Title: Paradox in a Graduate Program Delivered On-Line in a Human Science Curriculum
1Paradox in a Graduate Program Delivered On-Line
in a Human Science Curriculum
- Janet Jeffrey RN, PhD Mina Singh RN, PhD
- School of Nursing
- York University
- Gail Lindsay RN, PhD
- School of Nursing UOIT
- Toronto
May 6th - 2009 CASN Nursing Research Conference
Funded by the Office of the Dean Faculty of
Health
2PurposeMScN Program Evaluation Project
- To conduct program evaluation of the new on-line
MScN program that is participatory with both
formative (improve the quality of the program)
and summative (determine the worth of the
program) components, to ensure accountability to
all stakeholders. - To examine the design and delivery (process) of
the MScN program as well as its outcomes ensuring
depth as well as breadth given the proposed
diverse data collection methods over time. - This presentation focuses on the first cohort of
students in the MScN program (2005-2007) and the
faculty who taught in the first year of the
program.
3Background
- Masters in Science in Nursing (MScN) program was
the first on-line graduate program at York
University and in Ontario. - The first cohort of students was admitted May
2005 (after program approval by the Ontario
Council on Graduate Studies in March 2005). So
there was little time between application,
admission, and starting the program for both
faculty and students. - Although distance learning has been available for
almost 80 years, research has focused on
singular issues in online education such as
examining and/or measuring students experiences
in terms of what matters to their learning
4Context
- Philosophy of the MScN program is human science
that values - Lived experience and
- Faculty in relationship with students.
- Students are engaged in learning in an
environment that is technology-based and at a
distance. - We were concerned that the online method
of program delivery was somewhat
contradictory to the human
science perspective which could
be more easily delivered
face-to-face and wondered how
students would get connected and establish
relationships with faculty.
5Research QuestionsProcess
- To what extent was the online MScN program
implemented as developed/planned?
- What strengths and weaknesses of the program are
identified by students and faculty? - How is the online delivery congruent with
students approaches to learning? - In what ways are faculty-student relationships
developed and maintained in the online learning
environment? - How well do resources support student learning
and faculty development (Library, Centre for the
Support of Teaching, Computer Help Desk
Computer Services)? - In what ways can implementation of the MScN
program be improved?
6Program Evaluation Design
- Qualitative approach
- focus groups and journal writing by both students
and faculty during the program - Quantitative approach
- - quasi-experimental design with questionnaire
data collected at the time of students entry to
the program and after graduation by both students
and faculty (students and faculty serve as their
own controls)
7Sample
- Sample comprised of three groups
- Students admitted to the MScN Program to begin in
May 2005. - Faculty who are teaching the courses offered to
this first cohort of students. - Other stakeholders.
8Data Collection - Students
Entry During Courses End
of Each Course After
Graduation
Journals (1 minute papers)
- Questionnaires
- Study Processes Questionnaire
- Edmonton Research Orientation Survey (EROS)
Course Assignments
Interviews
- Questionnaires
- Study Processes Questionnaire
- EROS
Focus group meeting beginning of each semester
Course Evaluation
9Students Sample Size
2005 2006 2007
Full-time In program Participated in evaluation 8 5 4 3
Part-time Admitted Participated in evaluation 20 16 13 8 13 8
- graduated Fall 2006 7 graduated
Fall 2007 - All students admitted to begin the program in May
2005 were invited to participate in the study - Some students did not really start the program
others left for academic and/or personal reasons
10Students Description
- 21 students originally agreed to participate in
the evaluation - 11 completed the evaluation of 28 of the first
student cohort who completed their MScN (10
females and 1 male) - average age 45 years (SD 6 years range 35-55)
- All but two completed their baccalaureate
nursing degrees from 2003 to 2005 the other two
in 1978, 1998 - Average number of years of full-time work
experience 19.45 (SD 9.4, range 8-32 years)
primarily as clinicians - 3 working part-time worked average of 9.3 years
(SD 6.1, range 4-16 years)
11Students Questionnaires
- Study Processes Questionnaire examines preferred,
ongoing and contextual approaches to learning
deep and surface strategies describe the way
students engage in tasks - Deep approach M 40.7 (SD 5.4) increased
slightly (M 42.7, SD 3.1 NSS) - Did the program attract these type of learners?
- Surface approach M 16.0 (SD 3.5) increased
slightly (M 18.0, SC 7.8 NSS)
Biggs, J., Kember, D., Leung, D. Y. P. (2001).
The revised two-factor Study Process
Questionnaire R-SPQ-2F. British Journal of
Educational Psychology, 71, 133-149.
12Students Questionnaires
- Edmonton Research Orientation Survey measures
overall research orientation, how research is
valued and strategies undertaken to promote/use
research - For 5 students who completed EROS at both times,
Mean of 38 items prior to starting the program M
2.78 (SD 1.3) and at graduation M 2.75 (SD
1.0) - For all 11 who completed EROS at baseline M
1.61
Pain, K., Hagler, P. Warren, S. (1996).
Development of an instrument to evaluate the
research orientation of clinical professionals.
Canadian Journal of Rehabilitation, 9(2), 93-100.
13Students Questionnaires
- Course evaluation provided information that was
similar to what we learned from students in focus
groups - Online Learner Support Instrument (Atack,
2001) - Interaction with peers and teachers
- Course design and resources
- Technology and environment
- Perceptions of Learning Environments
Questionnaire (QUT, 1994) - What helped and hindered learning formatted for
each course
Attack, L. (2001). Web-based continuing education
for registered nurses Clinical application and
learners' experiences, unpublished doctoral
dissertation, University of Calgary, Alberta,
2001. Queensland University of Technology (QUT).
(1994). The teaching and learning in tertiary
education (TLiTE) project. A report prepared for
the Teaching and Learning Committee, Queensland
University of Technology, Australia.
14Data Collection - Faculty
Entry During Courses/Program
Delivery First Graduation
Journals (1 minute papers)
Questionnaire Approaches to Teaching Inventory
Questionnaire Approaches to Teaching Inventory
Focus group meeting monthly during semester
- All faculty teaching the first full-time cohort
of students were invited to participate in the
study - teachers of the required courses,
electives, and major research projects. - Almost 90 are participating.
15Faculty Questionnaires
- Approaches to Teaching Inventory) measures ways
in which teachers approach their teaching - Conceptual change -- student-focused
- Prior to teaching M 32.0 (SD 3.6) stayed
stable over the first year of the program - Information transmission -- teacher-focused
- Prior to teaching M 13.5 (SD 3.1)
unexpectedly increased M 15.8 (SD 2.9 p
.018)
Prosser M., Trigwell K. (1999). Understanding
learning and teaching the experience in higher
education. Buckingham Open University Press.
16Student Perspectives on Achievements, Challenges,
and Recommendations
- Analysis of journal writing and focus group
meetings lead to list of achievements,
challenges, and recommendations.
17Student PerspectivesAchievements Beginning the
MScN Program
- Getting started (getting course readings/text,
familiarity with WebCT, powerpoint) - Getting organized
- Completing academic work on-time, meeting
deadlines (work and school) - Developing sense of community with other students
in the course to provide support - Balancing demands of work, family, and student
roles - Remaining in the program over time, Hung in
there until the end - Obtaining good grade(s)
18Student PerspectivesChallenges Beginning the
MScN Program
- Time management, keeping up with multiple
responsibilities - Navigating the system at York inconsistent
access to virtual lab and on-line library - Silence of peers teachers
- Mastering group conflict
- Learning the language of human science
- Fitting in and being seen as worthy within the
program - Sacrificing others areas of life to complete
academic work - one more paper and Mommy will be done
- Fear of posting on-line
- Emotional toll depression, anxiety, fear
- Embodied toll (somatic complaints) e.g., carpal
tunnel syndrome, arm tingling
19 Student PerspectivesAchievements Continuing
into2nd Semester
- Logistics of starting courses getting readings,
texts etc - Pacing, keeping up in course work
- Staying on top of timeline/deadlines
- Balance home/work/school
- Staying motivated to participate
in the course
20Student AchievementsDifferences from Entry to
Program
- Made it through the summer,
- Survived,
- Still going strong
- Persevering
21 Student PerspectivesChallenges Continuing
into2nd Semester
- Expectations for participation on on-line
discussions (different for each course) - Lack of support and feedback
- Timeliness of posting from peers in response to
assignments
22Student Challenges Differences from Entry to
Program
- Content of second term like learning new language
(in new course) - Keeping peace and harmony within group,
competition and hostility within group - Balance
23Student Achievements1 Year Later
- Students supporting and helping each other
- Building of student network
- - Online
- - Phone
- - Workplace
- Persevering through the storm
- - New love for research is probably my greatest
achievement.. - - Always finishing the course
- - Teaching sessional position
24Student Challenges 1 Year Later
- Not enough time between courses
- Very tired, back to back semesters intense
- Workload heavy
- Accessing virtual software problematic
- Course selection restrictive
- Course objectives and assignments
still disjointed - Issues re use of preceptors
25Lessons Learned1 Year Later
- Liked the philosophy of the program
- Convenient, accessible
- Review of courses
- PLEQ
- Helped
- Presented on online symposium
- Feedback obtained
- Colleagues experiences
- Hinder
- Too much theory
- Online discussions were repetitious
- Reading others notes
- Others not contributing
26The First Graduates Look Back
- More time, more time..
- Student input was valuable
- Human to human close relationship is valuable
- Workload phenomenal
- Learned.
27Faculty Perspectives on Achievements, Challenges,
and Recommendations
Analysis of journal writing and focus group
meetings lead to list of achievements,
challenges, and recommendations.
28Faculty Achievements
- Program activated in 6 weeks
- Finding resources for learning online and course
development - Establishing congruence between course processes,
content and learning outcomes - Responding to students formative evaluations
flexibly - Surviving the workload
- Bringing our own research (content and method) to
curriculum
29Faculty Challenges
- No dedicated, timely, expert online education
expertise designated - Courses not designed with web expertise,
multi-media rare - Lack of peer consultation feedback available
- Overall workload finding uninterrupted time to
work on course - Context of MScN Program in School of Nursing
- How to see student engagement with the course and
their learning - Facilitating on-line small group conflict
resolution - Feeling disconnected, ambiguity about learning,
lost in space
30Lessons Learned
- Preparing an online class is like slow motion
- Be prepared to draft, redraft, edit, rewrite,
- Many faculty did arrange face to face meetings
with students at least once during the course - Formalize CST, ACS, FSC secondment/assignment
to MScN Program - Obtain work study students to be web/media
designers - Concept map the program using the first course
outlines to evaluate coherence, development, etc.
- Explore shared formats for participation and
other evaluation processes - Finding a balance between students expressed
wish for faculty participation - Professional development for faculty
31Mirroring . Paradox
- Faculty complain of feeling disconnected from
students Students complain about faculty
availability. - Technology-enhanced learning is its own subject
matter Need for ongoing professional/faculty
development and support. - At the start-up of each semester, some of the
teachers are novice in the online environment
Students have cumulative expertise over time as
their experience is continuous through the
program. - Technology, while at a distance, is not
disembodied Faculty report tendonitis, eye
strain, and fatigue as well as emotional stress.
32Actions Taken Moving Forward
- Students contribution to formative evaluation
resulted in changes to - orientation for incoming cohorts of students (now
online) - way in which WebCT platform is being used for
course delivery since changed to Moodle - Subsequent curriculum development undertaken
- Concept map the program using the first course
outlines to evaluate coherence, relationship to
program goals - Explore shared formats between courses for
participation and other evaluation processes - Consideration of how students work in groups
on-line
33Actions Taken Moving Forward
- Improved access to York systems (virtual lab,
library resources, learning how to use new
software) - New option by university bookstore to order texts
online for free delivery prior to courses
starting (coincidental) - Development of two delivery options to match to
students preferred way of learning - on-campus (face-to-face) option to start Fall
2009 - distance option fully online no presence on
campus
34Conclusions Implications
- It is important to act on lessons learned
formatively and summatively and to ensure
continuous program evaluation. Evaluation has
resulted ongoing shaping of the curriculum and
how it is being delivered. - Ongoing evaluation of the purpose of technology
philosophically pedagogically must be
undertaken to explore the paradoxes of
implementing a human science curriculum in an
online environment.
35For Further InformationContact
- Janet Jeffrey
- jjeffrey_at_yorku.ca
- (416) 736-2100 ext 66696
- School of Nursing, HNES
- York University
- 4700 Keele St.,
- Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3
- Canada