Dimensions of distance: a comparison of classroom education and distance education

Distance is obviously a core issue in distance education. But distance is a factor in classroom-based education as well. Classroom-based teachers and distance educators have a common interest in the dynamics of distance.The focus of much discussion in distance education is on geographical distance and how it may be bridged. However, this focus obscures the more fundamental issue of educational distance. Educational distance includes cognitive distance, role distance and access distance. This form of distance is as potent in the classroom environment as it is in a virtual learning environment.The writer explores this theme by his analysis of the communication patterns between teacher and students in one module in a BSc Health Studies degree programme. The writer has taught this module in both distance education format and in traditional classroom-based format. His finding is that the communication time between the teacher and students in the distance education form of the module is 29% greater than the communication time in the classroom-based form. The most significant feature of the communication pattern is the greater quantity of individual communication between student and teacher in the distance education format.Both the quantity and type of the communication in each of these modes suggest that the more communication-rich distance education format has greater potential for overcoming the problems of educational distance within this module.     

Doctoral education from a distance

This article describes the environmental factors that have contributed to the recent rapid growth of nursing doctoral education at a distance. Early and recent efforts to deliver distance doctoral education are discussed, using The University of Arizona College of Nursing experience as the key exemplar. The Community of Inquiry model is introduced as an appropriate model for doctoral education and then used as a framework to evaluate the current state of the art in distance doctoral nursing education. Successes and challenges in delivering doctoral education from a distance are described.     

Psychiatric nursing education at a distance

Accessibility is a major impediment to nursing education, whether you live in densely populated southern California or rural upstate New York. During the past 10 years, there have been scientific advances, technological breakthroughs, new reimbursement mechanisms and regulatory practices, and shifts in society's priorities. Consequently, the focus of master's programs and the role of graduates has adapted to the needs of the mental health care delivery system. What has not changed much is the way we offer psychiatric nursing education. There is still a strong emphasis on traditional classroom teaching, on campus-based activities and face-to-face supervision. One solution that might increase access to psychiatric nursing programs is to develop educational programs with quality distance education standards and practices as a primary means for educating future psychiatric nurses. Psychiatric nursing faculties need to design creative scenarios and interactive activities to engage students in online learning about psychiatric and mental health nursing. J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc, 2008; 14(1), 36-38. DOI: 10.1177/1078390307307451.     

Evaluation of Blackboard as a platform for distance education delivery.

The Hampton University School of Nursing has implemented a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Distance Education Program that utilizes the Blackboard Learning System, which was designed to transform the Internet into a powerful environment for the educational experience. The Interne, however, may be a new learning environment for many nurses seeking a graduate degree. The Blackboard platform allows for synchronous, real-time activities such as chat rooms, and asynchronous, delayed, activities such as discussion boards and digital drop boxes that can be used for student-to-instructor and instructor-to-student document transfer. This article focuses on the skills and challenges of navigating a course on the Internet using Blackboard. Recommendations for improving the teaching-learning process using a Web-based environment are included.     

An evaluation of the role of the clinical education facilitator

Aims and objectives. The objective of the study was to identify whether clinical education facilitators made a difference to the learning experiences of nurses in a large teaching hospital. Background. Strategies for enabling continuous professional development are well established in healthcare organizations as key components of approaches to lifelong learning. The benefits of continuous professional development include the maintenance of high standards of care, the improvement and development of services, ensuring the competency of all nursing staff and guaranteeing the accountability of nurses for their actions. The role of clinical education facilitator is relatively new and little evaluation of this role has been undertaken. Conclusions. This study highlights important issues to be considered in developing a ‘learning culture’ in a hospital organization, through the adoption of such roles as clinical education facilitators. Whilst the roles have had an important function in the active coordination of learning activities in the hospital, there is little evidence of the role directly impacting on the learning culture of clinical settings. Learning mechanisms have been identified. The results of this evaluation can be subjected to further testing through ongoing evaluation of the outcomes arising from the learning mechanisms in place. Given the emphasis on work‐based learning and continuing professional development in health care, then this ongoing evaluation can yield important information about future directions for nurse education. Relevance to clinical practice. The study highlights the importance of supported learning in the workplace. However, more importantly, it identifies the need for a culture of professional practice to be developed in order to sustain learning in practice. Classroom‐based learning alone, cannot create a culture of development in nursing and there is thus a need for models of work‐based learning to be integrated into practice environments.     

Student views of interprofessional education facilitator competencies: A cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT

Research attention has been paid to providing evidence on undergraduate/pre-licensure health sciences students’ interprofessional education competency requirements, placements, and attainment. Although interprofessional facilitator training has been identified as critical to interprofessional learner outcomes, scant research has examined student perceptions of valued facilitator competencies. This short report investigates students’ views of important attributes for interprofessional facilitation using a cross-sectional observation-survey design. A survey was conducted in a pre-licensure sample of n = 343 students (response rate 68%) from four health professions (nursing, midwifery, physical therapy, and occupational therapy). After completing a semester-long interprofessional education course, students completed a survey vis-à-vis rating the importance of interprofessional facilitator competency with regard to 25 abilities, 12 teacher profiles, and 10 characteristics. Taken together, results indicate the need for a multifaceted view of interprofessional facilitator competencies. Our findings will inform training targeted to specific facilitator competencies, as needed for optimizing the delivery of interprofessional education.     

RN students' satisfaction with clinical teaching in a distance education program.

This study examined student satisfaction with clinical teaching and student-perceived difficulties in three introductory nursing courses offered by distance education. The sample consisted of 41 registered nurse respondents enrolled in a baccalaureate nursing program. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected by mailed questionnaire. The results indicate that the degree of satisfaction with the clinical teacher role was high and that unfamiliarity with the clinical settings and roles were perceived as difficulties. As well, the qualitative data suggest that RN learners need gradual exposure to self-directed learning to acquire these skills.     

Neophyte facilitator experiences of interprofessional education: implications for faculty development

The facilitation of learners from different professional groups requires a range of interprofessional knowledge and skills (e.g. an understanding of possible sources of tension between professions) in addition to those that are more generic, such as how to manage a small group of learners. The development and delivery of interprofessional education (IPE) programs tends to rely on a small cohort of facilitators who have typically gained expertise through ‘hands-on’ involvement in facilitating IPE and through mentorship from more experienced colleagues. To avoid burn-out and to meet a growing demand for IPE, a larger number of facilitators are needed. However, empirical evidence regarding effective approaches to prepare for this type of work is limited. This article draws on data from a multiple case study of four IPE programs based in an urban setting in North America with a sample of neophyte facilitators and provides insight into their perceptions and experiences in preparing for and delivering IPE. Forty-one semi-structured interviews were conducted before (n == 20) and after (n == 21) program delivery with 21 facilitators. Findings indicated that despite participating in a three-fold faculty development strategy designed to support them in their IPE facilitation work, many felt unprepared and continued to have a poor conceptual understanding of core IPE and interprofessional collaboration principles, resulting in problematic implications (e.g. ‘missed teachable moments’) within their IPE programs. Findings from this study are discussed in relation to the IPE, faculty development and wider educational literature before implications are offered for the future delivery of interprofessional faculty development activities.     

Neophyte facilitator experiences of interprofessional education: implications for faculty development

The facilitation of learners from different professional groups requires a range of interprofessional knowledge and skills (e.g. an understanding of possible sources of tension between professions) in addition to those that are more generic, such as how to manage a small group of learners. The development and delivery of interprofessional education (IPE) programs tends to rely on a small cohort of facilitators who have typically gained expertise through 'hands-on' involvement in facilitating IPE and through mentorship from more experienced colleagues. To avoid burn-out and to meet a growing demand for IPE, a larger number of facilitators are needed. However, empirical evidence regarding effective approaches to prepare for this type of work is limited. This article draws on data from a multiple case study of four IPE programs based in an urban setting in North America with a sample of neophyte facilitators and provides insight into their perceptions and experiences in preparing for and delivering IPE. Forty-one semi-structured interviews were conducted before (n = 20) and after (n = 21) program delivery with 21 facilitators. Findings indicated that despite participating in a three-fold faculty development strategy designed to support them in their IPE facilitation work, many felt unprepared and continued to have a poor conceptual understanding of core IPE and interprofessional collaboration principles, resulting in problematic implications (e.g. 'missed teachable moments') within their IPE programs. Findings from this study are discussed in relation to the IPE, faculty development and wider educational literature before implications are offered for the future delivery of interprofessional faculty development activities.     

Women and distance education: a nursing perspective

It is only very recently that studies of distance learners have begun to consider gender as a variable. Given the rapid growth of distance education programmes for nurses, it is appropriate to consider at this time how educators can best meet the needs of these (mostly) women students. Distance education tends to mean different things in different institutions, ranging from the 'industrial model' self-study course package with limited teacher student interaction to the fully interactive audio and video conferencing of the 'virtual classroom'. Each of these teaching/learning situations poses a different set of challenges, and each requires different solutions. Using illustrations drawn from experiences with a BN programme for registered nurses in Atlantic Canada, and from the limited literature, this paper explores both women's participation in distance education and the barriers that sometimes prevent this, as well as the kind of support women distance learners need most in order to learn effectively.     

The integration of problem-based learning strategies in distance education.

The authors explore the redesign of a traditional distance nursing program to integrate problem-based learning (PBL) strategies. Using pre- and postcourse questionnaires, learning satisfaction was compared between students who attended the PBL course face-to-face and those who received the course via audio-teleconferencing. Tutor and student perceptions of PBL via audio-teleconferencing are also described. Study results suggest that audio-teleconferencing is an effective means of delivering PBL by distance education.     

Professional resocialization of post-RN baccalaureate students by distance education.

Distance education is being used to increase access to post-RN baccalaureate education. One of the objectives of degree programs is the professional resocialization of post-RN students. Because of the limited contacts with the institution, faculty, and student peers, the effectiveness of professional resocialization by distance education may be questioned. In this qualitative study, the responses of 24 students who had taken distance courses in Nursing Issues from four universities were analyzed for evidence of professional resocialization. Two of the universities used a group-oriented approach to distance education; two used an individual approach. Responses of students from the four schools and the two approaches were similar. All reported more awareness of issues in nursing and most reported attitude changes reflecting a more professional orientation. Among the changes were attitudes toward baccalaureate entry to practice, nursing theory and research, and the place of nurses and nursing in society. Despite the limitations of distance education, distance courses can be influential in the professional resocialization of post-RN students.     

Online education goes the distance

No matter where you are, you can telecommute to a virtual nursing program. Use this handy guide to navigate to success.