Seeking Cultural Competence: Aboriginal Nursing Students Experiences with Distance Technology

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Seeking Cultural Competence Aboriginal Nursing
Students Experiences with Distance Technology

• Prof. Mary Courtenay, RN, Dr. W. Dean Care, RN,
  Dr. David Gregory, RN,
• Mr. David Hultin, Dr. Cynthia Russell, RN
• Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada
  Conference - September 2005 (Vancouver, BC)

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Acknowledgements

• Appreciation is extended to the Social Sciences
  and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) for
  funding this three year project
• Manitoba Keewatinook Ininew Okimowin (MKO) for
  their support
• Our partners at the University College of the
  North (UCN)
• Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada

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University of Manitoba

• Manitoba's largest and only research intensive
  post-secondary educational institution. It is
  also Western Canada's first university, founded
  in 1877.
• It contributes indispensably to the social and
  economic vitality of the province through
  professional and liberal arts education, research
  and community service.
• Admission requirements promote a commitment to
  accessibility, befitting the University of
  Manitoba's singular role within the province.

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Helen Glass Centre for Nursing

• Hospital and community patient-care laboratories
• Distance education classrooms
• Computer labs
• Video-equipped assessment rooms.

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Research Locations

• Thompson (pop. 14,000) 3rd largest city in
  Manitoba University College of the North
  location
• The Pas (pop. 6,000)
• University College of the
• North location
• Winnipeg (pop. 650,000) University of Manitoba
  Helen Glass Ctr. for Nursing
• Not shown Norway House (pop. 5,000) North
  end of Lake Winnipeg original Hudsons Bay
  Trading Post

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Distance Technologies

• Web-based (Web CT)
• Videoconference
• Learn Linc (I-Link)

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Literature Review

• Clash of Cultures
• Aboriginal
• Orientation to events
• Group learning
• Cooperative
• Holistic orientation
• Visual and auditory

• Academia
• Orientation to time
• Individualistic
• Competitive
• Linear, sequential
• Verbal

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Purpose of the study

• To improve the retention of Aboriginal
  nursing students studying at a distance.
• Descriptive, exploratory qualitative study
• 3 methodologies
• - Focus group interview with students (n60)
• - Individual interviews with faculty (n12)
• - Individual interviews with unsuccessful
  students in DE courses (n4)

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Findings

• Benefits of learning with distance technology
• Limitations of learning with distance technology
• Establishing connections and fostering respect
• Teaching strategies

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Benefits of DT Learning

• Remain in own community
• Learning on own time
• Shift from a passive to a motivated learner
• Fostering group and teamwork

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Benefits of DT Learning

• Remain in own community
• So here I have family and friends who can
  look after her my child and support me going to
  school. I dont think I could do it without
  them.
• Learning on own time
• WebCT and Learn Linc motivated me to study on
  my own. This made sure I had a full understanding
  of what was being taught.

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Benefits of DT Learning

• Shift from a passive to a motivated learner
• I had to make myself study on my own instead of
  going to class, doing your lesson there, and just
  going home and forgetting about it. Most of the
  time with WebCT its learning on your own and
  you have to be very self-motivated in order to do
  it.

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Benefits of DT Learning

• Fostering group and teamwork
• It technology taught us to work as a team.
  Wed go into groups and we became dependent on
  each other to get the information that we either
  didnt understand or missed. It kind of pushed us
  to work together because obviously the instructor
  wasnt here with us so we had to base our
  understanding and share with others.

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Limitations of DT Learning

• Conveying thoughts in writing
• Technological failures
• Intimidation factor

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Limitations of DT Learning

• Conveying thoughts in writing
• Its very hard to sit there, I mean I can type so
  thats not a problem, but to get the thought out
  onto the keyboard.....its like, how do I put this
  so she instructor will understand what Im
  talking about. Its very hard.....

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Limitations of DT Learning

• Technological failure
• Todays class is cancelled because there is a
  problem in Winnipeg. That sets us back because we
  have to go another week without a class. When
  the technology is down, we suffer for that.

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Limitations of DT Learning

• Intimidation factor
• I was pretty intimidated by it because the
  actual instructor wasnt going to be here with us
  to see our expressions on our face
• It was scary. Getting I guess adapted was the
  my main problem

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Fostering Respect

• Instructor as person
• Distance learners as people
• Use of humour

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Fostering Respect

• Instructor as a person
• With video conferencing, it is better because
  even though they are in Winnipeg, you can see
  them instructors. They are an actual person.
• Distance learners as people
• I mean that was great! We felt so honoured that
  he thought that much of us and every time we came
  to class it was like, are you doing OK? Do you
  need anything? Is this working for you? And it
  was great!

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Fostering Respect

• Humour
• the instructor would start the day with a
  joke, or if anybody had jokes, or the
  instructor would take little comic strips out of
  the newspaper and put them up

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Effective Online Strategies

• Technology
• Anticipating technical problems ahead of time
• Ensuring the availability of technical support
  and/or a facilitator at each site
• Ensuring the availability of online library
  services

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Effective Online Strategies

• DE professional development
• Faculty development in teaching by distance
  education
• Providing a comprehensive orientation for
  students
• Establishing a course development
  multi-disciplinary team

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Effective Online Strategies

• Teaching
• Sharing personal information gave them permission
  and confidence to speak out
• Teaching less content and facilitating more
  discussion
• Developing discussion questions that were
  relevant to minority students

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For more information

• David Hultin
• Research Associate Project Coordinator
• Helen Glass Centre for Nursing
• University of Manitoba
• David_Hultin_at_umanitoba.ca
• 204.474.9131