EvaluatingStudentandFacultySatisfactionwithaPedagogicalFrameworkVincentSalyers,LorraineCarter,PenelopeBarrettandLyndaWilliams

VOL.24,No.3

AbstractMostschoolsofnursingutilizetechnologytodelivercourses,andentirecurricula,throughacombinationoffacetoface(f2f),web-enhanced,andfullyonlinestrategies.Challengesassociatedwithcoursedeliverymayincludegeographicandtechnologicalbarriers,lackofinstructionaldesignsupport,inconsistent,inadequateorunreliablesupportinfrastructure,andvaryingdegreesoffacultyandstudentexperienceswithlearningmanagementsystems.

Thepurposeofthisexploratorystudywastoevaluatestudentandfacultysatisfactionwithtwocoursesstructuredusingapedagogicalframework;identifyadvantagesanddisadvantagesofthecourses;andidentifyinstructionaldesignrecommendationsforimplementationoftheframework.Basedonresultsfromthestudy,thereisevidencetosupportuseoftheICAREframeworkinstructuringquality,satisfyingcoursesfrombothstudentandfacultyperspectives.

RésuméLaplupartdesécolesdesciencesinfirmièresutilisentlatechnologiepourdispenserlescoursetmêmedescurriculaentiersenrecourantàunecombinaisondestratégies,soit:enface-à-face,amélioréeparleWeboubienentièrementenligne.Lesdéfisposésparladiffusiondescourspeuventincluredesfrontièresgéographiquesettechnologiques,lemanquedesupportàlaconceptionpédagogique,desinfrastructuresdesoutienirrégulières,inadéquatesounonfiables,demêmequedesniveauxvariésd’expériencedessystèmesdegestiondel’enseignement,parmilesprofesseursetlesétudiants.

Lebutdecetteétudeexploratoireétaitd’évaluerlasatisfactiondesétudiantsetprofesseursàl’égarddedeuxcoursquionétéconçusenutilisantuncadrepédagogique;d’identifierlesavantagesetdésavantagesliésauxdeuxcoursetd’identifierdesrecommandationsportantsurlaconceptionpédagogiquedanslecadredelamiseenœuvreducadreconceptuel.Selonlesrésultatsdel’étude,ilyauraitlieud’encouragerl’utilisationducadreconceptuelICAREdansl’élaborationdecoursdequalitéetsatisfaisantsetce,tantdupointdevuedesétudiantsquedeceluidesprofesseurs.

IntroductionTechnologycontinuestoimpactthedeliveryofnursingeducationascollegesanduniversitiesarerequiredtodevelopmoreefficientandflexibledeliverystrategies.Inmoretraditionalface-to-face(f2f)classroom

environments,facultymayutilizealearningmanagementsystem(LMS)suchasBlackboard,MoodleorDesire2Learnforhostingcoursematerial,providingaccesstoresources,andrecordkeeping.Inweb-enhancedorblendedlearningenvironments—environmentscharacterizedbyacombinationoff2fandweb-supportedlearning—theLMSprovidesameansofengagingstudentsoutsidetheclassroomandmayevenreplacetheneedtomeetonaweeklybasis.Infullyonlineenvironments,studentsdonotattendf2fclassesandtheLMSbecomestheforumforconductingclassesandfacilitatinginteractionsbetweenlearnersandtheinstructor.

MostschoolsofnursingacrossCanadautilizetechnologytooffercourses,andsometimesanentirecurriculumorprogram,usingacombinationoff2f,web-enhanced(blended),andfullyonlinestrategies.Whilethebenefitsrelatedtoaccessandflexibilityareself-evidentwhencoursesaredeliveredusingthesestrategies,variouschallengesalsoemerge.Thesechallengesinclude,butarenotlimitedto,geographicandtechnologicalbarriers,lackofinstructionaldesignsupport,inconsistent,inadequateorunreliableinfrastructuresupport,aswellasvaryingdegreesoffacultyandstudentexperiencewithonlinelearningenvironments.Facultyandstudentengagementmaybefurtheraffectedbywhetherornotthereisaconsistentpedagogicalframeworkthatenablesthemtonavigateacourseinmeaningfulways.Inthecontextofthispaper,thetermpedagogicalframeworkreferstoascaffoldingthatguidesandsupportsthestudentthroughthelearningprocess.Whenapedagogicalframeworkremainsconsistentregardlessofthedeliverymethod(f2f,web-enhanced[blended],andfullyonline),thereisanadvantageforthelearner:heorshedoesnothavetospendtimeandenergydetermininghoweachdiscretelearningexperienceisstructuredandmay,instead,gettothebusinessoflearningmorereadilythanotherwise.

Duringthepastseveralyears,theconceptofe-learninghasemerged.Whilethereisnocommonlyhelddefinition,(Bates,2001),e-learningcanbegenerallydescribedastheintegrationofpedagogy,informationtechnology,andtheInternetintotheteachingandlearningexperience(Glen,2005).Whenweb-enhancedandfullyonlinedeliverystrategieshavebeenevaluated,studentsatisfaction,achievement,andsuccesshavebeenlinkedtofacultyexpertiseandhowwellfacultyengagestudents(Bloom&Hough,2003:Choi,2003;Lim,Kim,Chen&Ryder,2008;Frith&Key,2003;Lee&Rha,2009;Menchaca&Bekele,2008;Mitchell,Ryan,Carson&McCann,2007;Salyers,2005;Woo&Kimmick,2000).

Thereisadditionalstrongevidencethate-learningcanprovidemoreflexibleandcreativelearningopportunities,aswellasgreateraccesstolearningexperiencesthanmightotherwisebepossibleduetogeographicandotherrestraintsincludingtimeandbusylifestyles(Kearns,Shoaf&Summey,2004;Reeves&Reeves,2008;Ryan,Carlton&Ali,2004;Salyers,2005;Thiele,2003;Weber&Lennon,2007).Bycomparison,minimalresearchhasbeenpublishedthatcomparesstudentandfacultysatisfactionwithe-learningstrategies,particularlythosethatstructurecoursesandentirenursingcurriculausingaparticularpedagogicalframework.

Purpose

ThepurposeofthisexploratorystudywastodeterminewhetherstudentsandfacultydifferedintheirperceptionsofcoursesstructuredusingapedagogicalframeworkcalledIntroduction,Connect,Apply,Reflect,andExtend(ICARE).TheICAREframeworkwillbeexplainedmorefullylaterinthispaper.Asecondpurposeofthestudywastodeterminewhetherthereweresignificantdifferencesinoverallcoursesatisfactionwhencourseswerestructuredusingtheframework.Athirdpurposewastodeterminetheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofstudentsandfacultyparticipatinginacoursethatutilizedtheframework.Afourthpurposewastoidentifyinstructionaldesignrecommendationsbasedonimplementationofthe

frameworkacrossthecurriculum.Inthecontextofthispaper,instructionaldesignisapracticethatincludesadvanceplanningaroundallcomponentsofalearningexperienceincludingitsconceptualization,development,delivery/implementationandevaluation.Akeyconsiderationintheinstructionaldesignprocessisthepedagogicalframeworkthatwillbestenhancethedesiredlearning.Basedonthesepurposes,thespecificresearchquestionsexploredinthisstudywereasfollows:

1. TowhatextentdostudentandfacultyperceptionsdifferwhenevaluatingcomponentsofcoursesstructuredusingtheICAREframework?

2. TowhatextentaretheredifferencesinoverallcoursesatisfactionbetweenstudentstakingacourseandfacultyteachingacoursethatusestheICAREframework?

3. WhataretheadvantagesanddisadvantagesoftakingacourseusingtheICAREframework?4. WhataretheinstructionaldesignrecommendationsassociatedwithimplementingtheICARE

frameworkinaSchoolofNursing?

BackgroundandNeed

TheuniversitydescribedinthispaperhasfourcampusesinBritishColumbia.Themaincampusislocatedapproximately10hoursawayfromVancouverbycar.ThreeregionalcampusesarelocatedthroughoutBritishColumbiainruralandremoteareasoftheprovince.Theuniversityhasastudentpopulationofnearly4,200.

Attheundergraduatelevel,theSchoolofNursingoffersabachelor’sdegreeinnursing(BScN)inpartnershipwithtworegionalcolleges,apost-diplomaBScN,andaRuralNursingCertificate.Atthegraduatelevel,twooptions,theMasterofScienceinNursing(FamilyNursePractitioner[MScN-FNP])aswellastheMasterofScienceinNursing(MScN-ThesisStream)areoffered.Totalenrolmentacrossallprogramsandcampusesisapproximately650students.Coursesareofferedutilizingf2f,web-enhanced(blended),andfullyonlineformatsatallcampuses.

Basedonend-of-coursestudentsurveysandinformalfeedbackprovidedbyfacultyoveraperiodoftwoyears,prioritychallengesabouthowcourseswereofferedintheSchoolofNursingwereidentified.Thefirstchallengerelatedtofacultyexperienceandexpertisewithe-learningformats.Facultywereinconsistentintheirdeliveryofcourses(e.g.,onefacultymembermightdeliverhisorhercourseusingaf2fformat,whileanothermightutilizeaweb-enhancedorfullyonlineformat).SomeofthemwereavidusersofBlackboard,Moodle,orDesire2Learnandprovidedstudentswithavarietyoflearningexperiencesincludingengagementthroughdiscussionboards,onlineexaminations,linkstoonlineresources,andsoforth.OtherfacultyutilizedvariousLMSonlytohostcoursesyllabi.Asecondchallengerelatedtothevariationinstudents’abilitytonavigatethroughtheircoursesandtoexperiencemeaningfullearning.Studentsfrequentlyciteddifficultiesinfindingcoursematerialsandgeneralnavigationalissuesforcourseshostedonline.Athirdchallengewasthat,atthetimeofthestudy,theSchoolofNursingretainedonlyonefull-timeInstructionalDesignerandthreepart-timestudentassistantstosupportallofitscourseformats(f2f,web-enhanced,fullyonline)withintheSchool.Whilemanytechnological,geographic,andothervariablesimpactedstudentandfacultysatisfactionwiththeteaching/learningexperience,thethreechallengespreviouslydiscussedwereidentifiedashighestpriorityforimprovementorchange.

PedagogicalFramework

Inthisstudy,theIntroduction,Connect,Apply,Reflect,andExtend(ICARE)systemwasused.Itisa

pedagogicalframeworkdevelopedbystaffandfacultyatSanDiegoStateUniversityin1997tostructureandorganizecoursemodules,modulesbeingnaturalsub-sectionsofcourses.The5-stepsofICAREarerepeatedineachmoduleofacourseandcanbeusedinalllearningcontexts;forexample,onceastudentiscomfortablewiththeframework,heorshecantakecoursesdeliveredusinganydeliverystrategywithcompetenceandconfidence.

Inthe“Introduction”sectionofanyICAREmodule,contextisprovided.Forexample,learningobjectivesandreadingassignmentsmightbepresented.The“Connect”sectionmightprovidelecturematerialandinformationtobediscussedinotherICAREsections.Inthe“Apply”section,studentsmightberequiredtowriteashortpaperorcompleteaself-assessmentintheformofaquiz,therebydemonstratingsynthesisandapplicationofideaspresentedinthemodule.Inthe“Reflect”section,studentsmightbeaskedtoreflectonnewlydevelopedskillsandknowledge(e.g.,lessonslearned,etc.).The“Extend”sectionmightbestructuredaroundevidence-basedarticlesassociatedwithconceptspresentedinthemoduleand“realworld”applications.

TheframeworkwasimplementedattheUniversityacrossthemajorityofprogramsofferedbytheSchoolofNursinginanefforttoprovidequalityf2f,web-enhanced,andfullyonlinelearningexperiencesforallstudents.MoreinformationregardingICAREispresentedbyHoffmanandRitchie(1998;2005).Priortothisimplementation,nopedagogicalframeworkhadbeenutilizedtostructurecourses.

PreviousresearchbasedontheICAREmodelfoundnodifferencesintechnicalability,learningstyles,learningoutcomes,andcoursesatisfactionforgraduatenursingstudentsenrolledinface-to-faceandweb-enhancedsectionsofacoursethatusedtheICAREframework(Salyers,2005).Overall,studentsintheweb-enhancedsectionweremoresatisfiedwiththecourse,andreportedadvantagessuchasgreaterflexibilityinscheduling,lesstravel,andgreaterindependenceandself-pacinginrelationtocontent.Thesefindingssuggestthatweb-enhancedcoursesusingtheICAREframeworkcanprovideavalidalternativetomoretraditionalface-to-faceclassroomformats,andmayremovesomeofthebarrierstypicallyassociatedwithpursuingadvancednursingdegrees.

MethodsThisexploratorystudyincludedtwodistinctprocesses.ThefirstprocessinvolvedimplementationandpilotingoftheICAREframeworkwithintheSchoolofNursing.Eightfacultyweresurveyedregardingtheirexperiencewithpilotingtheframework.Aspartofaparallelprocess,theICAREframeworkwasusedintwomedical-surgicalcourseswherestudentsweresurveyedregardingtheirexperiencewiththeframework.Thefollowingsectionsmorespecificallyoutlinetheproceduresfollowedforbothprocesses.

Subjects

Aconveniencesampleincludingstudentsenrolledinasecondyearmedical-surgicalcourse(n=10)andafourth-yearmedical-surgicalcourse(n=19)participatedinthestudy.Studentsenrolledinthetwocourseswerefromoneoftheregionalcampuses.Faculty(n=8)whohadagreedtopilottheICAREframeworkintheircoursesalsoparticipated.ResearchEthicsBoard(REB)approvalwasobtainedpriortoconductingthestudy.

ThePilot:ImplementationProcedures

AllfacultyintheSchoolofNursingwereinvitedtopilottheICAREframework.Basedonthiscallforparticipation,eightfacultypilotedtheframeworkintheircoursesduringtheFall2008andWinter2009semesters.TransitioningofthecoursestotheICAREframeworkoccurredpriortotheFall2008semester,withtheInstructionalDesignertakingaleadroleinadaptingandindividualizingcourses.Intotal,theICAREframeworkwasusedintwomedical-surgical,onematernity,threeruralnursingcertificate,andtwonursepractitionercourses.

Becauseoffrequentcommentsbystudentsandfacultyregardingvariationandinconsistencyincoursedesigns,itwasimportanttoprovidestudentsandfacultywithaconsistentlookandfeeltotheircourses.FurthertimeandenergywasexpendedtogarnerthesupportoffacultytoimplementtheICAREframework.SincetheinitiativewassupportedbytheChairoftheSchoolofNursing,potentialbarrierswereminimized.Re-visitingtheideaofcourseinterface,ratherthanpioneeringtheirownvisionsofcoursedesign,facultywereencouragedtoworkcloselywiththeInstructionalDesignerwhomaderecommendationsaboutcourselookandfeel.Theserecommendationstendedtoincreasebuy-in.

TheImplementationTeamdedicatedtotheconversionworktotheICAREframeworkincludedtheaforementionedInstructionalDesigner,twostudentassistants,andonetechnicalassistant.Thestudentassistantsdidinterpretiveworkrelatedtothecourseconversions(e.g.,madeinformeddecisionsaboutlayoutandconfigurationandperformedtexteditingatanappropriatelevel).Thetechnicalassistantconvertedcontentfromonelayouttoanother,basedoncleardirections;thetechnicalassistantdidnotmakedecisionsaboutlayoutchoicesoredittext.Facultywerealsoencouragedtodesigntheirownweb-basedcoursesusingtheICAREframeworktothebestoftheirpersonalability.Thisworkdependedon1)aptitude,2)timetolearn,and3)timetodoconversions.

Convertingalegacycoursewithmorethan30HTMLpagespermoduletoICAREtook,onaverage,between20-30hours.Ofthetwofullyonlineprograms,onewasconvertedinitsentiretybeforeanyworkwasdoneonthesecond.ThegoalwastohaveneitherdistanceprogramofferingsomecoursesinlegacyformatandsomeinICARE.Undergraduatecourseswereconvertedopportunistically;theywereconvertedbasedonfactorssuchasinstructor’sreceptivity,abilityandcomfortwiththenewformat,sufficienttime,aswellasavailablesupportresources.SomelegacyandICAREcoursesransimultaneouslyintheundergraduateprogramswheref2felementssimplifiedstudentorientationandfamiliaritywiththeonlinecomponent.Whiledistancecourseconversionswereahighpriorityattheundergraduatelevel,thegraduateNursePractitionerprogramwasthefirsttobeconvertedbecauseofitsfullyonlinenature.Courseconversionsinvolvedunforeseentimecommitmentsandcosts.Membersoftheimplementationteamincurredupto20hoursperweekofovertime,withagreatdealofadditionaltimeexpendedonthepartoftheInstructionalDesigner.Overtimewasaspecificissueinfull-courseconversionswhentheteamwasrequiredtoconstructanICAREcoursefromprint-formatmaterials.

NotwoICAREcourseslookedidentical,acircumstanceinlinewiththefaculty’sfreedomofexpression.Inshort,theICAREguidelinesestablishedabasicscaffoldfromwhichtoproceed,allowingforfacultyinterpretationandapplicationofimportantdiscipline-specificandotherteachingandlearningprinciples.Allmembersoftheimplementationteamwereawareofstandardsandcomfortablewiththeideaofvariationsinordertopreservefacultyfreedom.Atthesametime,facultywerementoredsothattheywouldchooseacceptablevariationsontheICAREframeworkandmakechoicesthatwerecompatiblewiththeirtimeandtechnicalcapacityforbuildingandmaintainingtheircourses.

ThePilot:CourseProcedures

Thesecondyearmedical-surgicalcourseusedtheICAREframeworkandwasstructuredovera12-weekperiod.Duringthecourse,theinvolvedfacultymemberfromthemaincampusmetwithstudentsataregionalcampusonceperweekforeightweeksbyvideo-conference.Onfouroccasionsduringthesemester,thefacultymembertraveledtotheregionalcampustomeetf2fwithstudents.Therewere12web-basedICAREmodulestobecompletedbystudentsthroughoutthesemester.

Thefourthyearmedical-surgicalcourseusedtheICAREframeworkandwasstructuredovera7-weekperiod.Similartotheproceduresusedinthesecond-yearcourse,thefacultyofferedbothvideo-conferenceclassesandf2fsessions.Thefirstweekofthecoursewasconductedbyvideo-conference,thesecondweekf2f,andsoforth.Intotal,overtheperiodthatthecourseran,studentscompleted12web-basedICAREmodulesoutsideofclass.Theseriesofscreenshotsthatfollowdisplayactualmodularcomponentsfromthetwomedical-surgicalcourses:

Introduction

Connect

Apply

Reflect

Extend

Measures

Attheendofthesemester,studentscompletedanend-of-coursesurveyincluding13-itemsdevelopedbytheauthors.ThesurveyusedaLikertscale,rangingfromstrongdisagreement(1)tostrongagreement(5)foreachitem.TheitemsaddressedcomponentsofthecourseincludingsatisfactionwiththeICAREframework,quantityandqualityofstudent-studentandstudent-facultyinteractions,creativityandflexibilityincompletingcourseassignments,aswellascourseformat.FacultycompletedasimilarsurveyusingthesameLikert-scaleratingapproach.Intheirsurvey,facultywereaskedtoconsidertheICAREframeworkasameansforstructuringonlinecoursecontent.Twoopen-endedquestionsenabledstudentsandfacultytocommentontheadvantagesanddisadvantagesoftakingacoursethatusestheICAREframeworkthroughnarrative.Theend-of-coursesurveywascompletedbyallparticipants(n=37)andyieldedhighreliability(Cronbach’salphacoefficient=.88).

ResultsDataanalysiswasconductedusingSPSSversion17.0.Becauseoftheordinalleveldataobtainedfromthesurveys,non-parametricMannWhitneyUanalysiswasconducted.Descriptivestatistics,UandsignificancelevelsarereportedinTable1.BecausetherewasnoequivalentQ6itemforcomparisonbetweenstudentsandfaculty,thisitemwasnotincludedinthedataanalysis.Crosstabulationsfortheentiresample(n=37)yieldedthefollowingpercentagreementforeachquestion:Q1=83.78%;Q2=91.89%;Q3=56.76%;Q4=62.16;%;Q5=54.05%;Q7=78.38%;Q8=75.68%;Q9=67.57;Q10=64.86%;Q11=72.97;Q12=70.27%;andQ13=81.08%.Forallsurveyitemstherewerenosignificant(p<.05)differencesinresponsesbystudentsandfaculty.

Table1.ResponsesbyStudentsandFacultyonEnd-Of-CourseSurvey

SurveyItem

Mean(SD)

U Sig.*Students

(n=29)

Faculty

(n=8)

TheWeb-EnhancedFormat(ICAREModules,Blackboard,Video-ConferencesandMonthlyOnsiteVisits)oftheCourseFacilitatedLearning(Q1)

4.00(.93) 4.25(.71) 101.50 .599

TheICAREModulesWereWell-OrganizedandFacilitatedLearning(Teaching)ofCourseContent(Q2)

4.38(.56) 4.00(.76) 83.00 .236

ISpentTooMuchTimeLearningtheTechnology(Q3)

3.31(1.28) 3.63(.92) 102.50 .625

IhadAdequateAccesstoTechnicalSupport(Q4) 3.45(.95) 3.88

(1.36) 80.50 .194

TechnicalIssuesLimitedMyAbilitytoAccessCourseMaterials(Q5)

3.38(1.18)

3.38(1.51) 112.00 .899

IWouldTake(Teach)AnotherCourseUsingtheICAREandWeb-EnhancedFormat(Q7)

4.00(.80) 4.50(.76) 75.00 .137

IWouldRecommendthisCoursetoOtherStudents(Faculty)(Q8) 3.90(.72) 4.25

(1.17) 79.50 .182

TheCourseProvidedMewithCreativityandFlexibilityinCompleting(Developing)Assignments(Q9)

3.80(.82) 3.75(.71) 109.00 .814

TheQualityofInteractionsBetweenStudentsandFacultyWasSufficienttoMeetCourseObjectives(Q10)

3.55(1.15) 3.75(.46) 112.00 .899

TheQuantityofInteractionsBetweenStudentsandFacultyWasSufficienttoMeetCourseObjectives(Q11)

3.72(1.10) 3.75(.46) 105.00 .704

AsaStudentTaking(FacultyTeaching)CoursesataRegionalCampus,theWeb-EnhancedFormatofthisCourseProvidedMewithanAdequateAlternativetoaMoreTraditionalFormat(Q12)

3.83(.85) 3.88(.64) 115.00 .986

InGeneral,IamSatisfiedwithMyOverallExperiencewiththisWeb-EnhancedCourse(Q13)

3.93(.75) 4.25(1.17) 80.50 .194

*Exactsignificancereported

AdvantagesandDisadvantagesofCoursesusingtheICAREframework

Thenarrativeresponsesofthestudentsandfacultywerereadrepeatedly,clustered,andcodedforgeneralthemesrelatedtoadvantagesanddisadvantagesofcoursesusingtheICAREframework.AnadvantagelistedbystudentsandfacultywasthattheICAREframeworkfacilitatedeaseofnavigationthroughamodule.Anotheradvantagelistedbybothwasthattheframeworkprovidedflexibilityforscheduling/structuringlearningactivities.Adisadvantagelistedbystudentsandfacultyrelatedtodifficultieswithtechnology.Table2highlightsgeneralthemesforbothgroups.

Table2.ThemesfromNarrativeComments

AdvantagesofICARE(StudentResponses) AdvantagesofICARE(FacultyResponses)

Coursematerialwasavailableandaccessible Canbeutilizedwithanylearningmanagementsystem

Providedflexibilitytoschedulelearningactivities* Providedincreasedflexibilitytostructureonlinelearningactivities*

Decreasedgeographicandweatherbarriers Providedforconsistentdesignandlayout

Providedabilitytoeasilynavigatethroughcourse* Providedforeaseofnavigationincourse*

DisadvantagesofICARE(StudentResponses) DisadvantagesofICARE(FacultyResponses)

Instructormaybelessaccessible ChallengeswithfindingsomethingforeachcomponentofICARE

Difficultieswithtechnology* Difficultieswithtechnology*

Unlessallcomponentsofamodulearerequired,studentsmaynottakefulladvantageofthelearningopportunities

*Indicatessharedperception

DiscussionStudentandFacultyPerceptionsofCoursesStructuredUsingICARE

Inanswertothefirstresearchquestion,throughnon-parametricdataanalysis,itwasdeterminedthatthat

therewerenosignificant(p<.05)differencesinstudentandfacultyresponsestoitemsontheendofcoursesurveyforthetwocoursesstructuredusingtheICAREframework.Formativeandsummativeprogramevaluationdatacollectedpriortothisstudyindicatedthatstudentsfromregionalcampusessometimesfeltmarginalized,particularlywhentheircoursesweretaughtasweb-enhancedorasfullyonlinecourses.Thisconcernwascompoundedbytheinconsistentstructuringofcourses.

Thetwomedical-surgicalcoursesevaluatedforthisstudy—bothofwhichincorporatedtheICAREframework—providedwell-organizedmodulesandeffectivelearningexperienceforstudents.Thisfindingwasfurtherreflectedinend-of-coursesurveyresponsesindicatingthatstudentswouldtake,andfacultywouldteach,anotherweb-enhancedcoursethatusedtheICAREframework,andthattheywouldrecommendthecoursetheyhadbeeninvolvedwith.ThesefindingsareconsistentwithSalyers’(2005)workevaluatingtheICAREframework,andemphasizetheimportanceofapedagogicalframeworkthatissufficientlystructuredtomeetthelearningneedsofstudentsinruralandremoteareaswhomayhavelessaccesstof2fcoursesthantheirurbancounterparts.

Duetothecostsassociatedwithsupportingtechnology,studentsattheregionalcampuseshadaccesstotechnicalsupportonlyduringregularbusinesshours(9:00a.m.to5:30p.m.,MondaythroughFriday).Inaddition,therewereinstanceswhenBlackboardatthemaincampuswasnotfunctional;thiscircumstancelimitedaccesstocoursematerialsandICAREmodulesatregionalcampuses.Technologicalissuesandaccesswerehighlightedbystudentsandfacultyintheirnarrativecomments.Althoughtechnologicalandaccesschallengesdidoccur,theydidnotaffectstudentandfacultyresponsesinasignificant(p<.05)way.

WhiletheICAREframeworkisintendedtoprovideeaseofnavigationandfacilitatelearning,ideaswhichwerereflectedbybothstudentsandfacultyinthenarrativecomments,thereisalearningcurve.ItwouldbeimportanttomonitorthisvariableoncestudentshavetakenmorethanonecourseusingtheICAREframeworktodetermineifsimilarresponsesrelatedtotimespentontechnologyareobtainedandtodeterminewhetherotherchallengesmightemerge.

OverallCourseSatisfaction

Regardingthesecondresearchquestion,throughnon-parametricdataanalysis,itwasdeterminedthatthattherewerenosignificant(p<.05)differencesinstudentandfacultysatisfactionwiththeICAREframeworkusedtostructureweb-enhancedcourses.Studentsandfacultyagreedthat,ingeneral,theyweresatisfiedwiththeiroverallexperienceswiththeweb-enhancedcoursespilotedinthisstudy.Asuniversitybudgetsarestretched,facultymayberequiredtoconsideralternativestrategiessuchasthosethatweb-enhancedandfullyonlineformatsprovide.ResultsfromthisstudysupporttheuseoftheICAREframeworkasameansofstructuringweb-enhancedcoursesthatarepedagogicallyeffectiveandprovidequalityonlinelearningexperiencesforstudents.

AdvantagesandDisadvantagesofCoursesStructuredusingtheICAREFramework

Toanswerthethirdresearchquestion,narrativeresponsestoopen-endedquestionsregardingtheadvantagesanddisadvantagesoftakingaweb-basedcoursestructuredaroundtheICAREframeworkwerereviewedandgeneralthemesidentified.StudentsandfacultyindicatedthattheICAREframeworkande-learningformatprovidedthemwithflexibilityinschedulinglearningactivities.Thisflexibilitywasfurthervalidatedontheend-of-coursesurvey(Q9),withstudentsandfacultyindicatinggeneralagreementregardingthisaspectofthecourse.Thetechnologicalissuesexperiencedbystudentsandfacultymayhave

affectedcreativityandflexibilitysomewhat,althoughnotsignificantly(p<.05).StudentsandfacultysharedtheperceptionthattheirabilitytonavigateeasilythroughthecoursewaslikelyduetotheICAREframework.

Interestingly,acommentmadebyfacultysuggestedthattheyfeltcompelledtohavealearningactivityforeachcomponent(e.g.,aReflectandExtendcomponentforeachmodule).Duringcourseconversionsand/ordevelopment,facultywereencouragedtoutilizeallICAREcomponentsinordertoprovideconsistentandmeaningfullearningactivitiestostudents.Thisledtoadditionalworkonthepartofthefacultymember.However,inordertorespectfacultypreferences,useofallcomponents(Introduction,Connect,Apply,Reflect,andExtend)incoursemoduleswasstronglyencouragedratherthanrequired.

Post-ICAREImplementationRecommendations

Toanswerthefourthresearchquestion,commentsfromtheImplementationTeamandfacultyweresolicited.Basedonthesecomments,severalrecommendationsareoffered.Fromaproductionpointofview,thebenefitsoftheICAREframeworkincludehoweasilyitaccommodatesthelaunchingofonlinecoursematerialsincontrastwithothermorecostlyandtime-consumingconversionsofthem(e.g.,convertingWorddocumentstoAcrobatinordertopostthemintheLMSplatform,etc.).Additionally,inprogramswheretheremaybeapre-existingaffinitytoaparticularapproachormodel,ICAREmaybeseenasanimpositionthreateningthecreativefreedomoffaculty.Insuchcases,astrategyofrecommendinguseoftheframeworkisappropriatesothatthefacultymemberhastherighttodeclineifheorsheisabletosupporttheirowntheirowndesign,development,anddeliveryneeds.

Duringimplementation,itbecameapparenttotheImplementationTeamthattheeightfacultywhopilotedICAREintheircourseshadvariablelevelsofskilltodesigntheircoursesinBlackboard.Somefacultywereabletocompletemosttasksrequiredtodevelopandlaunchacourse,whileothersweremoreinclinedtorequestthattheircoursesbedevelopedforthembasedonprovidedmaterials.Becauseofthisvariation,supportforfacultywascustomizedusinga“highlyrelevantmentoring”(HRM)modelwiththegoalofgreaterautonomybythefacultymemberincoursedevelopmentovertime.ThekeyrecommendationsfromtheHRMmodelincludethreestrategies:1)traineachfacultymembertowhateverlevelheorsheiscomfortablewithcoursedevelopment,2)takeintoaccounttheleveloffacultycommitmenttothedevelopmentofcoursecontentwhenprovidingmentorship(e.g.,afacultymemberwhoisteachingonapart-timebasismaynotwantorneedtolearncoursedevelopmentinBlackboard)and,3)useahands-onapproachwhenmentoringfacultybyworkingwithactualcoursematerialsratherthanpracticematerialsorartificialcoursessothatthelearningexperienceismeaningfulandproductiveatthesametime.TheHRMmodelshouldbeextendedtostudentssothattheyareabletoworkwiththeICAREframeworkandnavigatethroughmodulesasquicklyaspossible.Inlinewiththeseprinciples,thefacultyteachingthemedical-surgicalcoursesspentoneclasssessionorientingstudentstotheICAREmodulesandBlackboardlearningenvironment.

Limitations

Thelimitationsofthisstudywereasfollows.First,datacollectedfromthesurveyswereself-reportedandmayhavebeensubjecttobias.Second,thereweresometechnologicaldifficultiesthroughoutthesemesterthatmayhaveaffectedstudentsatisfactionwiththeweb-enhancedsectionsoftheircourse.Third,becausestandardizedinstrumentswerenotusedtocollectdata,reliabilityoftheresultsmayhavebeenaffected.Finally,samplesizewassmall(n=37),andthismayhaveaffectedtheresults.Regardlessoftheselimitations,resultsfromthisstudyprovideadditionalknowledgeregardingsatisfactionwith

coursesstructuredusingtheICAREframeworkfromtheperspectivesofstudentsandfaculty.

ConclusionsF2f,web-enhanced,andfullyonlinecoursesprovideawidecross-sectionofwaysforengagingnursingstudentsininnovativelearning.Suchstrategiesalsoprovideopportunitiesforstudentsinrural,regionalandremoteareastomaintaincontactwithcontemporaryprofessionalknowledge.StudentsalsobenefitfromaccesstotheresourcesandcommunicationpossibilitiesthatanLMSandotheronlinetechnologiescanprovide.Facultyareabletoorganizeandpresentrelevantinformationforstudentsinefficient,meaningfulandeffectiveways.Thesestrengthsnoted,changeisnotprogressunlessitcanbedemonstratedthatuserexperiencesareenhancedandthatthereisanimprovementineducationalpractice.

Basedonstudyfindings,itissuggestedthatbothfacultyandstudentsbenefitwhenthereisapedagogicalframeworkthatreflectsthegeneralthinkingandlearningprocessesoftheinvolveddiscipline—inthiscase,nursing.BecausetheICAREframeworkdoesthesetwothings,itholdspotentialforothernursingeducationsettings,aswellasforhealtheducationingeneral.Additionally,atatimewhenthedeliveryofhealth-relatededucationhasbecomeafairlysophisticatedinterplayofhealth,education,andtechnology,e-learningprinciplesandpracticesthatsimplifyandguidestakeholdersareextremelyvaluable.CombiningframeworkssuchasICAREwithhumansupportssuchasHRMassistsinensuringthesuccessofthelearningexperience.

Thisresearchwasconductedasapreliminaryinvestigationintovariousaspectsofonlinelearningandtheuseofdeliverystrategiesandpedagogicalframeworkswithinpost-secondarynursingeducation.FurtherresearchevaluatingICAREasasystematicapproachtolearninginrelateddisciplinesandprofessions,aswellastheimpactofweb-enhancedformatsonlearningandteaching,isplannedatvariouslevels:campus-wide,multiplecampus,andmultipleuniversitysites(nationalandinternational).Prospectiveandretrospectiveinvestigationsarealsoplanned.Itisenvisagedthatthisworkwillcontributetothedevelopingquantitativeandqualitativeevidencethateducatorswillusetounderstandanddevelopeffectiveteachingstrategiesine-learningenvironments.

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VincentSalyersisaProfessorandDirectoroftheSchoolofNursingatLaurentianUniversity,Sudbury,ON.Hisresearchinterestsincludeevaluatingtheeffectivenessofpedagogicalstrategiestoenhancestudentandfacultysatisfactionintraditional,web-enhancedandfullyonlinecourses.E-mail:vsalyers@laurentian.ca

LorraineMaryCarterisafacultymemberintheSchoolofNursingatLaurentianUniversityinSudbury,ON.Herresearchinterestsincludecriticalthinking,scholarlydiscussioninonlinelearningsettings,technology-enablededucationinhealthcare,andtelemedicine.E-mail:lcarter@laurentian.ca

PenelopeBarrett’snursing,midwiferyandteachingcareerhasmovedbetweenclinicalpracticeand

educationsince1971.Herresearchinterestsaresupportingstudentsandfacultybyintegratingtechnologiesintotheirlearningandteachingpracticesineffective,meaningfulandinnovativeways.SheisaSeniorLecturer,SchoolofNursing,Midwifery&IndigenousHealthatCharlesSturtUniversity,Bathurst,NewSouthWales.E-mail:ozepennyb@bigpond.com

LyndaWilliamsisAssociateRegionalDirectoroftheQuesnelcampusoftheCollegeofNewCaledoniawheresheoverseesacademicprogramming.PreviouslyshewasaninstructionaldesignerfortheNorthernCollaborativeBaccalaureateNursingProgram,aprojectleaderforinnovationindistanceeducationfortheUniversityofNorthernB.C.andaninstructorincomputerapplications.E-mail:williamsl2@cnc.bc.ca