| Nursing Instructors Easily Adapt to Online Format | | | | even a face-to-face course with a hundred students, |
| with Higher Ed Holdings | | | | a student can be much more closely monitored if |
| | | | they start lagging behind,” she said. |
| The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) School | | | | Willson admitted being tentative at first, but said she |
| of Nursing has launched a new distance education | | | | adapted to the new format well, and finds it |
| program. Providing online instruction makes | | | | effective. Having taped her lectures and set the |
| courses more accessible for students and creates | | | | course in motion, Willson then begins the process of |
| new learning challenges for their faculty members. | | | | keeping an eye on class participation. When the |
| Professors who have become comfortable with the | | | | students have questions, they send her messages. |
| traditional format of classroom lecture now rethink | | | | The hours she spent creating lectures is time that |
| the best way to present their course material in an | | | | she now gets back, since the course presentation |
| online format, and adapt their content for delivery via | | | | now requires no time. And, when Willson teaches the |
| video and interactive assessments. The key to | | | | course in the future, it won’t require the same |
| success, say instructors, is preparation. | | | | level of development, since the foundation is already |
| The new accelerated program is fully Web-based, | | | | in place. |
| with courses that last 5 to 7 weeks. All courses | | | | “My time is concentrated on updating the course, |
| provide videos of lectures and students participate in | | | | keeping it current,” Willson said about the later |
| discussion forums. Academic “coaches” | | | | stages. |
| who are approved by UTA nursing administration help | | | | Willson’s experience demonstrates how |
| with technical support and with monitoring the online | | | | professors maintain total control over course content |
| forums for each group of 25-30 students. | | | | while Higher Ed Holdings helps them move their |
| UTA School of Nursing faculty member Nancy Willson | | | | courses on to the company’s online platform. |
| is the professor of the Health Promotion and Forensic | | | | The partnership between UTA and Higher Ed Holdings |
| Nursing courses, redesigned her 10-week Professional | | | | has helped the university reach non-traditional |
| Nursing course. In developing any course for this new | | | | students with affordable courses that are easily |
| program, she explained, the bulk of the work comes | | | | accessible to their time stressed work and family |
| at the beginning, where she summarizes her | | | | schedules. |
| traditional lectures, taping some of them in front of a | | | | Clinical instructor Janet McLean admitted that teaching |
| camera to produce videos. An hour long lecture, she | | | | this way is an entirely different process, but she has |
| estimates, becomes a 10- to 15-minute video clip with | | | | found that her course material – even in the new |
| additional PowerPoint notes, suggested readings, and | | | | online form – is being absorbed effectively, which |
| discussion points. | | | | shows in the discussion boards. |
| Willson’s lecture preparation involves prioritizing | | | | “To tell the truth, I found that they were |
| the specific objectives for each week’s module. | | | | discussing in much greater detail than what I heard |
| She doesn’t use a conventional textbook; | | | | from students in the classroom,” McLean said. |
| instead, Willson posts links to course-related | | | | “So, I believe the ability to be comfortable and |
| websites, tracking the sites to make sure their | | | | be at home and take your time kind of encourages |
| content doesn’t change and keeping content | | | | people to sort of let it out.” |
| current. | | | | UTA School of Nursing Assistant Clinical Professor |
| “Whereas you might tell students about an article | | | | Jeanean Boyd said that from an instructor’s |
| face to face, I give them the site,” she said. | | | | viewpoint, she feels the online students are certainly |
| “But I’m giving them the meat of what I | | | | grasping the course concepts faster and synthesizing |
| want them to know. They’re responsible for | | | | that information more quickly than they might in class. |
| reading on their own. So they do a lot more | | | | But she stressed the importance of the instructor |
| self-guided reading of the material, whereas in class, | | | | being satisfied with how he or she is able to deliver |
| I’m presenting more of the material.” | | | | the material. |
| Willson also develops special versions of quizzes – | | | | “Faculty likes to think things through, whatever |
| switching them from short answer to multiple-choice. | | | | their discipline,” Boyd said. “They want |
| She writes questions for the course’s online | | | | control over their content, which they absolutely |
| discussion board, she said, and monitors the board to | | | | should have. They want control over quality, which |
| make sure the posted comments show that | | | | they absolutely should have. And, they want to make |
| students have done their assignments. The academic | | | | sure that whatever they are teaching—in |
| coaches are valuable for supporting Willson’s | | | | whatever format they are teaching—includes their |
| monitoring to ensure each student has contributed to | | | | learning objectives and matches their own high |
| discussions as part of their assignments. | | | | standards of course quality. |
| “As opposed to another style of online course or | | | | |