Distance learning: Technology puts continuing education within reach

Nursing, Jan 2002 by Segal-Isaacson, Adam Ezra

Education Directory

NURSES, LIKE OTHER PROFESSIONALS, are constantly faced with the need to improve their professional knowledge. And career advancement usually hinges on going back to school, which in the past meant you had to physically go somewhere. With distance learning programs, the program comes to you.

A good match?

Distance learning programs use a variety of technologies to do this. Lessons can be on video, or can use live interactive classes with participants at multiple locations, reading material on the World Wide Web, and writing assignments via E-mail, among others. Some distance learning programs even function largely like old-style correspondence courses, with written materials mailed to and from the student.

Evaluation in all but the interactive classes is usually via written work submitted by the student and sometimes via E-mail. Classes can be on a semester schedule, where the work must be completed within the usual school schedule, or they can be a work-at-your-own-pace arrangement. Different programs use different means; sometimes even different classes within a program use different modalities. Because nursing has a large hands-on component, the student must usually make an arrangement to have a local clinical preceptor.

Pros and cons

Distance learning is different from traditional academic study, with many advantages and disadvantages. Among the prime advantages is that the student rarely has to spend more than 2 weeks on campus. This makes holding down a full-time job and staying with family easier and also helps avoid the hassles of commuting, even to a local program. One student commented that a major advantage was "not having to drive home in the snow late at night ... [and] not having to look for a parking space on campus." Another said, "I live 3 hours from the closest city with an NP program. [I] have two small children and a life (and an almost full-time job). Distance learning gave me the flexibility I needed:' Distance learning programs also allow many students to go back to school more easily than traditional programs.

But, for some students, distance learning lacks the personal interaction with professors and fellow students of more traditional programs. "I missed the social part of academia," said one NP student. Some distance learning programs overcome this by vigorous use of E-mail, on-line discussions, and similar electronic programs.

Other students felt that their distance programs more than compensated for the lack of physical proximity. "[One advantage was] being able to spend more time on-line with my instructors than I would normally have spent on campus, because I was always rushing away to get to work. I never stayed in touch with many instructors after a course was completed when I attended on campus; however, I've stayed in touch with several Internet instructors."

For programs that mix on-campus students with distance students, the distance students may feel left out of class activities. One NP student lamented that "not all instructors `remembered' that some of us never came to campus, and they would provide information in class that was never posted on the Web site or communicated via E-mail to us."

Of course, because most distance learning programs rely heavily on technology one way or another (E-mail, Web, video), inevitable technical difficulties occur; however, one student pointed out that with videotapes, "you could rewind [the lectures] to catch important points (and fast forward over the drivel)."

Other than those classes conducted via interactive live video, distance learning programs dispense with a rigid class schedule. One NP student commented that, with classes on videotape, "you can turn your instructor on and off any time you like." E-mail or Web-based programs allow even more freedom. Many liked the fact that distance education allowed them to complete their education at their own pace and in their own location.

The clinical element

Most distance learning programs in nursing require students to arrange for their own clinical preceptors locally. This can be difficult. "We were responsible for setting up our own [preceptors], and I'm not sure that this is the best way to facilitate learning. It was difficult to find clinicians willing to take on students, and, if they were willing, they may not have been good teachers."

Others saw this more positively: "Finding our own clinical sites allowed us to find potential employment sites, which helped many of my colleagues get jobs after we graduated." "My advice," offered another student,"[is to] choose your preceptors wisely and sharpen your physical assessment skills. Network, network, network within your community."

Although some students felt that distance learning programs could be effective at any level of study, others commented that a solid grounding in clinical skills was needed before one pursued distance nursing education. "I think it wouldn't work well for someone starting out as an NP student. You really need that monitoring and feedback to get down your physical assessment skills. Leaving that to the discretion of a preceptor is iffy. If you don't get the basics down, you have a shaky foundation," said one NP student. Another commented that distance education was appropriate only for "any class not requiring clinical or lab time."