2. INTRODUCTION
Instructional Designer, what is that? It was during my
interview at AORN that I asked this question. It was the first
time I had heard the phrase, let alone know what the role
entailed. As a registered nurse and a nurse educator this new
phrase took me by surprise and intrigued me. Designing
instruction? Well isn’t that what I have been doing all along? I
was interviewing for a position at this nursing association in
my quest to make a career change yet keeping true to my
nursing background. I was informed that the Instructional
Do not train Designers are the backbone of designing and developing
children to online education at AORN and work closely with the nurses at
learning by force the association. I soon began working for the Association of
periOperative Registered Nurses-AORN in 2006 as a
and harshness, Perioperative Education Specialist-my dream job.
but direct them Here, I could develop my skills as a nurse educator,
to it by what education developer and nurse planner of education events
and products. As I approached my second year at AORN I
amuses their started looking into certificate programs and graduate
minds, so that programs in instructional design as this was an area that I
found very interesting and could enhance my graduate degree
you may be in nursing, my nursing experience as an educator and provide
better able to a solid background in education and technology.
discover with In searching for programs I realized that the University of
accuracy the Colorado Denver offered exactly what I was looking for- the
Master of Arts in Information and Learning Technologies with
peculiar bent of an emphasis in Instructional Design and Adult Learning. I am
the genius of currently enrolled in IT 6750 Current Issues and Trends in
Instructional Technology. As part of this assignment we are to
each. predict what our job would be in 2014. The next section
-- Plato describes what I would like to see as my future endeavors in
2014 as a Nurse Instructional Designer detailing job, scope,
technological influences and what I envision as the future in
nursing education.
3. 2014-WHAT A GREAT YEAR!
I finally completed my PhD in Nursing, my job has evolved in that I now work from home and
I currently serve as a nurse education consultant, collaborating with both the School of
Education and the College of Nursing at the University of Colorado as well as continuing my
work at AORN in developing a new and innovative graduate program combining nursing
science, the perioperative specialty and instructional design. New technologies in simulation
training have become the wave of the future in healthcare education and are emphasized on
this project. My main role is creating online courses in conjunction with simulation training
scenarios by incorporating the ADDIE principles of instructional design. Below is an example of
the ADDIE Model which guides my practice in the development of simulation training and
online courses that I develop. Here is a great link to learn about the ADDIE principle.
http://pimarsc.pbworks.com/JTED-Technology-Overview . All of our online education programs
utilize collaborative learning methods as well as honing in on critical thinking skills to enhance
learning and knowledge acquisition.
4. With simulation training on the rise, Wilford and Doyle
(2006) state the use of simulation training is gaining
momentum while allowing multiple learning objectives to
be taught in a realistic clinical environment without
harming patients. Since 1975 the military has been using
simulation training to enhance learning and attainment of
skill acquisition (2006). The first documented simulation
training was done by divers in the Royal Navy, and it was
this simulation training that prompted the U.S. military to
promote flight simulation training programs to train pilots
(2006).
Simulation training is ever changing and evolving
I hear, and I education, staff development and training in nursing and
healthcare. Currently, all patient care skills are being
forget. I see, and taught with the latest technological advances in web-based
I remember. I do, education, Virtual Reality (VR) and high fidelity human
patient simulation training equipment and mannequins to
and I enhance clinical site education. According to Hanna and
understand. Fins (2006), relying solely on simulation and online
education cannot promote quality care or interpersonal
-Chinese Proverb skills in the clinical setting but simulation and online
education can augment clinical site hands-on training to
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ increase confidence and increase communication, skills and
~
patient outcomes.
Learning without STIMULATING LEARNING
thought is labor THROUGH TECHNOLOGY
lost; thought INNOVATIONS, COLLABORATIVE
without learning LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS AND
is perilous. CRITICAL THINKING
-- Confucius There are several stages involved when developing and
designing on-line education. Of importance are elements
that will engage, attract and motivate learning while
5. maintaining robust content that promotes collaborative
knowledge acquisition. Technology integration in education
is revolutionary in the sense that is has transformed how we
think, teach, learn and evaluate learning. According to
Peters (2000), the use of technology integration in
education work synergistically when the learning can be
obtained and utilized effortlessly. Gokhale (1995) defines
“collaborative learning as an instruction method in which
students at various performance levels work together in
small groups toward a common goal”. This promotes
ownership in learning among the participants in the group
thus creating an environment of learning grounded in
I hear, and I
critical thinking skills. In creating nursing education it is
important to not forget the importance of critical thinking
forget. I see, and and the application of skills and training needed to identify
I remember. I do, and incorporate a plan to care for a patient with an acute
illness. Jeong (2003) clearly identifies that in online
and I instruction the use of threaded discussions on various
understand. questions posed by the instructor prompted more insight
and questions from the students who actively participated
-Chinese Proverb in the discussions. Also of importance here is that Jeong
(2003) identified that the discussions prompted critical
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ thinking and prompted a higher level of questioning by the
students. In online education the threaded discussions are
~ integral to learning, relearning and critical thinking as the
more insight the participants gain the more questioning is
Learning without evident and resolution to problem solve is enhanced (2003).
thought is labor
lost; thought REFLECTIVE CONSIDERATIONS
without learning It is important to identify that good online instruction
should incorporate a well thought out plan, design and
is perilous. content that builds on concepts to attain information and
-- Confucius acquire knowledge and skill that serve a purpose in a field of
study. Online instruction that utilize graphics, voice, video
and content specific to a group’s needs while utilizing
interactivity will always be well received provided that the
6. graphics, voice and video interactivity do not distract but
enhance and promote learning. Future considerations will
involve even more technological advances in which will
promote more integration in the education and healthcare
arena, but it is important to stay true to the methods of the
“old” and blending with the new to facilitate teaching
learning and acquiring knowledge.
I hear, and I
forget. I see, and
I remember. I do,
and I
understand.
-Chinese Proverb
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Learning without
thought is labor
lost; thought
without learning
is perilous.
-- Confucius
7. References
Gokhale, A.A. (1995). Collaborative learning enhances critical thinking. Journal of Technology
Education; 7(1), 22-30.
Hanna, M., & Fins, J.J. (2006). Power and communication: Why simulation training ought to be
complimented by experiential and humanist learning. Academic Medicine; 81(3), 265-270.
Jeong, A.C. (2003). The sequential analysis of group interaction and critical thinking in online
threaded discussions. The American Journal of Distance Education; 17(1), 25-43.
Mann, E. (2007) http://pimarsc.pbworks.com/JTED-Technology-Overview and
http://pimarsc.pbworks.com/f/Intel_Instruction_flowchart.gif accessed October 20, 2009.
Peters, O. (2000). Digital learning environments: New possibilities and opportunities.
International Review of Research in Open Distance Learning; 1(1), 1-19.
Wilford, A., & Doyle, T.J. (2006). Integrating simulation training into the nursing curriculum.
British Journal of Nursing, 15(17), 926-30.
