Student readiness and preparation for distance nursing education

Nursing E-Learning

The role of education is changing everyday as new technology, models and methods are introduced on a daily basis. As these transformations occur it essential for those within the nursing education fields are aware of the possible implications of these changes. Distance education, online learning and e-academics provide great advantages for individuals and organizations who can implement a program or model that is aligned with the overall organizational strategy that provides students and faculty alike with a learning environment that performs well and promotes the fundamental truths about that subject, area of emphasis or route of information.

The purpose of this essay is to explore the role of distance education and how it can negatively impact students who are not prepared to take on the role of online education. This essay will demonstrate that using this educational model requires a certain type of student that can excel in this type of environment. This essay will uncover and discuss mitigation techniques to help lessen the impact of this specific issue on nursing students and develop a course of action that meets the challenges of distance education by providing the means to simply and coherently address this issue.

Challenges In Student Appeal

While the 21st century as seen a new generation of young people utilizing technology for all its worth, there are still many who are ignorant to its greatest capabilities. Unfortunately this problem compounds itself by having these very same students who are ignorant of distance education are possibly the ones who need the education the most in our society. Any online nursing program must have students who are ready and prepared to adopt this new type of learning model and become a more independent learner not relying on others to guide every step of the way.

Internet is ubiquitous mainly, however there are spots in this world where interconnectivity is not achieved so easily. The problem of wrong-quality students who are seeking education are simply not aware that distance education can be a useful and practical means to break free from their ignorance and provide a new way of experimenting life through the role of nurse or medical professional.

Kenny et al. (2011) suggested that age and experience of this new type of nursing student reflects certain qualities that may have not been necessary for students in more traditional or face-to-face educational programs. They wrote "while attempting to provide flexibility for students, education providers in this study identified that students need face-to-face contact, particularly in the first year of study. The value of having contact with fellow students and educators appears to be more highly valued than the autonomy that distance education models afford the student." Having discovered that older more mature people who are now entering the nursing force and are being mandated to use e-learning or distance education models are not fully prepared to meet these demands provides the necessary motivation to correct this problem and make the necessary adjustments so that non-traditional students are more comfortable in their e-learning environments.

Options And Strategies

As the nursing landscape has been flooded with older, and more mature people who may be more restricted in their understanding of distance learning and technological applications of communication technologies, it is necessary to determine how to model this problem to develop a course of action that can be seen as contributing to the problem and not simply adding more confusion to a complex situation and making it worse.

Button et al. (2014) revealed important information about this topic in their review of literature pertaining to the topic. The research concluded that "The rapid advances in computer information technology have important implications for both nursing students and educators worldwide. These implications include but are not only limited to the teaching and learning technology but also must include the technology that nursing graduates will be expected to work on a daily basis. The review also confirmed that there is an urgent need to develop robust quantitative instruments to measure the impact, effectiveness and perceptions of students and educators who are using E-learning and the associated information communication technology."

Recommendations

The great demand for nursing students has caused the collective to recruit more from the mature base of people who can handle the job and are willing to change careers. To address the technology issues that accompany this problems requires the individual programs to provide sufficient help to those with technological ignorance and provide a model of learning that can help with this transition. When this balance is achieved then the system itself can proceed with the real business at hand which is healing the sick an infirmed and providing to the community and invaluable service based on empathy and respect for life . "Perceived online presence of the instructor as recommended by Swan, combined with a presence that is considered by the learners to be positive and influential as suggested by the participants in this study, seems to be a necessary goal for online teachers who strive to be effective. Further study to determine additional strategies that online instructors use to successfully achieve online presence is desirable, " ( Perry & Edwards, 2014).

Conclusions

The constantly changing technological landscape of the education systems in place today require that students and faculty alike are aware of the unique problems that arise in e-learning and distance education courses that are practiced more and more every day. By ensuring that these ideas are met with some knowledge of how to temper their negative effects, the system itself is more prepared to deal with the actual teaching and learning processes that are at the heart of education. Staying flexible and keeping an open mind will also serve the individual as well.