Friday, November 23, 2007

artikel


Students views of integrating web-based
learning technology into the nursing
curriculum – A descriptive survey

As computer skills are increasingly importance in today’s technological age, the enhancement of these skills through Web-based learning media have a potentially valuable contribution to practice. This paper aims to report the findings of a descriptive survey that explores undergraduate nursing students’ learning experience in this area. The supporting literature highlights that computer skills are important for today’s practicing nurse and encouraging these through Web-based learning programmes is important. E-mail usage, operating basic Windows applications, and searching databases were found to be the most crucial aspects of IT skills required by nurses. These skills are also useful for evidence-based practice.

The aim of this paper is to describe students’ experience of a Web-based innovation at one University programme. This programme originated to facilitate admission onto a 1-year part-time Bachelors degree in Nursing (BNS) programme at the University. Development of the core content of this programme reflected contemporary trends in nursing practice in addition to theoretical gaps in traditional nurse training programmes. The programme comprised five core modules, the scientific basis of nursing practice, ethics and law, research appreciation, health promotion and professional development in nursing. The aims of the study were:

1. To assess students access to and use of computer technology prior to and after
programme commencement.
2. To ascertain whether relationships exist between computer knowledge and
other variables such as age, gender and computer use.
3. To ascertain whether relationships exist between Internet usage and other
variables such as age, gender and computer use.
4. To access the level of contact that has developed between students.

The questionnaire, specifically devised for this purpose, drew upon literature on the topic and contained contextual items related to programme development. The internal consistency of items contained in the
questionnaire was measured using Cronbachs coefficient Alpha. An acceptable level of consistency
between responses is indicated by a result greater than 0.5. The Alpha Coefficient for the questionnaire
was .86, which is an acceptable level (Mathers and Huang, 1998). Staff explained questionnaires to students, and participation equaled consent to participate. Participation was entirely voluntary. Researchers emphasised that students could choose not to take part, and that this would not affect their progress on the course. They provided twenty minutes to complete the questionnaire. All questionnaires were anonymous and 16 A. Adams, F. Timmins confidential. Staff destroyed questionnaires were upon completion of the study, and permission to conduct the study was obtained from the course coordinator. A pilot test of the survey was not conducted.

As conclusion, Research-based practice is an integral component of nursing practice. Specific computer skills Percentage frequency of reported knowledge of respondents Prior to programme Students views of integrating web-based learning technology into the nursing curriculum 19 technology forms a crucial component of this, as resources are commonly on the Internet. The integrationof interactive e-learning resources into undergraduate programmes creates the context for situational learning of computer skills. Nurse educators perceive anecdotally that students, engaged in meaningful tasks online will, practice and improve their skills. This study supports this notion of increase of skills, with most areas demonstrating significant improvement. In addition, there is a belief that nurses are more reliant upon written and verbal sources rather than technology, and this improvement may encourage these nurses to explore alternative information options in their practice area. This study revealed that nurses have a quite a high usage of computer technology and useful skills have developed throughout the programme. It is envisaged that these students will further use these skills in the practice environment and represent an emergence of nurses that fully embrace all that technology has to offer. Overall, the experience was a positive one for students. There was not a sense of student isolation reported, as many students kept in touch by phone and class attendance continued.
Some students did appear, however to isolate themselves and supportive measures for students need further exploration. Although this study yielded positive results, experimental research indicated little overall benefit of Web-based compared with traditional forms of education . This teaching methodology has much to offer in the provision of convenient easy to access programmes that can be easily adapted to the individual lifestyle (Atack, 2003). Further evaluation of these methods is essential to ascertain the qualityof programmes and highlight any difficulties that emerge. Student support mechanisms need consideration for students who are at risk of becoming isolated, particularly from teachers. Systems need to be easy to use and technical support needs to be available. In order to ensure that quality programmes are developed that adequately meet student needs it is important that standards are developed that conform to Quality Assurance Guidelines. Appropriate student guidelines are also essential to ensure that students can adequately navigate the system and use system components. Staff development also needs to be considered to prepare academic and administrative staff for supporting students. Individual staff members involved in Web-based learning may need to carry out selfappraisal to identify personal learning needs, as these may vary. In additional, specific generic skills such as managing the Web-based system, developing materials and supporting student discussion board may need to be provided through in service study days.

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