have different outcomes based on the technology used. But the nursing program curriculum should not be influenced by the technology used.
Of course, adaptations of learning methods must occur when technology is used. Best practices also incorporate strategies to support various methods of learning. As with traditional courses, distance learning is most effective when multiple methods of instruction are used. Importantly, students should receive prompt feedback on their work. The following discussion describes practical methods for applying the best practices in nursing education programs that use technology.
Interactivity
Interactivity is accomplished relatively easily using distance technology. Many instructors incorporate online communication strategies into traditional courses to augment the communication. There are many types of technologically mediated online discussions.
The lowest threshold communications strategies are discussion boards on a faculty web page, e-mail lusters, or web logs also called blogs. These methods of increasing interactivity are all very effective. Discussion forums in learning management systems, online group chats, and web casts are examples of other technologies that can be used to bring students and faculty closer together virtually.
Blogs
Web logs, also known as blogs, are emerging as a writing tool that is easy to use. They are Internet-based, and can enhance health professionals’ writing, communication, collaboration, reading, and information-gathering skills. Students from different disciplines, such as medicine, public health, business, library science, and journalism, gain knowledge from blogs as innovative educational tools. The use of blogs as an interactive and effective educational method has not been well documented by nursing educators.
Student to Student
Several techniques can be used to increase student-to-student interaction in distance programs. Threaded discussions around course content provide the backbone of interactivity between students and faculty in a distance learning program.
Threaded discussions can be designed to include the entire class or groups. Creating group assignments, with clearly described individual responsibilities, is an effective way to increase student-to-student interaction online. Students can be held accountable for threaded discussions by providing them with clear expectations and grading criteria .
Other types of discussion forums can be used to increase informal interactivity. Using the learning management system, Web page or blog, a threaded discussion can be created that focuses on “Questions About the Course.” This threaded discussion saves the faculty time spent answering e-mail questions about general course-related topics. It also helps students answer questions about the course for other students. It is necessary to monitor this discussion thread to ensure that the responses are accurate.
Not only does this save instructor time, but it also is a great source of information to an instructor when updating a course syllabus; the instructor can include answers to common questions in future syllabi. A second threaded discussion called “Student Lounge” or something similar helps students get to know each other and eliminates social discussion from course-related discussions. Students, especially students new to online communication methods, may not stick to a specified topic.
Threaded discussions for the purpose of socializing give students an outlet to communicate about issues not specified in the curriculum. Instructors should make sure students know if instructors will be participating in these discussions.
Another type of online discussion forum can be called something to the effect of, “Technical Angst.” This forum presents an opportunity for students to express their technical frustrations. Often, new computer users experience a steep learning curve when using new forms of learning technology. The technical fear threaded discussion is an informal method for venting frustration. Instructors should read this discussion and offer advice and tips.
When you are using online communication it is important to make a few decisions about the course structure related to breaches of netiquette and flame wars. Students should know in advance if you will be deleting any inappropriate messages or if you will request that they delete a message, web page, or posting. If you are using a learning management system such as Blackboard or Web Ct, you can set a preference for the threaded discussion to be locked or to be edited by the user.
Some instructors reserve this right for themselves. The point is to think about it and let students know what your standards are and how inappropriate postings will be addressed. Make students feel welcome in distance classrooms. Students form quick first impressions in distance classrooms just like in traditional classrooms. It is important to have your online course and your interactive video classroom ready to receive students from the first class.
Interactive Video Instruction
Interactive video is a widely used form of technology that uses audio and video feeds to sites distant from the campus. Interactive video connects the video presence of the instructor with one or more (sometimes eight to 10) sites at campuses anywhere in the world. Often, the courses are supported by an online course site in Blackboard, which eases the challenge of getting documents to distance sites. This section will review some of the key issues for nursing faculty using this method of instruction alone or as a hybrid with other instructional methods.
Advance Preparation
As with all courses, teaching using interactive video instruction (IVI) requires thoughtful preparation in advance of the course. Often this preparation includes providing directions for the facilitator at the distant site or for students if there is no facilitator. The guidelines discussed earlier are as relevant in the IVI course as any other.
Effective teaching strategies allow students from all sites to interact with each other, with the faculty, and make use of multiple instructional techniques. Making students feel welcome and individually noticed can be the most challenging in an IVI classroom as you are often only able to see one or a few sites at a time. There are some techniques, however, that you can use to get to know students at other sites.
To make the IVI classroom more personal, consider starting classes with humorous activities, like singing, juggling, or playing humorous short clips from movies. There is no end to the creativity that can be used to get students excited about learning. The biggest challenge in the IVI classroom is handling student questions. It is necessary to plan, in advance, how you will handle student questions.
You may have students hold questions until certain points in the presentation or you may also have students submit questions via e-mail if there is computer access. The point is to assess the resources you have and use them to both encourage and manage interaction with students. Use a method that first increases student-to-student interaction.
This can be done by leaving periods of time that let students ask and answer questions at each site. The students can then ask you questions that cannot be answered by others in the class. Plan time to practice with the technology you will be using. Have the technicians who will be helping you record a presentation arrange it so that you can see yourself giving a class. Watch IVI courses delivered on public television, cable, or satellite services.
Preparation for Each Class Session
The preparation for IVI classes is similar to that of traditional classes. Preparation starts by arriving on time to ensure that the room is set up for the class and video is connected to all sites. The most common challenge is the dilemma of whether to start if all sites are not hooked up at the beginning of class. All of the classes are videotaped by the staff in the control room. It is possible to send copies of the entire lecture to sites that were not hooked up. Those tapes can also be posted on a secure website for repeated viewing by students.
During the Class Start the class with an ice breaker described previously or design your own. This will give students time to settle into class and get to know each other. Help the facilitator ensure that students respect each other and maintain the same behavior standards as a traditional classroom. You may even want students to design their own behavior guidelines to reinforce their ownership of the classroom and commitment to each other.
When students speak, ask them to refocus the camera on the person speaking. Have students give their names when they speak. Encourage them to wait just a moment before speaking as it takes a couple of seconds for the camera to train on the person speaking and activate the sound transmission. Other guidelines are also important to consider.
Fair use and copyright guidelines must be followed in the IVI classroom. Showing commercial videos and other media must meet the fair use standards. Check with your campus intellectual property officer if you are not sure what can be shown in an IVI classroom. Do not be afraid to ask publishers for permission to show their instructional material.
Assessment Strategies
Every class should involve some type of informal or formal assessment strategies. One important consideration in getting ready to use technology is to become knowledgeable about your department’s assessment plan. Ask to see assessment reports and other evaluations of course design. You might also ask for a colleague to come to your class, whether online or other format, to give you feedback on your techniques.
Other Supportive Methods of Instruction Using Technology
Although this topic presents many uses for different types of technology, there are still many more. The following is a list of potential uses of technology that are suitable for any type of course format.
Virtual Office Hours
Students may not be able to talk to you during your regular office hours. Using online chats, instant messaging, or other online tools can be an excellent way to talk to students about course content, advise them about their course of study, or give other forms of support.
Chats, Test Preparation, Test Review
More and more faculty members are encouraging students to study using the online chat feature in learning management systems. Faculty may or may not participate in these sessions. Chats work well for preparation and review for quizzes and tests. An added feature of most chat tools allows for you to save a transcript of the discussion; This transcript can help you prepare students more effectively for tests in the future.
Summary or Conclusion
Technology has developed to the point of being a wonderfully innovative and unavoidable addition to the educational process of nursing students. Using technology has vast possibilities for nursing faculty. Technology in the right doses, format, and with the appropriate resources can effectively address the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor learning domains of the student. Technology can be integrated into every aspect of the teaching process for nurses.
It can be used to assess learning needs of the student, plan innovative ways to facilitate learning, use a variety of methodologies to accomplish teaching-learning objectives, and be an evaluation mechanism alone or with traditional strategies. Many of the “how to” and “where to go to find” aspects have been included in this series of blog posts to assist the novice and advance the expert nursing educators in their quest for teaching excellence but the possibilities for the use of technology in nursing education are endless.
Technology is and will remain an intricate and innovative part of nursing education. By following some of the links and ideas provided in this series of blog posts you have taken steps to enhance the education process for future nurses.
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