Using the Internet to deliver nursing courses via distance education can facilitate learning on demand and promote learner-centered instruction. The authors describe 20 graduate nursing students' experiences with online learning. Students learn through reflection, exploration, use of critical thinking, interacting with others, sharing of information, and using resources. Key points of students' experiences with online learning were consistent with the Constructivism Theory. Implications for improving teaching are based upon the Constructivism Theory and include strategies for identifying learning goals and conditions for learning, as well as planning and implementing various methods of instruction.
In an effort to systematically ensure that nursing students have the information literacy skills they need to succeed as healthcare professionals, instruction librarians and faculty members at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, are collaborating in designing a tiered approach to building student research skills, year by year. A series of information literacy competencies for the nursing field was agreed upon, and required courses throughout the undergraduate and graduate programs were targeted as appropriate points for instruction in these competencies. A description of the faculty‐librarian collaborative process which integrated this instruction into Nursing 605 is described, along with information about the Web‐based introductory graduate course.
The rapidly evolving paradigm of technology-based education has increased the number of faculty teaching online. The role of faculty has changed from the traditional classroom instruction format to an online community of learning. Therefore, faculty development in online education becomes a critical component during this transitional period. A survey of faculty of the College of Applied Science and Technology in a midwestern university was conducted to identify their level of perceived expertise in online teaching and the priorities of areas to be addressed in faculty development sessions. Benner's five-stage sequential transformation from novice to expert was used to construct the questionnaire. Results showed that faculty who taught online perceived their level of expertise to range from advanced beginner to competent, whereas faculty who had not taught online were at the novice and advanced beginner levels. Redesigning and rethinking faculty roles emerged as the number one priority area to be addressed in continuing education sessions. Implications for faculty development for online education sessions are presented.
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