Blending learning: The preferred choice of clinical nurse educators to provide continuing professional development

Abstract

Introduction and objective: A clinical nurse educators’ (CNE) work is primarily focused on ensuring that fellow registered nurses have the skills and training to improve their clinical practice and maintain their professional competence. In recent years, resource limitations and a growing emphasis on self-directed learning have increased the pressure on nurse-educators to integrate e-learning into their teaching methods. While research has evaluated the experiences of nurses on this topic, limited understanding is known of CNEs’ experiences. Purpose: This qualitative study explored the CNEs’ experiences in facilitating continuing professional development for their nurses and the integration of e-learning in a University Health Center in Quebec, Canada.Methods: The sample consisted of 7 CNEs, who had more than one to 15 years of experience in their current position. Their experiences with e-learning varied: it ranged from incorporating a video-clip in their presentations, to providing input into the learning management system they tested. Semi-structured interviews were thematically analyzed. Results: Despite participants varied levels of knowledge towards e-learning, all were convinced that this method could be used complementarily alongside hands-on training. Though they recognized the importance of human contact in teaching, they also understood the limitations of the traditional pedagogy; lacking the addition of interactive features. Despite some criticism, CNEs were able to identify opportunities where e-learning could be useful: during nursing orientation, tracking, evaluation and accreditation purposes, content refreshment, and to standardize protocols.Discussion and conclusions: More research is needed, and cooperative efforts are required from nurses and nurse-management to engage in the promotion of professional development.

Impact of Individual Belief, Facilitating Condition, and Habits on the Acceptance and Support to Use Mobile Training

“…These are perceptions of individuals that technical and organizational infrastructure required to use and support an intended system are available and thus intention to adopt new technologies should not be an issue (Dwivedi et al, 2019). The experience shows that the slow access and continuous downtimes of e-learning sites is the major cause of the lack of motivation in adopting and use of e-learning (Arnaert et al, 2020). Therefore, need to ensure and sustain the availability of e-learning sites 24/7 by reducing the down times to less than 1%, and improving access to a reasonable speed to encourage users and build their confidence that the system is available when needed Institutions should as well consider alternative sources of electricity like solar, use of inverters and power generators as means to sustain the availability of e-learning systems (Kuppusamy, 2019).…”

Online Blending Learning Model of School-Enterprise Cooperation and Course Certificate Integration During the COVID-19 Epidemic

“…The so-called Blending Learning [8][9][10][11] is to combine the advantages of the traditional learning style with the advantages of the e-Learning (that is, digital or networked learning), so that the cognitive style of the students will change, and the teaching mode, teaching strategy and role of the teachers will also change. This kind of change is not only a formal change, but also on the basis of analyzing students' needs, teaching contents and actual teaching environment, making full use of the complementary advantages of online teaching and classroom teaching to improve students' cognitive effect.…”