Instructional Technology and its Impact on Nursing
Education
Susan M. Gunter, RN BSNThe University of Alabama
Introduction
• How has technology influenced nursing education since 2000?– Nursing courses are accessible anytime, from
anywhere• Why is technology transforming nursing
education?– Current and predicted nursing workforce and faculty
shortages– To increase the number of nurses with advanced
degrees by 80% by 2030 (Institute of Medicine, 2011)• Where has technology impacted the nursing
student ?– Active, engaged learning– Collaboration
Advancements and Innovations in Instructional
Technology since 20001. Distance and online learning
2. High-fidelity Patient Simulation (HFPS)with RFID integration
3. Handheld devices
Identified Themes from Literature
1. Increase the amount of nurses with advanced practice degrees
a) New technologies encourage baccalaureate prepared nurses to further their education (Institute of Medicine, Future of Nursing, 2011)
2. Meet and exceed the healthcare needs of society
a) Aging population and population based health care
b) Advance clinical specialties in geriatrics and rural healthcare
3. Increase the nursing workforce
a) Predicted nursing shortages through 2030 (American Journal of Medical Quality, 2012)
b) Aging nursing faculty and staff
Distance and Online Learning
Distance and Online Learning
• Expansion from correspondence courses to wireless Internet
• Learning Management System (LMS)– Blackboard– eLearning
• Collaborative Learning– Virtual classrooms– Accessibility and flexibility
Learning Management System
Infrastructure
Platform (Operating System)
Discussion
Boards
Dropboxes
Course Email
Assignment
Reminders
Course Managem
ent
Instructors
Limited breakdown of Distance and Online Learning.
Document
Storage
Virtual Classroo
m
Chat Rooms
Calendar
Alerts
Proctored
Exams
Server or Cloud
Interfaces
Students
Distance
Learning
Courses
http://www.mobilemag.com/2010/06/28/1-7-million-iphone-4-units-sold-since-launch/
Distance LearningPositives
• Attracts motivated distance and online learners
• Provides access to information anytime, anywhere
• Supports adult-learner flexibility
• Demands autonomy• Enables collaboration
Negatives
• Infrastructure incapable of supporting platform
• Lack of Information System (IS) experts (SMEs)
• Recurring high costs of updates, additional storage, servers, and interfaces
• Computer knowledge deficits
• Isolates the distance student
• Faculty resistance to additional education
High-fidelity Patient Simulation
with RFID Integration
http://www.laerdal.com/us/doc/85/SimMan-3G#/Images
High-fidelity Patient Simulation
with RFID Integration• HFPS
– Complex skills practice and clinical-decision support based technology
• RFID– Integrated Radio Frequency Identification
(RFID) technology for medication recognition– Utilized to reduce medication errors in
practice• Laerdal Medical, Inc.
– SimMan Essential– SimMan 3G-wireless with RFID http://youtu.be/wk728vFJUJA
High-fidelity Patient Simulation
Positives
• Simulation Cost • $66,500-->$135,000 • Budget limitations
and increased tuition costs
• Increased need for technical maintenance and Information Systems (IS) management
Negatives
• Availability of federal, corporate, private grants, and loans to assist with costs
• Share interdepartmental financial resources
• Strengthens clinical decision support (CDS)
• Meeting QSEN competencies (Safety & Informatics)
• Meeting IOM, Future of Nursing Proposals
Handheld Devices
Handheld Devices
• Laptops, tablets, and smartphones
• Multiple platforms, Apple iOS, Google Android, Windows
• Wireless data services
• Platform enabled applications
http://youtu.be/9_25_fQdxAghttp://www.epocrates.com/who/milestones http://www.apple.com/iphone/ http://www.uptodate.com/home/uptodate-mobile-access http://www.android.com/
Handheld DevicesPositives
• Enables immediate access to course and stored information
• Allows “just-in-time” retrieval of data from clinical reference applications
• Computer in hand• Supports online
collaboration software
Negatives
• Connectivity issues and incompatible platforms
• Rapid device model upgrades
• Application availability between models and plan carriers
• Isolates a student• Security of data
EXISTING KNOWLEDGE
Theoretical ApplicationsConstructivism
Teacher-Centered
Passive Learning
Information
Dissemination20
00
2015
STUDENT-CENTERED
Active Learning
Experiential
Learning
COLLABORATION
Knowledge Acquisition
Inst
ructi
on
al
Tech
nolo
gy
Conclusion
• How has technology influenced nursing education since 2000?– Accessible anytime, anywhere
• Why is technology transforming nursing education?– Nursing workforce and faculty shortages– To increase the number of nurses with
advanced degrees by 80% by 2030 (Institute of Medicine, 2011)
• Where has technology impacted the nursing student ?– Active, engaged learning– Collaboration