Nursing Education and Connected Classroom and Effectiveness of Student, Establishing the Connected Classroom & Creating the Learning Space
Connected Classroom and Effectiveness of Student Engagement In Nursing Education
The connected classroom uses digital technology to connect students, faculty, experts, patients, and virtual clinical experiences to facilitate learning. The key to the connected classroom is interactivity.
The connected classroom improves student engagement, increases the amount of feedback for learning, provides opportunities for application of course concepts to clinical experiences, and gives both students and faculty immediate access to information resources.
If students are to learn to connect with others, they have to practice those connections. Skiba (2014a; Skiba 2014b) notes that connections are now possible via technology, among people, resources, data, and ideas.
Students with mobile technology know how to connect with the world via the Internet, but at the same time, the 2013 Educause Center for Analysis and Research (ECAR) study of undergraduate use of technology (Dahlstrom et al., 2013) found that students like technology but want guidance in its use.
Establishing the Connected Classroom In Nursing Education
Establishing the connected classroom involves not only the technological aspects of the physical setting of the classroom and connecting the classroom to the Internet, but also requires faculty and students to learn how to use interactive methods in productive ways that will enhance learning.
Teaching in a connected classroom also must respect the privacy of students, patients, and health care information; computer use policies must be in place to communicate these guidelines.
Creating the Learning Space for a Connected Classroom In Nursing Education
The first consideration for creating a connected classroom is to create a learning space that encourages connections among students and the teacher. Unlike traditional classrooms with a podium for the teacher at the front of the classroom, and chairs set in rows for the students, the connected classroom is designed with movable chairs and tables for students to work in teams or alone as needed, and for the faculty to move among the students to guide learning.
Although there may be wall-mounted screens, smartboards, and writing surfaces, visual displays also must be distributed around the room and be accessible by students as well as the faculty. At the same time, the classroom must be arranged to facilitate use for teleconferences, telehealth, and point-to-point conferences.
Connecting to the Internet In Nursing Education
A key technology of the connected classroom is the availability of Wi- Fi for wireless connections to the Internet. Students and faculty need Internet access to locate literature, news, and resources. The Internet is also needed for software downloads and updates. When teaching in any classroom, faculty should first determine what access to the Internet is available and how to make the connection to the Internet using either a wired or wireless network.
A wired classroom has an Ethernet connection to the local network. A 10-foot Ethernet cable can often connect a laptop to the Internet when the wireless network will not connect. If the Internet connection is wireless, faculty also need to know the name of the wireless network and the password for entry.
Because students will be using the wireless network, faculty must also determine the availability of simultaneous wireless connections and how many connections are permitted. If the number is less than the number of students who will be connecting, it will be necessary to change assignments or have students work in groups.
Ensuring Technology Support In Nursing Education
Technology support is needed for both faculty and students when technology is used in the classroom and by students when studying elsewhere on campus or at a distance (Gonen, Sharon, Offir , & LevAri, 2014). Support is also needed when faculty choose software and hardware that will be used by students in or out of the classroom.
Most faculty would rather concentrate on teaching than on providing technical support; Planning to obtain this support is essential. When selecting or recommending hardware, faculty should determine what user support is needed and what support the manufacturer can offer. Apple, for example, has its Genius Bars in their stores and has support available for a fee after the initial warranty period.
When selecting software, particularly the reference text managers, faculty will likely need support as they assist students to install the software on their devices. Faculty should ask the vendor about their hours, length of the support term, frequency and cost of updates, and fees for support.
Some software vendors provide in-class training for students and faculty. Faculty should also check with their institution for the availability of mobile computing support. Now that most students are arriving on campus with these devices, it may be easier to find support from the school’s information technology services.
Some institutions require devices to be registered before being permitted wireless access, while others only require knowledge of the name of the wireless network and a user-created password. It is also advisable for faculty to know how to access support for classroom technologies before using the hardware and software in the classroom.
Prior to use, faculty should practice connecting projectors, using sound amplification of computer presentations or videos, using a microphone, raising or lowering a screen, controlling the room lights, and any other technologies such as smartboards or ARSs .
Developing and Using Electronic Device In Nursing Education
Use Policies It is important for nursing programs to have clear policies on the use of electronic devices in classroom and clinical experiences. Smartphones and tablets are useful tools but they can violate patient’s and classmate’s rights if used inappropriately.
In clinical settings, the cameras, microphones, and telephones in digital devices could easily violate patients’ rights to privacy. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act rules require that no user-identifiable data leave a facility or be seen by unauthorized personnel (Thompson, 2005).
The American Nurses Association (ANA) (2015) has developed guidelines for using social media that indicate that nurses must not transmit identifiable patient information, should maintain ethical nurse–patient boundaries, should keep personal and professional communication separate, and be aware that postings on social media may be viewed by employers (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2014).
Cleanliness of the mobile device is another concern that should be considered in policy decisions. Studies have shown that mobile devices can carry pathogens and that many health care workers are not aware that their devices are potential vectors for cross contamination ( Ustan & Cihangiroglu , 2012). Possible policy requirements include not permitting devices in isolation rooms and specifying how and when to clean a device.
Similar guidelines should be in place in the classroom. An electronic usage policy should be clearly documented and discussed before students enter areas where violations could occur. These policies should be broad enough to cover present and future technologies, have clear statements of expectation, and outline violation consequences.
In the classroom there may be times faculty do not want students to have access to resource materials such as during an exam, and policies should include aspects of academic honesty. Faculty must establish an electronic device use policy if students will be using devices in clinical or classroom settings.
For the clinical setting, the policy should indicate that photographs of patients or patient-identifiable information may not be stored or transmitted beyond the clinical setting. Students should be aware that clinical agency policy may override school policy.
Voice calls, texts, and use of social media should also be restricted while in the clinical setting in accordance with clinical agency policies. Usage policies should also outline the judicial process for violations. Classroom electronic device policies are generally tailored to prevent disruptions and academic integrity violations.