1. Open Education in Health
Professional Programs:
conceptualization and
applications from an
Undergraduate Nursing Program
Ruth Chen RN, PhD
McMaster University School of Nursing
Lisa-Anne Hagerman RN, Ed.D
Conestoga College Institute of Technology and
Advanced Learning

2. Education “is the kindling of a
flame, not the filling of a vessel”
(Socrates).

3. OVERVIEW
• Driving forces for “Open” Education within
Health Professional Education (HPE)
Programs
• Models that help to facilitate Open
Education within HPE Programs
• Undergraduate Program research
• Discussion

4. Driving Forces
• WHY is open education in HPE
important?
• WHAT would it look like in HPE?
• HOW to do it?

5. DRIVING FORCES FOR OPEN
EDUCATION WITHIN HEALTH
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
(HPE) PROGRAMS
Open
Access
(Online)
Face–to–
Face
(F2F)

6. WHY ?
• Ministry of Training, Colleges &
Universities
• Higher Education Quality Council
of Ontario
• Canadian Association of Schools
of Nursing (CASN)
• College of Nurses of Ontario
(CNO)

7. MODELS THAT HELP TO
FACILITATE OPEN
EDUCATION WITHIN HPE
PROGRAMS

8. Model to Support Online
Learning
Constructivist Theory & Vygostsky’s
Sociocultural Theory
1. Active & Collaborative Learning
2. Problem-Based learning
3. Social and motivational learning
4. Social dialogue
5. Reflection
6. Promoting Professional Competence

9. ONE UNDERGRADUATE
PROGRAM EXAMPLE

10. An Evolution …
• Synchronous < Asynchronous
• Synchronous = Asynchronous
• Synchronous > Asychronous

11. Online PBL
Final Year, Advanced Nursing Concepts
Courses (2 semesters)
• Mixed Methods, Descriptive design
• Quantitative
• Collaborative learning, Group/Individual
goals, Tutor effectiveness (6.6 – 6.9 / 7)
• Qualitative
 Accessibility, Efficiency, NI-ETP competencies
 Relationship development, visual cues

12. Discussion
• Examples from participants’
departments
• Implementation strategies, challenges
• New developments in distributed
learning (e.g. Web 3.0)