Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Author
Faculty Illiteracy in Technology: Issue in Distance Education
Jessica Aspell
Grand Canyon University: NUR649 E
May 20th, 2015
Faculty Illiteracy in Technology: Issue in Distance Education
Distance education is a form of education that has become very popular
over the years. Distance learning and
its relationship to emerging computer technologies have together offered many
promises to the field of education, however the combination often falls short
of what it attempts to accomplish (Valentine, 2002). Distance education can cause many issues
between students, faculty members, and administrators. This blog will focus on a major issue faced
by faculty every day in distance education, which is illiteracy in technology. This blog will provide a
definition and description of distance education; description of the issue; explore the significance of the issue and its effects
on distance education; and propose strategies to resolve the issue
from a nurse educator position.
Definition of Distance Education and History
Distance education is defined as students
receiving instruction in a location other than that of the faculty (Billings
& Halstead, 2012). In distance
education, there is no face-to-face contact between the faculty member and the
student. All education is done remotely
between different communities and/or different states (Billings & Halstead,
2012).
Distance education has been around for many years. One of the earlier forms of distance learning was started in Europe and was known as correspondence (Valentine, 2002). This form of education used the postal system to open educational opportunities to individuals who wanted to learn, but had no way to attend a conventional school (California Distance Learning Project, 2011). As the years progressed, so did the technology used in distance education. The invention of the educational radio in the 1920s and the advent of television in the 1940s changed the way distance education brought education to students (California Distance Learning Project, 2011). Today, the Internet and compressed video have taken distance learning in new directions, allowing distance learning to occur in real time (Valentine, 2002).
Distance education has been around for many years. One of the earlier forms of distance learning was started in Europe and was known as correspondence (Valentine, 2002). This form of education used the postal system to open educational opportunities to individuals who wanted to learn, but had no way to attend a conventional school (California Distance Learning Project, 2011). As the years progressed, so did the technology used in distance education. The invention of the educational radio in the 1920s and the advent of television in the 1940s changed the way distance education brought education to students (California Distance Learning Project, 2011). Today, the Internet and compressed video have taken distance learning in new directions, allowing distance learning to occur in real time (Valentine, 2002).
Description of Issue
With distance
learning comes many benefits for faculty members, such as its convenience of
use and flexibility. Distance education
allows faculty members to take their work with them and gives them the flexibility to work more than one job. They have the ability to fit
teaching in between another job and also in between their busy life schedule. However, many issues for faculty members also
arise with distance education. Issues
such as preparing and delivering materials in digital form, communication
problems, resistance to technology changes/uses, and technology misuse can occur (Bulajic
& Sambasivam, 2014). The many issues
listed can arise due to technology illiteracy.
Whether the faculty member is trying to deliver information through
digital form or is trying to communicate through discussion forums, being literate
in technology use is necessary. When
faculty members are illiterate in technology use, distance education no longer
becomes beneficial, instead it becomes a nightmare.
Many individuals may be familiar with the terms literacy and illiteracy, but may not understand what technology illiteracy is and why it is an issue for faculty members in distance education. Technological literacy is the learnt ability to gain and combine technical know-how together with other forms of social and cultural understanding to identify and qualify opportunities for the development, use ,and application of new, existing, and disruptive technologies within professional context (Hasse & Wallace, 2015). Another word, an individual who is literate in technology is able to use new and existing technologies appropriately, while also recognizing technologies that may be disruptive during teaching and education. In addition to being able to use the technology appropriately, individuals who are literate in technology also know basic troubleshooting skills to fix minor technological problems (Yi, 2012).
Many individuals may be familiar with the terms literacy and illiteracy, but may not understand what technology illiteracy is and why it is an issue for faculty members in distance education. Technological literacy is the learnt ability to gain and combine technical know-how together with other forms of social and cultural understanding to identify and qualify opportunities for the development, use ,and application of new, existing, and disruptive technologies within professional context (Hasse & Wallace, 2015). Another word, an individual who is literate in technology is able to use new and existing technologies appropriately, while also recognizing technologies that may be disruptive during teaching and education. In addition to being able to use the technology appropriately, individuals who are literate in technology also know basic troubleshooting skills to fix minor technological problems (Yi, 2012).
Technology
illiteracy among faculty members is a major problem in distance education
because of the lack of training (Vaill & Testori, 2012). Many
institutions are quick to adopt online education to support institutional
growth and student needs, but they do not realize that teaching online is a new
skill for many faculty members, that requires training (Vaill & Testori,
2012). As the definition states above,
technology literacy is a learned ability.
Without proper training, illiteracy in technology occurs.
Since technology is
the only form of communication and is the main teaching tool in distance
education, illiteracy in technology for faculty members is a major issue. This is a major issue in education because technology
illiteracy leads to improper use of technology that can affect the way
information is provided to students, can cause communication delays or an absence in
communication between student and teacher, as well as a disruption in
instructor roles (Yi, 2012). All of
these problems that occur from the issue of technology illiteracy can lead to
ineffective teaching. The next section
of this blog will explore the significance of this issue and the effect on distance
education. Significance of Issue and Effect on Distance Education
The issue of faculty
technology illiteracy in distance education is very important. It is important because the delivery of
education and the role of faculty in distance education becomes altered when
faculty are unaware of how to properly use technology. Being illiterate in technology can cause
problems with preparing and delivering materials; communication problems; misuse
of technology, problems with equipment, and the inability to properly fulfill faculty roles. Since
technology is what is used to communicate and deliver information to students,
faculty members who do not know how to use the technology to complete these
tasks can damage the learning of students by not providing quality of
instruction. Since many institutions do not require faculty members to take a
training course on technology use in distance education, this issue occurs
constantly in distance learning programs all around the world (Vaill &
Testori, 2012).
Ineffective preparing and delivering of materials is one of the many issues that result from faculty technology illiteracy (Bulajic & Sambasivam, 2014). Faculty must be knowledgeable about the subject they are teaching, but in distance education, faculty must also have technological skills to develop educational materials (Bulajic & Sambasivam, 2014). Since all education is done through technology, faculty members must know how to navigate through the institution’s learning management system (LMS); create, upload, and navigate through PowerPoint presentations; as well as create and upload video files, to name a few. All of these are different technological means of delivering educational materials to students. Without knowledge on how to properly use each of these technology delivery systems, educational materials may not be delivered to students. This can cause students to become confused, frustrated, and may even possibly cause students to drop out of school. One of the faculty roles in distance education is to create a comfortable learning environment, however when instructor’s do not know how to deliver materials or navigate through technological devices/software properly, education does not occur, and the learning environment becomes confusing and chaotic (Yi, 2012).
Technology illiteracy also causes communication problems between instructor and student, as well as student to student in the distance learning environment (Bulajic & Sambasivam, 2014). In distance education, faculty members should utilize effective web-based teaching sections such as discussion board and group management to persuade the online learner to interact with the instructor, fellow students, and subject matter (Yi, 2012). If faculty members do not know how to utilize effective web-based teaching sections that promote communication, interaction will not occur. Faculty members will have no way to communicate with students, and students will have no way to communicate with faculty members. Online students rely on faculty members to provide them with quick feedback to assignments to help them understand if they are comprehending the material or if they need additional education on the material (Yi, 2012). When faculty members do not know how to work the technology to communicate with students, feedback may be delayed or non-existent. Another problem is the inability to teach new online students how to properly use the web-based teaching technology (Yi, 2012). Since the instructor is not aware of how to properly use the web-based teaching technology, they cannot effectively teach students how to use the technology. This can cause problems in student interaction and problems with submission of discussion board assignments.
The inability to solve problems with software and equipment is another problem that can occur when faculty members are illiterate in technology (Valentine, 2002). Equipment and software malfunctions can be a great detriment to the effectiveness of distance learning (Valentine, 2002). Faculty members may be completely prepared to guide students and be a facilitator, but if the LMS is not working, or if a student is having trouble utilizing the different functions of the LMS, the quality of education may be effected. In order to help deter this problem from occurring, online faculty members should be able to solve some minor technical problems (Yi, 2012). Since all education is done over a network, it is very possible that problems with the software or equipment may occur. Faculty members should be able to offer online learners technical tips and answer questions regarding some information technology and use issues (Yi, 2012).
Last but not least, the inability to properly fulfill faculty roles can result from technology illiteracy (Yi, 2012). Online educators have many important roles, but three of the most important roles is to design the course, guide students, and be a facilitator (Yi, 2012). Without proper education on how to use technology, these roles can be very difficult. When designing an online class, the instructor must create an active, personal, and comfortable online learning environment by virtue of available web-based course system functions, design a syllabus with detailed and comprehensive instructions, and design online course sections, such as discussion topics and group divisions (Yi, 2012). In order to create an active and comfortable online learning environment, faculty members must create an interactive environment. They can do this by using LMS tools such as announcements, e-mails, discussion board postings, virtual chatrooms, and a discussion board in which students can ask questions to the instructor (Yi, 2012). Faculty members must know how to use the technology to promote interaction among students. If faculty members do not know how to use the technology, designing an interactive and comprehensive course will not occur, students will not get their questions answered since educators may not know how to use the discussion board communication technology, and students may feel like the online learning environment is not effective.
Ineffective preparing and delivering of materials is one of the many issues that result from faculty technology illiteracy (Bulajic & Sambasivam, 2014). Faculty must be knowledgeable about the subject they are teaching, but in distance education, faculty must also have technological skills to develop educational materials (Bulajic & Sambasivam, 2014). Since all education is done through technology, faculty members must know how to navigate through the institution’s learning management system (LMS); create, upload, and navigate through PowerPoint presentations; as well as create and upload video files, to name a few. All of these are different technological means of delivering educational materials to students. Without knowledge on how to properly use each of these technology delivery systems, educational materials may not be delivered to students. This can cause students to become confused, frustrated, and may even possibly cause students to drop out of school. One of the faculty roles in distance education is to create a comfortable learning environment, however when instructor’s do not know how to deliver materials or navigate through technological devices/software properly, education does not occur, and the learning environment becomes confusing and chaotic (Yi, 2012).
Technology illiteracy also causes communication problems between instructor and student, as well as student to student in the distance learning environment (Bulajic & Sambasivam, 2014). In distance education, faculty members should utilize effective web-based teaching sections such as discussion board and group management to persuade the online learner to interact with the instructor, fellow students, and subject matter (Yi, 2012). If faculty members do not know how to utilize effective web-based teaching sections that promote communication, interaction will not occur. Faculty members will have no way to communicate with students, and students will have no way to communicate with faculty members. Online students rely on faculty members to provide them with quick feedback to assignments to help them understand if they are comprehending the material or if they need additional education on the material (Yi, 2012). When faculty members do not know how to work the technology to communicate with students, feedback may be delayed or non-existent. Another problem is the inability to teach new online students how to properly use the web-based teaching technology (Yi, 2012). Since the instructor is not aware of how to properly use the web-based teaching technology, they cannot effectively teach students how to use the technology. This can cause problems in student interaction and problems with submission of discussion board assignments.
Another problem
that can occur due to faculty technology illiteracy is misuse of technology (Bulajic
& Sambasivam, 2014). When faculty
members are not literate in technology, they may not be utilizing the
technology to its full potential (Valentine, 2002). For example, authentication of student work
can be an issue, especially in distance education (Bulajic & Sambasivam,
2014). It is very easy for a student to
search for an assignment online and use the identical assignment for their own
personal assignment. Faculty members
need to be knowledgeable on all the functions of the technology and how to properly use the technology to check for plagiarism. If faculty members are not aware that a certain technology can check for plagiarism, students have the opportunity to plagiarize
all of their assignments.
The inability to solve problems with software and equipment is another problem that can occur when faculty members are illiterate in technology (Valentine, 2002). Equipment and software malfunctions can be a great detriment to the effectiveness of distance learning (Valentine, 2002). Faculty members may be completely prepared to guide students and be a facilitator, but if the LMS is not working, or if a student is having trouble utilizing the different functions of the LMS, the quality of education may be effected. In order to help deter this problem from occurring, online faculty members should be able to solve some minor technical problems (Yi, 2012). Since all education is done over a network, it is very possible that problems with the software or equipment may occur. Faculty members should be able to offer online learners technical tips and answer questions regarding some information technology and use issues (Yi, 2012).
Last but not least, the inability to properly fulfill faculty roles can result from technology illiteracy (Yi, 2012). Online educators have many important roles, but three of the most important roles is to design the course, guide students, and be a facilitator (Yi, 2012). Without proper education on how to use technology, these roles can be very difficult. When designing an online class, the instructor must create an active, personal, and comfortable online learning environment by virtue of available web-based course system functions, design a syllabus with detailed and comprehensive instructions, and design online course sections, such as discussion topics and group divisions (Yi, 2012). In order to create an active and comfortable online learning environment, faculty members must create an interactive environment. They can do this by using LMS tools such as announcements, e-mails, discussion board postings, virtual chatrooms, and a discussion board in which students can ask questions to the instructor (Yi, 2012). Faculty members must know how to use the technology to promote interaction among students. If faculty members do not know how to use the technology, designing an interactive and comprehensive course will not occur, students will not get their questions answered since educators may not know how to use the discussion board communication technology, and students may feel like the online learning environment is not effective.
Online instructors help
guide students by using information technology tools, electronic devices, and
resources by creating an environment that is friendly and interactive (Yi,
2012). Without being literate in
technology, instructors may not be able to create an interactive
and friendly environment. The
environment may be confusing, chaotic, and students may feel like they
have no support or guidance in learning.
Instead of the instructors setting up the students to succeed, the
instructors set up the students to fail.
Many students may drop out of distance education and go back to
traditional education, which may be difficult with their busy work and/or home
schedules.
Online instructors
are seen as facilitators (Yi, 2012). Online
instructors facilitate a virtual classroom, all the interactions, and make
learners comfortable with course sites, systems, and tools (Yi, 2012). If the instructor is not even comfortable
with the course sites, systems, and tools, it would not be feasible to say they
will help make learners comfortable.
With technology illiteracy, instructors cannot fulfill the facilitator
role. Since instructors are unable to
fill the facilitator role, students may begin to feel that the learning
environment is uncomfortable and they may feel that the quality of learning is
not good.
All-in-all, faculty
illiteracy in technology is a significant issue in distance education. All of the benefits of distance education disappear when faculty members are not competent in the use of technology. With technology illiteracy, faculty members are
not able to provide effective education and students are not gaining quality
education. The next section will
provide different strategies to resolve this issue in nursing education.
Strategies to Resolve the Issue
In order for faculty to be effective online educators and
eliminate the challenges listed above, they must participate in professional
development. Professional development
education for teachers is essential to improving teacher retention, program
relevance, and effectiveness (Saucier, McKim, Muller, & Kingman, 2014). In order for an organization to provide
quality distance-education learning to all faculty members, technology training
must be provided and required before teaching an online course. There are many different ways training can
occur. Training can occur through a
program and/or a workshop. The two
different ideas that will be discussed in the following paragraphs include the
use of a three-tiered program and a boot camp workshop. With the use of these training methods,
faculty will be able to enter the online classroom with the skills, experience,
and confidence they need to provide students with a valuable learning
experience (Vaill & Testori, 2012).
Three-Tiered Program
The first strategy to resolve the issue of technology illiteracy is implementing a professional development program that uses a three-tiered approach. The program will provide faculty orientation to online education, mentoring, and ongoing support services (Vaill & Testori, 2012). When creating a three-tiered approach program, it should be carefully planned, and should not simply consist of a single workshop or training session (Vaill & Testori, 2012). The program should consist of multiple training sessions, hands on-experience with the technology, and should be done in a supportive atmosphere. The program that will be implemented will run over a course of many weeks, with the last meeting being four weeks before the start of the instructor’s course. It will provide a mix of pedagogical and technical content. Faculty members will be provided with the technology skills they need to use in the online learning environment to its full potential, have an understanding of how online education works, and understand how it is different from face-to-face learning experiences (Vaill & Testori, 2012). Since distance education is very different from tradition education, educators must be trained and educated on all aspects of distance learning. By the end of this program, faculty will understand the relationship between technology, pedagogy, and their course content in order to develop a high quality course (Vaill & Testori, 2012).
Once faculty have an understanding of the basics of online learning and have an approved syllabus, they then move into a week focused on learning the LMS (Vaill & Testori, 2012). This helps provide instructors with a thorough understanding of what the LMS is and how it works so they are able to use it appropriately and help students who may have questions about its use. During this week of the training program, faculty members will learn how to navigate the system, develop course content, use the multimedia tools, and grade assignments with the rubric tool (Vaill & Testori, 2012). The participants are then asked to practice creating course discussions, content pages, and assignments with the LMS (Vaill & Testori, 2012). This is a significant part of the program. During this part, instructors not only receive education on LMS and how to use LMS, but they are able to receive hands-on-experience using the LMS. Learning management systems vary depending on the institution that the instructor works for, but the program will only educate the instructor on the use of the learning management system that is used at the instructor’s particular institution.
The third and final phase of the program is the ongoing support that will be provided to online faculty after the program ends. The Instructional Designer, as well as all other mentoring staff members will always be available to provide support for all faculty in the use of the LMS (Vaill & Testori, 2012). Support members check new online instructors’ courses regularly and provide constructive feedback when needed (Vaill & Testori, 2012).
Three-Tiered Program
The first strategy to resolve the issue of technology illiteracy is implementing a professional development program that uses a three-tiered approach. The program will provide faculty orientation to online education, mentoring, and ongoing support services (Vaill & Testori, 2012). When creating a three-tiered approach program, it should be carefully planned, and should not simply consist of a single workshop or training session (Vaill & Testori, 2012). The program should consist of multiple training sessions, hands on-experience with the technology, and should be done in a supportive atmosphere. The program that will be implemented will run over a course of many weeks, with the last meeting being four weeks before the start of the instructor’s course. It will provide a mix of pedagogical and technical content. Faculty members will be provided with the technology skills they need to use in the online learning environment to its full potential, have an understanding of how online education works, and understand how it is different from face-to-face learning experiences (Vaill & Testori, 2012). Since distance education is very different from tradition education, educators must be trained and educated on all aspects of distance learning. By the end of this program, faculty will understand the relationship between technology, pedagogy, and their course content in order to develop a high quality course (Vaill & Testori, 2012).
Once faculty have an understanding of the basics of online learning and have an approved syllabus, they then move into a week focused on learning the LMS (Vaill & Testori, 2012). This helps provide instructors with a thorough understanding of what the LMS is and how it works so they are able to use it appropriately and help students who may have questions about its use. During this week of the training program, faculty members will learn how to navigate the system, develop course content, use the multimedia tools, and grade assignments with the rubric tool (Vaill & Testori, 2012). The participants are then asked to practice creating course discussions, content pages, and assignments with the LMS (Vaill & Testori, 2012). This is a significant part of the program. During this part, instructors not only receive education on LMS and how to use LMS, but they are able to receive hands-on-experience using the LMS. Learning management systems vary depending on the institution that the instructor works for, but the program will only educate the instructor on the use of the learning management system that is used at the instructor’s particular institution.
“The final
weeks of the Orientation will continue to develop faculty members’
understanding of teaching online with readings and discussions focused on
developing their course in the online classroom and making the transition to
teaching their course easier” (Vaill & Testori, 2012, p. 115). These readings and discussions will teach
instructors about developing assessments and collaborative learning activities
for their course (Vaill & Testori, 2012).
Instructors will learn how to effectively participate in an online
classroom and learn methods to encourage interaction among students.
The second
phase of the program is known as the mentoring phase. Each faculty participant will be assigned one
mentor, who is an experienced online instructor, throughout the training
course. Mentoring is a vital part of the
online faculty development process (Vaill & Testori, 2012). Anytime an instructor has a question or needs
help, there will always be mentors available to help. Mentors also provide new instructors, as well
as experienced instructors with tips and strategies, and allow instructors to
learn from the experience of their skilled counterparts (Vaill & Testori,
2012). A trusted relationship develops
between the instructor and the mentor and the instructor begins to feel safe
talking about questions, problems, or concerns with their mentor. The third and final phase of the program is the ongoing support that will be provided to online faculty after the program ends. The Instructional Designer, as well as all other mentoring staff members will always be available to provide support for all faculty in the use of the LMS (Vaill & Testori, 2012). Support members check new online instructors’ courses regularly and provide constructive feedback when needed (Vaill & Testori, 2012).
This is a
great program to eliminate faculty illiteracy in technology, while also
improving the online learning environment.
This type of program has already been implemented at Bay Path
College. Surveys have been provided to
the 106 faculty members that the program prepared to determine faculty
satisfaction. Survey results showed
overall, 84% of faculty completing the survey felt more prepared for teaching
online following the program.
Seventy-six percent of program participants felt that the content
obtained in the program, and the overall experience, were valuable to their
professional growth (Vaill & Testori, 2012). These results show that a relationship exists
between this particular program and improvement in overall online faculty
preparedness. This program will help eliminate
the many issues caused by technology illiteracy, such as problems with preparing and delivering materials; communication
problems; misuse of technology, problems with equipment, and the inability to properly
perform distance education faculty roles.
Faculty members will be better prepared and will be able to not only
provide quality instruction, but also help students who are having difficulties
transitioning from a traditional to an online learning environment.
Boot Camp Workshop
Another
strategy that can be implemented, which is very similar to the program listed
above, is known as “boot camp”. Instead
of a program lasting several weeks, boot camps last only three days. They are three-day summer workshops in which
faculty learn to redesign a current face-to-face course to an online course
(Johnson, Wisniewski, Kuhlemeyer, Isaccs, & Krzykowski, 2012). Another difference is in boot camp workshops,
participants work in small groups of three or four faculty members, whereas in
the program described above, participants work individually. Boot camps work by each of the groups
receiving one-on-one instruction with an instructional technologist for their
particular course and learning objectives, as well as learn from their peers
who may be from different disciplinary backgrounds (Johnson et al., 2012). This strategy may be better for individuals
who are busy and may not have time to be involved in a multiple week program. By the end of the workshop, faculty members
produce a substantively-ready online course to be launched the following academic
year (Johnson et al., 2012). The
following paragraph will describe each day and what instruction will occur each
day.Boot Camp Workshop
Day
one consists of research on online learning (Johnson et al., 2012). During this part of the workshop, faculty
members participate in wide-ranging discussions of research on online learning
and its application to each faculty member’s course (Johnson et al., 2012). This allows faculty members to learn about
online learning and how the information they learn can be used and applied to
their particular discipline. Day two
consists of an introduction and investigation of online tools (Johnson et al.,
2012). This is where faculty
participants learn about the technology used in online education and how to
properly use the technology. Faculty
will receive advanced training in the learning management system and create a
personal “tool box” of online tools (Johnson et al., 2012). During this part of the workshop, a great
deal of hands-on learning occurs. For
example, faculty participants will learn how to use a video camera, how to edit
clips and upload them to YouTube, and how to embed a video into the learning
management system (Johnson et al., 2012).
Day three puts both day one and day two content together (Johnson et
al., 2012). “Faculty members will
revisit the student learning outcomes, content, and assessment for their
particular course, determine how technology might enhance student learning, and
design the content of their online course” (Johnson et al., 2012, p. 65). At this point, faculty members will be able
to take what they have learned and apply it to their particular course, while
also remembering how to properly use the technology.
This
workshop is utilized at Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Over the summers of 2010 and 2011, 25 faculty
members participated in boot camp and were given a survey to complete (Johnson
et al., 2012). Survey results showed
(n=24) indicated that faculty liked the small group discussions, learned quite
a bit from their peers, and appreciated the individual attention from the
instructional technologist on “their” specific course (Johnson et al.,
2012). Survey responses also indicated
that attendees felt the boot camp was effective or very effective in helping
them become familiar with the scholarship in online teaching and learning
(n=21), learning about tools that help engage students (n=22), increased
confidence levels for teaching online (n=23), and made them feel more comfortable
working in their LMS (n=21) (Johnson et al., 2012). Again, a relationship exists between the boot
camp workshop and improvement in overall online faculty preparedness. With programs and workshops, such as the ones
listed in this blog, online teachers can begin to feel comfortable with
teaching online, feel comfortable and be competent in using the LMS, and
various other technological tools to help make online teaching more
effective.
Both
the strategies listed are not only based off the evidence provided above, but
are also based off professional standards.
One particular professional nursing standard is standard 5B: Health
Teaching and Health Promotion (American Nurses Association [ANA], 2010). In order to promote health, nurses must
follow the competencies that go along with this standard. Nursing educators need to use information
technologies to communicate health promotion and disease prevention in a
variety of settings (ANA, 2010). For
distance education, nursing educators must be able to effectively use
information technologies, such as computers, learning management systems,
PowerPoint presentations, and discussion board posts to communicate health
promotion and disease prevention education to nursing students. The way that these instructors use these
technologies may be very different in the distance education environment, but
they still must use them appropriately and effectively to guide and facilitate
student learning. Both of these programs
can help nursing educators meet this particular nursing standard. These programs can improve instructor to
student communication, help instructors to learn how to properly engage and
create an interactive environment, while also facilitating independent learning.
A specific nursing educator
competency that these strategies were based on include the competency of
facilitating learning (Kalb, 2008). Being
a facilitator is one of the major roles in distance education (Yi, 2012). When the faculty member is unable to use
technology appropriately, the faculty member is unable to facilitate
learning. When learning is not
facilitated, education in the distance learning environment does not occur. These strategies help faculty members
facilitate learning by preparing them on how to use specific online tools to
promote learning and how to properly use the institution’s LMS to provide
quality instruction. When faculty
members are better prepared for teaching an online class and are educated on
how to properly use technology, they can facilitate student learning more
effectively through communication and collaboration activities.
Conclusion
Being an instructor for a distance education program is not an easy task. There are many challenges one most overcome
in order to provide quality and effective student education. One major challenge in distance education
that many instructors face is the issue of technology illiteracy. This issue can be problematic for the
instructor, as well as the student. In
order to eliminate this issue, institutions should make it mandatory that all
faculty members attend an educational program or workshop that better prepares
instructors for the online learning environment, how to properly use
technology, and how to properly use technology communication tools. With the implementation of the strategies
listed in this blog, technology illiteracy should no longer be a problem in
distance education and students will begin to receive good quality education.
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