Educational technology use by nurse educators in Indiana baccalaureate nursing programs
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the use of educational technologies for instructional purposes by nurse educators in generic baccalaureate nursing programs in Indiana. Accrediting organizations expect that information and healthcare technology will be included in nursing curricula because professional nurses are expected to use technology in the workplace. However, many nurse educators have not adopted and integrated computer-based technology into the teaching/learning process for a variety of reasons. The theoretical framework for this study was based on the Diffusion of Innovations theory (Rogers, 1995) which suggests that individuals adopt innovations at various rates. Previous research has demonstrated that perceived relative advantage of an innovation influences adoption and integration rates, and face-to-face communication can promote the diffusion of innovations. One hundred thirteen baccalaureate nurse educators participated in the study (a 51% return rate). The results of this study demonstrated strong positive relationships among nurse educators' personal knowledge about technology, personal/professional use of technology, and classroom use of technology. Nurse educators' stages of adoption of innovation and educational levels were also related to those variables. The factors most related to use of educational technology in the teaching/learning process were equipment availability (respondents' classrooms were less equipped with technology than were faculty offices), perceived student learning, ease of use, and relative advantage of the innovation. Most nurse educators considered themselves to be at the early adopter or early majority stages of adoption of innovation. They gained knowledge and expertise to move from knowing about educational technology to integrating it in the classroom through self-education, from other people, via faculty development opportunities, and from formal classes. Results suggest greater access to computer technologies is needed in classrooms. Planned faculty development opportunities could help nurse educators integrate technologies into the teaching/learning process. Understanding the advantages of technology innovations could assist educators to integrate them more readily. Nurse educators should be encouraged to obtain graduate degrees, because more advanced degrees correlated with better knowledge and use of technology. Computer literacy skills should be expected of both nurse educators and nursing students.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Lehman, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Educational software|Nursing|Curricula|Teaching|Health education
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