Open Access Textbooks

It's the middle of July, so I am thinking about my courses before fall semester arrives.  Maybe you do some of the same things I do -- think about what I want my students to learn from the course, decide what strategies have been successful in the past, consider new teaching strategies, and make my course revisions.  There are some great open access books (freely available online) that present helpful information about collaborative learning and using web 2.0 tools. Post others that you find.

Here are a few that I have found helpful:

• Online Collaborative Learning in Higher Education http://books.google.com/books?id=01qB45CoC-UC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
• Web 2.0 Tools in Education:  A Quick Guide http://www.scribd.com/doc/58594601/Web-2-0-Tools-in-Education-A-Quick-Guide-by-Mohamed-Amin-Embi
• E-Learning Handbook http://img.en25.com/Web/eRepublicInc/Symantec_ELearningHandbook_V.pdf

Faculty Development for Online Teaching

If you are new to distance learning, you might want to take a few faculty development courses.  If your university or college does not offer any, take a look at some free online faculty development classes that can be completed at your own pace.

Go to the University of Washington Center for Health Sciences Interprofessional Education, Research, and Practice:  http://collaborate.uw.edu/faculty-development/faculty-development.html.

Getting Started in Online Teaching – Free Webinar from Sloan-C on September 11, 2012  at 2pm Eastern Time http://sloanconsortium.org/webinar_gs_sept12

Go to iTunesU and search for Northern Illinois University Faculty Development Program Archives.  http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/niu-faculty-development-program/id326308196?mt=2&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Digital Simulation

A digital simulation made by Shadow Health http://shadowhealth.com can be useful in teaching health history and physical examination techniques. This web-based simulation software is in testing phase.  You can register to be a tester, earn a little cash, and decide if the product would be useful in your own undergraduate or graduate classes.  The nurse asks questions by typing, and the patient responds.  Currently, the simulated patient has some limitations in her vocabulary and may not understand every question asked by the nurse; however, it might be a good addtion to your interactive tools.

Geriatric Simulations Online

With the change in the Adult Nurse Practitioner competencies to Adult-Gerontology NP, you might be interested in using great virtual geriatric patient simulations.  The Iowa Geriatric Education Center provides "GERIASIMS" at no charge.  The user registers for the simulation, downloads the required flash plugins, and starts the simulation.  Go to http://www.healthcare.uiowa.edu/igec/resources-educators-professionals/geriasims/acadMenu.asp# and decide if these resources are appropriate for your program.

OpenOffice

Individuals who prefer open applications or who wish to save money, can use OpenOffice. This suite of applications includes programs for word processing, developing and using spreadsheets, making presentations, drawing, and designing databases. There can be some functionality differences, so students should be prepared to check OpenOffice freqently asked questions (FAQs) or work with their campus technology support personnel.

Go to http://www.openoffice.org/why/why_great.html to see if OpenOffice is right for you.

Self Assessments for Students Considering Online Learning

If your nursing program wants to develop a web site for online learners, the first step is to provide self assessments for learners. There's no need to create your own assessments, simply link to existing assessments of readiness for distance learning and learning styles inventories. I have listed several for you. Some are longer than others...give them a try and select the ones that work for your program.

Is distance education right for you?

• http://www.distance.ufl.edu/self-assessment
• http://wsprod.westernu.edu/wu/nursing/cgn_assess.jsp

What is your learning style?

• http://www.personal.psu.edu/bxb11/LSI/LSI.htm
• http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html

How are your study skills?

• ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/stdyhlp.html

Avitars in Education

The use of virtual reality in nursing education has been tested and reported in the literature (Schmidt & Stewart, 2009; Schmidt & Stewart, 2010; Stewart, Pope & Duncan, 2009; Stewart et al, 2010; Sweigart, 2010). These reports are summarized in Chapter 8 in Distance Education in Nursing (3rd edition).  If you want to see a few demonstrations of virtual reality that be used by educators, go to https://techntuit.pbworks.com/w/page/20307614/Avatars%20In%20Education.

What content would you develop to increase clinical reasoning of nursing students? Could you develop a realistic virtual clinical experience where case studies unfold based on student actions? Please share ideas that you have and look for collaborators among readers of the book.