Introducing Technology and Informatics Tools to Support PhD Nursing Students’ Research in an Online Learning Environment

Many authoritative and credible sources have called for nurses at all levels to demonstrate informatics competencies. However, gaps related to incorporating informatics into nursing curricula continue to exist. Knowledge pertaining to technology, informatics, and data management are essential for PhD level nurses, particularly as they engage in the process required to answer research questions using available data sources. Yet, there is little guidance related to how informatics competencies should be infused into a nursing PhD program. The informatics for healthcare teams and scholarly inquiry course was designed to enable nursing PhD students to develop informatics skills and competencies using a research-oriented approach.

Many graduate nursing programs offer didactic courses via e-learning, also referred to as online or distance accessible methods. The concerns about the quality and depth of an online research-based PhD course prompted faculty to explore potential pedagogical methods to enhance teaching nursing informatics content. The purpose of this presentation is to describe and present strategies used in teaching a nursing PhD informatics course online which was designed to equip students with knowledge about technology that supports and/or facilitates their research.

This presentation will highlight how an online informatics course has the potential to yield the best possible learning outcomes for nursing PhD students. Faculty will describe the process of selecting appropriate interactive teaching strategies and the use of a variety of technology tools to meet multiple pedagogical principles. Guidelines for strategies that have already been successful in facilitating learning of informatics-related concepts within an online format will also be shared. Anecdotal feedback and challenges encountered will be shared.