Guiding Principles of Online Teaching and Learning

Adopted by the Executive Committee (EC)
of the Master of Science in Nursing Regents Online Degree Program (MSN RODP)

Background

Recognizing the need to address a critical shortage of advanced practice nurses, and nursing faculty in particular, in the state of Tennessee, the deans and directors of the colleges/schools of nursing in the TBR universities have joined to offer the Master of Science in Nursing through RODP (MSN RODP). 

The approach of the Deans/Directors in the development of this innovative program is to offer the MSN RODP as a consortium.  The consortium is defined as the nursing education unit. The Deans/Directors of the Schools of Nursing from the six TBR Universities serve as the Executive Committee (EC) and provide primary oversight and decision making authority of all aspects of the Master of Science in Nursing Regents Online Degree Program.  The basis for establishing the consortium is expressed in a set of commitments aimed at ensuring high quality in the delivery of graduate nursing education online.  These include commitments to (1) the traditions, principles, and values which guide high quality nursing education programs; (2) cooperation among the six colleges/schools; and, (3) to supporting good practice in the delivery of online education.

Commitment to values and principles of nursing education

The curriculum for the program arises from the combined philosophies of the participating colleges/schools. The collective beliefs and principles about online teaching and learning also guide the development and implementation of this collaborative program.

Basic Beliefs about Teaching and Learning

• Teaching involves both learner and teacher where the teacher acts as a facilitator and a resource person.
• Teaching assists the learner to develop, organize, and structure knowledge; promotes desirable attitudes and skills; and fosters a spirit of inquiry.
• Learning is a dynamic process of personal and professional growth.  It builds on prior experience, stimulates critical reflection, and enables the student to problem solve and practice independent decision-making. 
• Teachers and learners are partners in the educational enterprise of lifelong learning. 

Beliefs about Online Teaching and Learning

• The online environment supports the development of a community of learners who bring valuable knowledge and experience to the ‘classroom’.
• Online teaching is a mode of educational delivery.
• Teaching and learning online is not better or worse than traditional education. 
• Teaching online is not a technical discipline.  Instead, the technology used for teaching online is simply a teaching tool.  When used appropriately this technology serves as a resource to support and enhance the learning environment. 
• Teaching and learning online is not for all faculty or students.
• Nursing education will always require a certain level of direct human interaction for the teaching and learning of psychomotor skills specific to the discipline.  Clinical/practicum courses can not be taught 100% online.  Online resources may provide support to faculty, students and preceptors in communicating expectations and evaluating student performance in the clinical/practicum courses.

Furthermore, the EC agrees that the following requirements/expectations must be met in the development of an online program:

• The program must comply with the standards and criterion of accreditation.
• Course requirements must ensure comparability to campus-based courses.
• Faculty who teach in the program must receive appropriate training.
• Policies concerning ownership of materials, faculty compensations, and copyright issues must be clear.
• Students must have adequate access to the range of services appropriate to support the program.

Commitment to cooperation among the six colleges/schools of nursing

Baccalaureate prepared registered nurses in Tennessee have consistently indicated their desire to obtain their graduate degree in nursing from a public university in Tennessee.   Many are forced to travel to surrounding states to attend MSN programs and online programs available to them are not their preferred choice.  Until 1992, there were three master’s programs in Tennessee that were respectively located at Vanderbilt University, UT-Knoxville, and UT-Memphis. In 1992, the Tennessee Board of Regents approved an MSN program at East Tennessee State University and in 1996, at Tennessee State University, a historically black university in Nashville, TN.  Most recently (June 2003), TBR approved the MSN program to be offered at the University of Memphis.   In fall 2003, the Tennessee Board of Nursing (TBN) reported that there were nine master’s programs in Tennessee serving approximately 500 enrolled students.  There were no public institutions of higher education in Tennessee that offered a Master of Science in Nursing program online.  There were only two (Union University and University of Memphis) programs in Tennessee with a nursing education focus.

Access to educational opportunities is critical to an adequate supply of masters prepared advanced practice nurses, i.e. nursing educators, in specific regions of the state and nation.  As stated above, the approach of the Deans/Directors in the development of this innovative program is to offer the MSN RODP as a consortium.  The Consortium Model allows participating universities to share their most valuable resource: faculty.  An important factor in this decision is the requirements of the Geier Settlement, a court monitored federal desegregation order that affects the Tennessee Board of Regents system. Under the Geier Settlement, MTSU and APSU are not able to offer the MSN degree because their geographic location in Middle Tennessee threatens the viability and enrollment in higher degree programs at TSU, a historically black institution.   A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was approved by the court which allows APSU and MTSU to offer the MSN through the consortium model.  The EC refers students to these three schools using a random selection process agreed upon to protect the enrollment of TSU.  The individual college/school of the participating university makes the final decision about the admission of a student. 

The EC recognizes the challenges faced by many adult learners as they strive to advance their professional education while balancing the stresses of home, work and school. While the convenience of distance education is the answer for many, the logistics of providing this can be complex and cost restrictive to individual campuses.  Also, the distribution of students across the state which desire a specific specialty may be sporadic.  One region of the state may have a cluster of potential students in a specialty area while another region may have only one or two individuals desiring the same specialty. An individual school/college can not offer the array of specialties desired due to limited enrollment in their particular area.  Clustering students desiring common specialties allows the institution to meet the needs of its constituents and provide access to graduate nursing education programs.  To meet the educational needs of aspiring nurse faculty and practitioners, the EC has capitalized on the infrastructure and success of the Regents Online Degree Program to make quality learning opportunities more available and convenient for a steadily growing population of nursing graduate students.  Using technology, the MSN RODP improves access to high quality, affordable, student-centered graduate nursing education opportunities through cooperation among the six TBR Universities. 

The development of this collaborative program is consistent with TBR’s commitment to collaboration among its institutions and to the reduction of duplication of programs offered.  Its development has resulted in a beneficial expansion of graduate education opportunities for nurses and a greater optimization of assets of the individual campuses.

This innovative nursing education model uses technology not only to offer joint courses but also to encourage further cooperation and collaboration among the faculty of the participating colleges/schools. 

Commitment to supporting good practice

The EC is committed to supporting good practice in distance education.  Doing so is in keeping with the commitment to ensure high quality in the delivery of graduate nursing education online.  Good practices are identified through the process of ongoing and systematic assessment and evaluation.  A best practice statement provides a comprehensive and demanding expression of what is considered current good practices. 

Based upon the expertise and substantial experience of RODP, the MSN RODP subscribes to and supports the best practices for electronically offered degree and certificate programs identified by the Southern Regional Accrediting Commission (The Commission on Colleges, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.  Best Practices for Electronically Offered Degree and Certificate Programs:  Supplement to Guidelines for Distance Education.  Decatur, GA. Available: http://www.sacscoc.org/commpub1.asp#Good%20Practices).  These Best Practices complement the principles of distance education and considerations for implementing distance education required by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC).  The SACS Best Practices and NLNAC Standards serve as the basis for identifying principles which guide the development and implementation of the MSN RODP.

For the purpose of establishing these guiding principles, distance education is defined as “an educational process in which the majority of the instruction occurs when a student and instructor are not in the same place” (NLNAC, 2005).  In compliance with RODP policies and procedures all online instruction is asynchronous.

The following guidelines support course development and delivery in the MSN RODP. 

• Courses provide for timely and appropriate interaction between students and faculty and among students.
• Faculty assumes responsibility for and exercises oversight of the curriculum, ensuring both rigor of the program and the quality of instruction.
• The technology used is appropriate to the objectives of the program and expectations concerning the use of such technology are clearly communicated to students
• There is currency of courses and materials
• Policies are clear concerning ownership of materials, faculty compensations, and copyright issues.
• Faculty support services are appropriate and specifically related to online instruction.
• Faculty who teach in the program receive appropriate training.
• Admission and recruitment policies and decisions take into account the capability of students to succeed in online courses.
• The integrity of student work and the credibility of courses credits are ensured.
• Students have access to and can effectively use appropriate library resources.
• Courses requirements ensure that students make appropriate use of learning resources.
• Students have adequate access to the range of services appropriate to support the program.
• Course requirements ensure comparability to campus-based courses.
• Students have an adequate procedure for resolving their complaints.

The referencing of these particular guidelines in this statement does not imply that they are the only requirements/principles that apply to distance education and/or the MSN RODP.  Additional requirements for course development and specific faculty expectations are found at the RODP website. 

Summary

As technology impels the health care delivery system, nursing education must follow.  As Internet use increases within the health care delivery system so does its emphasis in online teaching and learning. Online education prepares students to be active participants in an increasingly technology-driven world.

These guiding principles of online teaching/learning are established by the MSN RODP consortium to ensure high quality in the delivery of graduate nursing education online.  These principles arise from the Executive Committees commitment to (1) the traditions, principles, and values which guide high quality nursing education programs; (2) cooperation among the six colleges/schools; and, (3) to supporting good practice in the delivery of online education.