Survey of distance technology use in AACN member schools

Perceptions of distance education among nursing faculty members in North America

A strategy to increase access to nursing education, train nurses for practice, and prepare future nurse educators is distance education. Faculty member shortages are cited as the main reason for not accepting qualified applicants. Faculty members are the core of nursing education. In order to address nursing faculty members' concerns regarding distance education and to assist in faculty member recruitment, retention, growth, and development in order to improve and enhance the quality of distance education, one must answer the question: What are nursing faculty members' perceptions of distance education in nursing? Utilizing a number of databases to locate research specific to this topic, this article provides an integrative review of the nursing literature to ascertain the faculty members' perspective of distance education. The research was analyzed, findings summarized, and limitations mentioned. Utilizing a brief supplementary review of the literature, the implications, recommendations, and need for future research are discussed.

Online Education: Needs Assessment for Faculty Development

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.

Transition to a Web-supported curriculum

Stimulating faculty to adopt an innovation of online learning in a registered nurse (RN) completion program was the focus of a faculty retreat seminar to launch a transition to a Web-supported curriculum. This article follows the planning and implementation that initiated curriculum transition to a Web-supported format using Roger's innovation-diffusion framework. Web-supported courses include an online component in combination with face-to-face instruction. The factors that influence innovation adoption, specifically relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability, framed the discussion of principles. Approaches used to garner faculty involvement in the curriculum transition are discussed, and highlighted are considerations for teaching the utilization of course management software, along with faculty preparation for initiating online learning for the first time.

Development of a master's in public health nutrition degree program using distance education

The Professional Practice Program in Nutrition (PPPN) uses distance education to offer a master's degree in public health (MPH) nutrition designed for practitioners who desire to maintain their employment and develop new skills. Public health nutrition leadership faces challenges in recruiting a large enough workforce to (a) carry out the core functions of assessment, policy, and assurance; (b) update current nutritionists in new skill areas to face the demands of dynamic health care and public health climates; and (c) conduct monitoring and surveillance of Healthy People 2010 objectives. In 1996, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill designed and implemented this program after a market analysis to identify advanced educational need in a nine state area. PPPN was initiated as a pilot program and enrolled two cohorts of students from 1996 through 1998. This project identified four key steps: (a) conduct a detailed market analysis; (b) establish an infrastructure to deliver the program; (c) tailor the curriculum using the technology; and (d) identify, accommodate, and develop student capabilities. The findings indicate that distance education strategies are appropriate to carry out a full MPH curriculum in nutrition, but sufficient enrollment is necessary to cover the added curriculum expenditures.