Nurse Practitioner Education in a Blended Learning Environment

Abstract

A total of 76% of a targeted population of adult learners who were experienced nurses completed a questionnaire that evaluated satisfaction levels on several dimensions of engagement for two graduate level clinical nursing courses delivered in a blended learning environment. Elluminate© (synchronous) and forum interactions (asynchronous) were the online components, and standard onsite laboratories were the three approaches to course delivery. There were significant increases in level of comfort with the Elluminate© and forum interactions but not onsite approaches during the course. However the onsite component was ranked as facilitating more personal satisfaction and development. Residential distance from the university was associated with greater initial comfort for the Elluminate© component while higher levels of education were associated with more positive responses for the forum modes. The mean rankings of the preferences were primarily positive for all three components of instruction and suggest that such blended programs may satisfy a greater diversity of student needs.