Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #102409

George Shuster, RN, DNSc, Gloria Birkholz, RN JD, and Linda Petri, MA. College of Nursing, University of New Mexico, MSC09 5350, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, 505-272-5612, gshuster@salud.unm.edu

Teaching public health nursing courses online: Faculty and student evaluations of a web based nursing program

Baccalaureate nursing education is traditionally taught on-campus, but increasing emphasis is now being placed on distance education. Online courses are often preferred when education involves associate degree nursing students (RN) who desire a baccalaureate degree (BSN) but are also needed in the workforce because of the current nursing shortage. RN to BSN student learning needs clearly differ from those of basic baccalaureate students(Cragg, Plotnikoff, Hugo & Casy, 2001).

Since 1999, the University of New Mexico (UNM), College of Nursing (CON) has offered the university's only fully web-based program, an RN to BSN nursing program. This program provides online courses with two fully web based public health nursing courses to a largely rural state with significant Hispanic and American Indian populations.

With funding from Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), faculty and students (N=227) systematically evaluated the course content, processes and resources for the eight nursing courses in the RN to BSN program using quantitative and qualitative methods. Students currently in the program, graduates and students who have paused out were individually interviewed and completed standardized evaluation tools. Focus groups were also conducted with current students in the program.

Faculty self evaluated their own courses. Library and technical resources were student and faculty evaluated. Findings suggest that students and faculty have similar views regarding technical and faculty expertise, anytime-anywhere web convenience, and the usefulness of research and written assignments. Stakeholders, however, had differing viewpoints regarding the time burden, usefulness of web discussions, the value of building a learning community and the clarity of communications and faculty organization. This presentation summarizes the results of these evaluations with particular focus on the public health nursing courses.

References

Cragg, C. E., Plotnikoff, R. C., Hugo, K., & Casey, A. (2001). Perspective transformation in RN-to-BSN distance education. Journal of Nursing Education, 40 (7), 317-322.

Funded by HRSA Grant #1D11HP00706-010

Learning Objectives: Objectives Participants at this presentation will learn about multi-method online course and program evaluation. At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to

• Identify what online public health nursing students like and don’t like about web course design, course teaching processes, and course related resources.
• Describe what online students expect of faculty.
• Analyze what online students say they gain from online programs.
• Describe why it is important to design a public health nursing course that provides online students with a “floor” of technical and computer skills.

Keywords: Distance Education, Distance Education Development

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.