Faculty Experience of a Technological Innovation in Nursing Education

This paper deals with the use of new technologies like the Neighborhood which is a program that simulates real-life communities. The paper gives details about the experiences of nursing teachers in using this program and the various problems faced by them in adopting new technologies in the existing course material.

1.2 With changing times, the nursing curriculum has also evolved and is now using various new technology-based methods to improve teaching and produce better-qualified nurses. Different institutes have started using different technologies like text messages, simulation of human patients, podcasts, and virtual communities. Various studies have been conducted to assess the impact of technology on teaching but not much literature is available about teaching faculty’s engagement with these technology-based learning methods. This study focuses on the impact of neighborhood on nursing teachers.

1.3 Thesis Statement
After giving due consideration to all facts available it seems that the results obtained in this study state that the process of using technology-based learning methods is still in its infancy and teachers need to receive proper training for them to welcome such methods are correct. The teachers also need to be convinced about the potential benefits and long term scope of the technology along with the financial implications of its use.

Evaluation of Text
This study was conducted in 14 nursing teaching programs and covered a duration of 18 months. The data was collected via surveys conducted online and faculty focus groups.

The focus groups were formed at 5 schools and 27 faculty members participated in these groups of which 26 were female teachers. The participants were questioned about the impact of Neighborhood on both teachers and students, the teachers were also questioned about the problems faced by them while using Neighborhood and what were their general views on such technologies.

The main limitation of the study was that there was an inherent bias in favor of Neighborhood in the minds of most participants. The group discussion method used at times focus participants to show false agreement with the majority view and does not allow them to express dissent. It must also be noted that some people might have easier times in dealing with web-based programs and thus might encourage their use irrespective of their actual effectiveness.

II Body (Paragraph 1)
Supporting Idea 1
The use of new technology by teachers is a complex issue. The first problem that teachers face is the lack of technical knowhow and hence they feel handicapped when forced to use methods like Neighborhood and this must be addressed by the authorities. Various studies that favor this body of thought include work done by Keengwe, Kidd, and Kyei–Blankson, 2009, Hazen, Wu, Sankar, and Jones–Farmer 2011-2012; Mishra and Koehler, 2006. Adequate time must be provided to learn the nuances of new technology and teachers should not be rushed into making a decision (Ahmed, Daim, and Basoglu, 2007; Sahin and Thompson, 2006).
Teachers must also be allowed the time and autonomy to redevelop the course material integrating both conventional and new methods like Neighborhood and teaching institutes must support them during this difficult process (Georgina and Olson, 2008; Garrison and Kanuka, 2004).
In this study, participants were questioned about the problems they faced while using Neighborhood, data was analyzed using N Vivo 9 and demonstrated that proper training imparted to teachers could improve their use of such methods.

III (Paragraph II)
Supporting Idea II
The potential advantages that Neighborhood could provide to students and teachers along with the cost-benefit ratio also have an important role in its successful adoption by teachers. Most participants also felt that they would be more willing to invest time and energy on new technology if they felt that the institute would provide the support and intends to use the technology on a long term basis.
Works that can be cited in the same vein include the works of Hazen et al, 2011-2012; Huang, Deggs, Jabor and Machines, 2011; Rogers, 2000; Schnackenberg, Georgina, and Olson, 2008.

IV Conclusion
In a nutshell, it can be said that though there is a definite need to include technology-based methods like the neighborhood in nursing courses, the process should not be rushed into.
This study stresses the need to allow teachers to get used to new technologies and give them adequate time to redevelop their curriculum. Also, the institutes must provide backup and demonstrate their willingness to use Neighborhood on a long term basis. Teachers have shown a positive response to the virtual simulation created by Neighborhood but they need to be convinced of its cost-effectiveness.
The study has also demonstrated the need for further research into the impact of tools like a neighborhood on teachers and the nursing curriculum.