ALTERNATIVE DELIVERY OF NURSING EDUCATION: ONLINE LEARNING LITERATURES REFLECTION

Professional Filipino nurses are scattered in various countries around the world, as they
work in numerous fields of specialties, they are also passionate with improving their craft,
among the numerous ways to accomplish which is to enroll in continuing education. How can
this be possible? Given the busy work schedules, time zone differences and personal adjustments
(for the new overseas workers who are separated from their families) and cultural adaptation
issues, nurse educators working in foreign countries will truly have a hard time securing
continuing education. One of the timely responses to this problem is the development of online
education. I myself have reservations about online programs, having heard doubts voiced by my
foreign colleagues. However, I have faith in the institution that I have chosen not to mention my
efforts at reviewing journals about trends and issues in alternative delivery of nursing education
will expose the justifications (and the gray areas that will need further research) for online
education in a tangible way.
One research published in the Journal of Nursing Education conducted an integrative
review of nursing and adult education literature and identified important points in the evaluation
of nursing education at the graduate level. The research articles analyses and perspectives
synthesis were processed from a research agendas point of view. In the review, the numerous
articles that were cited will give online education programs much-needed support by highlighting
the communication revolution brought about by the Internet since 1989, cutting off the distance
between every person in various parts of the world. This illustrates that a virtual classroom now
exists through what is now known as cyberspace. So what characteristics of Web-based learning
can be construed as advantageous and disadvantageous, when compared to traditional education
programs? What are the salient points that sets online learning apart from real or live classroom
learning?

ALTERNATIVE DELIVERY OF NURSING EDUCATION: ONLINE LEARNING LITERATURES REFLECTION

Among the five journals that I reviewed, my interest was captured by the study entitled,
Current Trends in Systematic Program Evaluation of Online Graduate Nursing Education: an
Integrative Literature Review, by Horne & Sandmann, conducted in 2012. It dealt with
descriptions of current researches on online education evaluation. Each authors work was
scrutinized such as those of Lindsay, Jeffrey, and Singh in (2008 and 2009), Avery, Cohen, and
Walker in 2008, Ali, Hodson-Carlton & Ryan in 2002, and Mills in 2007. These authors works
were analyzed, the findings were highlighted as well as the missing elements that could serve as
important references for future researches.
As required, this reflection is written in consideration of the P.I.C.O. format (P.I.C.O.
Formulate an Answerable Question). The following paragraphs will be based on each letter. So
let us start with the P- population. The population of this review is made up of the stakeholders,
in this case, the nurse educators, students (graduate level students in their masters or doctorate
program), administrators, staff, policy makers, boards, consultants, community groups,
accrediting agencies, government organizations, businesses, and employers. They are the
beneficiaries of this scholarly investigation since one of the researchers goal is to make online
learning accessible and ultimately effective to all.
As the stakeholders are identified, let us also look at the other side of the fence. P also
represents the problem, the issues at hand are discussed below as Horne et. al. cited in 2012.
In the advent of online education, how is the quality of such evaluated? In fact, it was
impetuous to be a marginalized program and it became mainstream. Secondly, as to what extent
are school systems evaluating the programs? What are the tools being used? What were the
findings? And how were the research findings data utilized?

ALTERNATIVE DELIVERY OF NURSING EDUCATION: ONLINE LEARNING LITERATURES REFLECTION

As a student enrolled in a distance learning program, Id like to take this opportunity to

raise my concerns in relation to this online program which is also the subject of this journal that I
am reviewing. My concerns are as follows: are we going to have face-to-face sessions, like a
virtual classroom; are we also going to have virtual classes? Defend our papers online? And will
we be furnished with written feedbacks from our professors in the other side of the world and
from our peers, based on our written outputs? I believe traversing the distance and time
difference, can still result in effective and on time learning.
Meanwhile, let us go back to the integrative research at hand by Horne and Sandmann.
Here are the reviewed researches findings that can be added to the P-problems:
Challenges that include knowing online students in a deeper manner like in a traditional
classroom set up, faculty workload is increased, implementation time is widened, technology
training for participants, required presence of technical support, and feedback from the results
were not indicated in the of Lindsay, Jeffrey, &Singh in 2009. In the study authored by the same
people but done in 2008, the gap that surfaced included time management, inconsistent access to
online libraries, silence of peers and teachers, heavy workload, accessing online software,
disconnect between program and course objectives, and finally how if ever the results are
reported to students. Furthermore, in this study, the objectives do not always match learning
activities; faculty and students need more technical support; varying learning approaches must be
encouraged, and student-teacher interaction is a challenge in online courses. In the cited research
by Mills in 2007, only the issue of giving feedback to stakeholders was not clear as to how and if
it was done.

ALTERNATIVE DELIVERY OF NURSING EDUCATION: ONLINE LEARNING LITERATURES REFLECTION

Meanwhile, the studies reviewed by Horne et. al., made no mention of some peculiar
issues that I have personally experienced when I first engaged in the educational platform, such
include Internet signals, computer program version compatibility, energy level of the learner
because of time zone differences, and tuition costs. Moreover, despite some missing points of
evaluation, according to Horne et. al., the results of scholarly studies have revealed that it has, if
I may use my own interpretation, metamorphosed adult distance education activities, making it
a powerful nursing education tool, warping miles of distances across the world in real-time. A
technological wonder that has been happening over the past decade.
The I- interventions. For this topic, I have dedicated two paragraphs, one is the
information from the journal and the other one from my own insights. The subject matter is
covered quite extensively in PICO, specifically in terms of subtopics under the action of
evaluation. Evaluation of online educational programs should cover areas such formative and
summative evidence on the quality, efficacy and cost. Results of every research should be shared
with its stakeholders for the improvement of various aspects of the topic at hand. Goals should
be met, participants should take a fair share of the methods being delivered such as course
design. Faculty should also participate, communicate and cooperate equally with students, give
points for improvement to the adult learner constructively, and be current with all the
information being imparted.
After reading the problems in the reviewed research about online learning, it seems to me
that the list became a vivid map of direction for us graduate students enrolled in this program. An
I- intervention, in my point of view, came out of the blue. It stimulated me personally to avoid
if not improve on these issues, to make sure that we learn with quality in this program so that we
will be competitive doctors of philosophy in nursing in the future. It should be personal mission

ALTERNATIVE DELIVERY OF NURSING EDUCATION: ONLINE LEARNING LITERATURES REFLECTION

to contribute significantly to the field of nursing, specifically in nursing education as we are

equipped by this platform of education. Let us actively communicate, participate in whatever
discussions that we are having in our social media page the SPUM PhD Facebook page, ask for
feedback and react in a scholarly manner, and finally be diverse in our learning styles, because
through this, we can have a head start and eventually be fruitful and bountiful in harvest.
With the gathered information from this research the C-comparison, is expected to come
from existing quality evaluation of traditional learning which may come in the form of another
journal to review. It is prudent to say that onsite education presents concrete evidence that the
platform has already proved its strength, precisely the basis for comparison with Web-based
learning.
The O-outcomes are yet to come. My supposition on this part is that as a participant in
this web-based platform of nursing education, I should conduct a research that would fill in the
missing links, anchoring on identified points such as the quality of our Web-based nursing
education program.

ALTERNATIVE DELIVERY OF NURSING EDUCATION: ONLINE LEARNING LITERATURES REFLECTION

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Horne, e. e. (2012). Current Trends in systematic Program Evaluation of Online Graduate Nursing
Education: An Integrative Literature Review. Journal of Nursing Education, 570-578.
Joshua M. Paiz, E.A. (2013, January 3). Online Writing Lab. Retrieved from 20WL Purdue University:
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P.I.C.O. Formulate an Answerable Question. (n.d.). Retrieved December 6, 2014, from Medical Literature
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