Abstract:

This session will discuss an innovative strategy, the Quality MattersTM initiative, used at the University of Northern Colorado’s School of Nursing to enhance the quality of on-line educational programs offered to graduate students learning to become effective nurse educators.
In many parts of the world, there is a significant shortage of qualified nurses to provide health care services to the population (Aiken, Buchan, Scohalski, Nichols, & Powell, 2004). To address the increasing shortage of licensed professional Registered Nurses (RNs) in the United States, a number of colleges and universities have turned to web-based educational programs to prepare nurse educators who are urgently needed to teach tomorrow’s RNs. The phenomenal growth in recent years of Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) in nursing education has resulted in increased demands on nursing faculty to learn and quickly apply new instructional technologies. These skills and knowledge are used in courses that are offered fully on-line to distance learners, in hybrid and blended courses involving both on-line and on-campus instruction, and for classes where the web-based instructional platform (e.g., BlackBoard) is used as an adjunct for on-campus coursework. Without a thoughtful and reflective approach to the construction of these courses, however, opportunities for students to optimally learn the content offered will be limited.
While research suggests that web-based courses can be a highly successful learning option for students and that learners perform as well or better than learners in face-to-face environments (Ramsey & Clark, 2009), the use of consistent and systematic Standards to guide web-based course planning, preparation, and implementation helps to ensure that high quality learning experiences are provided to students. Toward this end, several faculty members who teach at the University of Northern Colorado’s School of Nursing are participating in a voluntary faculty-centered peer review program titled Quality Matters™. This program assesses the quality of their on-line course offerings for graduate students who are studying to become nurse educators. Based on this systematic evaluation process which uses eight primary “Best Practice” Standards included in a published rubric, reviewers’ recommendations for enhancing the web-based learning environment in these nursing courses are being implemented. The ultimate goals of faculty participation in the Quality Matters™ initiative are quality assurance, the continuous improvement of on-line educational offerings, and opportunities for faculty growth in on-line pedagogy.

References:
Aiken, L. H., Buchan, J., Sochalski, J., Nichols, B., & Powell, M. (2004). Trends in international nurse migration, Health Affairs, 23(3), 69-77.
Ramsey, R. W., & Clark, C. E. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance. In D. M. Billings & J. A. Halstead (Eds.), Teaching in Nursing A Guide for Faculty (3rd ed., 351-368). St. Louis, MO: Saunders Elsevier.