Developing an Online Course: Best Practices for Nurse Educators

This book takes educators through the necessary steps to transform a traditional course into an online or partially online course -- which may be part of a traditional nursing education program, a continuing education course, or a certification program. The authors address questions such as: How can learning theories be applied online? What does "class participation" mean online? What are options for clinical lab experiences? What sort of technical support will I need? Readers will find invaluable a decision tree outlining each step in the process as well as a sample course syllabus showing the day-by-day structure of an online course.

This book takes educators through the necessary steps to transform a traditional course into an online or partially online course -- which may be part of a traditional nursing education program, a continuing education course, or a certification program. The authors address questions such as: How can learning theories be applied online? What does "class participation" mean online? What are options for clinical lab experiences? What sort of technical support will I need? Readers will find invaluable a decision tree outlining each step in the process as well as a sample course syllabus showing the day-by-day structure of an online course.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Mary Allen Carey, PhD(University of Oklahoma College of Nursing)
Description:In this entry in The Teaching of Nursing series, the authors address such questions as: How can learning theories be applied online? What does "class participation" mean online? What are options for clinical lab experiences? What sort of technical support is needed?
Purpose:The purpose of the book is to guide educators through the steps to transform a traditional course into an online or Web-enhanced course for either traditional nursing education programs, continuing education, or certificate programs. In this age of technology, these are worthy objectives which the authors meet.
Audience:The book is written for nursing educators interested in designing online courses and/or developing an online curriculum. The authors are credible authorities.
Features:The book includes an introduction to Web-based teaching and learning and covers theories of learning and the online environment; developing the infrastructure for online learning from student, faculty, and technical support perspectives; technologies and competencies needed for online learning; reconceptualizing the online course; designing the online learning environment; course management methods; interacting and communicating online: and assessment and evaluation of online learning. Unique features of the book include a "decision tree" outlining each step in the process of online course development and a sample course syllabus showing the day-by-day structure of an online course.
Assessment:This is a very useful tool for guiding the development of online instruction. It represents the compilation of a tremendous number of resources for the beginning developer of online courses.

Carol O'Neil, PhD, RN, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. Dr. O'Neil is a Web Initiative in Teaching (WIT) Fellow. Dr. O'Neil teaches online and has presented her research and experiences in teaching and learning online at both international and national conferences.

Cheryl Fisher, MSN, RN, is the Informatics/E-learning Manager for the Nursing Department at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She has over 20 years experience at NIH, including positions with the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. She works closely with nurse educators developing and delivering online educational offerings and managing the NIH Nursing Internet and Intranet Web sites. She also teaches Informatics for the University of Maryland and Nursing Theory and Nursing Research for the University of Phoenix Online. Currently she is enrolled at Towson University in Towson, Maryland as a doctoral student in instructional technology.

Susan K. Newbold, PhD, RN-BC, FAAN, FHIMSS, is an Associate Professor, Nursing Informatics, Vanderbilt School of Nursing, Nashville, TN. She began teaching online in 1999 at Excelsior College, Albany, NY. She is certified in Nursing Informatics by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Dr. Newbold has made over 200 presentations on healthcare informatics in the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Sweden, and Taiwan. She is the founder of CARING, a national nursing informatics special interest group. Dr. Newbold has numerous publications to her credit including co-editing two edition of Nursing Informatics: Where Caring and Technology Meet.