My Online Course

Course Description

I am going to construct the graduate nursing research course for online delivery. The course presents material on the research process. Each element of the research process (problem statement, purpose, literature review, etc.) is discussed in detail. For the current course in production that I am currently taking, I will be learning how to implement the first three lessons in the course. There will be an introduction to nursing research, a module on problem statement and purpose and a module on literature review.

Assignments.

The assignments or summative evaluations are an evidence-based practice paper, a research critique, and a research proposal outline. Although they are not due during the first three modules, they students will need to start working on them by the end of the third module. Therefore, I am thinking of creating a podcast or podcasts that address the assignments. Podcasts will enable the student to download instructions and play them over and over on an Mp3 player or they can just repeat the course podcast to clarify confusing items.

Rationale for Online Delivery

A graduate research course is not the easiest course to deliver online. For some students, the material is difficult to grasp. However, I did a survey (along with our advisor) two years ago of our alumni (ten years back) to determine what time was best for a face to face course. We were not surprised that the survey results showed that no time was appropriate for all students. Therefore, we decided to do online delivery for our BSN students, since a majority of those courses were already delivered online. The faculty of the nursing department requested online delivery to be an official option for our BSN degree students. We were approved. Our advanced degree programs were also approved for online deivery. Thus, the decision to start with the graduate research course as the first course in the master's nursing program was made.

Benefits to Students

The online course provides flexibility for students who have other responsibilities that interfere with attending on site classes. Nursing students working in various settings often are required to do overtime or adjust their schedules due to personnel needs. The schedule readjustment or overtime may prevent students from attending class , if a conflict occurs. The job obligations are foremost in the students' life. They need to be, in order for the students' to pay their tuition. An online course in which the students participate on their own time would solve this problem.

Problems

Potential problems for me are lack of experience with technical tools needed to successfully produce a course. I am not terribly familiar with technial aspects, online lingo, etc. I am also a bit timid in trying new things.

The students may find the course modules uninteresting. Currently, they tend not to read the textbook assignments because they are difficult to understand, and therefore "unintersesting". I intend to use the text for the course, so it is doubly important to try to motivate the students to read and take part in the discussions. An attractive looking course will help, but it is the material that is central in making the course appealing to students.

Conclusion

While I am excited about learning production, I am also intimidated. I have already confused CMS with the HTML editor. I am wondering how successful I am going to be in this course. Time will tell.