From bricks to bytes: faculty and student perspectives of online graduate nursing courses

Four courses in an existing graduate primary care program were transformed and offered via interactive television with an online component. Data were collected from students taking any 1 of the 4 graduate nursing courses and from faculty teaching online to understand better the experiences associated with technology-based education. An online evaluation tool, the standard School of Nursing evaluation tool, and 2 focus groups-one a convenient sample of students from these 4 classes and the second a group of faculty engaged in online teaching-were all used for data collection. The primary advantages and disadvantages from both the student and the faculty perspective are described. Important considerations for initiation of online course work are included.     

Nursing faculty practice in the Houston Linkage Model: administrative and faculty perspectives

The authors describe a model for the development and implementation of faculty practice, focusing on administrative and faculty parameters of concern in its establishment. Administrative parameters include mission and purpose, benefits to nursing education and nursing service, contractual arrangements, legal issues, use of revenues, and evaluation. The case example illustrates faculty concerns and mentorship, maintenance of clinical skills, patient care, facilitation of research for promotion/tenure, and benefits.     

Respiratory therapy faculty perspectives on interprofessional education: Findings from a cross-sectional online survey

Interprofessional education (IPE) improves collaboration and patient care through joint education between health professions. Respiratory therapy (RT) has not been previously evaluated as participants in IPE. A cross-sectional online survey was distributed to evaluate the opportunities and barriers towards IPE of 874 respiratory therapy faculty with both quantitative measures and open-ended questions. Responses (n = 187) to open-ended questions about the opportunities and barriers to IPE inclusion included only one significant difference between Associate’s (n = 121, 64.7%) and Bachelor’s faculty (n = 66, 35.3%). Open-ended questions were analyzed using directed content analysis. Two trained independent reviewers examined responses for common categories. Reviewers then collated initial categories into broader categories. Faculty responses indicate the importance of IPE, barriers related to schedule and faculty attitudes, and perceived opportunities for IPE with nursing programs and through increasing simulation training opportunities. The most common barriers identified were faculty attitudes, scheduling and logistics, curriculum requirements, administration, and time. All faculty seemed to perceive similar opportunities and barriers regardless of programme type and are supportive of IPE inclusion within their curriculums.     

Nursing student and faculty competency improvement through a nurse-bridging program in Cambodia

BackgroundAn adequate number of high-quality nurses are a key factor for superior patient outcomes. However, in 2015, Cambodia reported only 52 nurses with bachelor's degrees, three with master's degrees, and one with a doctorate. The fast track to getting a highly educated nursing workforce requires providing a bridging program for associate's degree nurses to achieve baccalaureate degrees.ObjectivesTo assess improvement in the competency of nursing students and faculty members through a program that prepares associate's degree nurses to obtain bachelor's degrees in Cambodia.DesignMixed methods.SettingEducational institutes in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.ParticipantsA total of 45 Cambodian nursing students participated in the Cambodian nurse-bridging program and 12 Cambodian faculty members served as co-teachers.MethodsWe conducted three surveys to compare the competence of nursing students and faculty members before, during, and after the bridging program. We conducted focus-group interviews to support the qualitative results and explored changes in student and faculty competencies after the program.ResultsQuantitative analysis revealed significant improvements in students' nursing competency (p < .001), critical thinking (p < .001), and research competency (p < .001) and faculty members' teaching competency (p < .001) and research competency (p < .001) after the program. Through qualitative analysis, students showed improvement in physical assessment, patient communication, critical thinking, evidence-based nursing, and research competency. Faculty members indicated they had experienced new teaching strategies and subjects, gained increased confidence in teaching, and even though research competency had been improved, more training was required.ConclusionsThis study provides evidence to support the effectiveness of higher nurse education in developing countries, and illustrates an opportunity to produce high-quality human resources in nursing.     

Cyber-bullying and incivility in the online learning environment, Part 1: Addressing faculty and student perceptions

Online learning has created another potential avenue for incivility. Cyber-bullying, a form of incivility that occurs in an electronic environment, includes posting rumors or misinformation, gossiping, or publishing materials that defame and humiliate others. This is the first of 2 articles detailing a study to empirically measure nursing faculty and student perceptions of incivility in an online learning environment (OLE). In this article, the authors discuss the quantitative results including the types and frequency of uncivil behaviors and the extent to which they are perceived to be a problem in online courses. Part 2 in the September/October issue will describe challenges and advantages of the OLE, discuss specific ways to foster civility, and present strategies to promote student success and retention.     

Nursing students' perspectives of unethical teaching behaviors

This preliminary study set out to collect free response data from nursing students about the nature of unethical teaching behaviors they had encountered in the classroom or clinical setting. Senior nursing students enrolled in three baccalaureate nursing programs were used as subjects. Data were analyzed using content analysis. Unethical teaching behaviors, as described by the subjects, were classified according to three major ethical principles that had been violated: Respect for persons; Justice; and Beneficence. Results revealed that the largest number of unethical teaching behaviors involved violations of respect for students. Findings from this initial investigation will serve as the basis for the development of a structured, scaled instrument that will identify not only the types of unethical teaching behaviors that nursing students encounter, but also their frequency and the degree to which students find these behaviors problematic.     

Optimizing the student learning environment: A framework to select faculty for teaching courses

Nurse educators must provide high quality student education and demonstrate foundational competencies to fulfill the academic role. Reports on nursing and health care underscore the importance of nurse educators' clinical expertise and educational preparation in teaching; yet, a framework to framework faculty selection and preparation to teach courses does not exist. The purpose of this article is to describe an innovative Faculty-Course Selection Framework (FCSF) for nursing education and discuss two practical examples of application in one school of nursing. The FCSF describes student, organizational, and faculty elements for consideration in determining faculty-course assignment. The fundamental units of the framework include workload needs, credentials, skills, content interest, individual attributes, and commitment. The FCSF equips nursing program administrators and directors to cultivate a highly functioning faculty team that can achieve pedagogical, subject, social, and organizational competence to practice the nurse educator role skillfully and artistically and optimize the student learning environment.     

Professional culture brokers: Nursing faculty perceptions of nursing culture and their role in student formation

Socialization, or formation of students to the professional nurse role, is an expectation of nursing education. This process is complex and challenging for students, who continue to experience culture shock moving from academe to practice settings. Viewing formation as enculturation is one way to address culture shock. Nursing faculty are key figures in this process, yet their views are not known. This focused ethnography study explored nursing faculty's perceptions about the culture of nursing and how they bring students into that culture. Data collected at two accredited, undergraduate pre-licensure baccalaureate nursing programs were analyzed using Leininger's four phases of data analysis. Four themes emerged: 1. The culture of nursing is multifaceted, multivalent and at times contradictory 2. Many factors interact and have influence on the culture of nursing 3. Navigating the subcultures (academia, service and organizational culture) is challenging for faculty, and 4. Nursing faculty believe that the right conditions facilitate the enculturation of students.Nursing faculty believe nursing has a professional culture and they bring students into that culture. Viewing the faculty role in enculturation to professional nursing as a culture broker can facilitate the process for students and mitigate the culture shock new graduate nurses experience.     

Nursing and midwifery educators teaching postgraduate online courses: A cross-sectional survey

Online learning is not a new phenomenon, and with the increasing availability of digital applications and platforms, many Australian universities are shifting some, if not all learning, online. This mixed methods study explored the experiences and perceived needs of educators teaching postgraduate nursing courses entirely online in any university in Australia within the past five years. This paper reports the quantitative findings. Results revealed several challenges faced by experienced face-to-face teachers who transition to online teaching. Preparing and teaching online was perceived as taking up more time than teaching face-to-face by 89% of participants and perceived as challenging by 76.6% of participants. More than half the participants perceived their role as isolating (55.3%) and reported needing increased support (66.7%) and additional training (65.9%). Specific approaches to address these challenges with the aim of increasing role confidence, job satisfaction and retention of quality online nursing educators are offered.     

Nursing faculty integrate simulation instruction into their teaching practice: A phenomenological study

Clinical placements in the nursing profession are becoming more difficult to secure. To help meet the demand, nursing education programs are threading simulation instruction into the curriculum, providing nursing students with real-world scenarios. The aim of this phenomenological qualitative study was to explore the experiences of faculty as they integrate simulation into their teaching practice. Data analysis through an iterative and inductive process resulted in five core themes: faculty motivation, training and coaching, best simulation experience, differences in teaching with and without simulation, and challenges integrating simulation into teaching practice. Findings from this study can be used to guide faculty in the use of simulation as an innovative approach to clinical instruction.