FUTURE REFLECTION MARISA TAPIA

NOVEMBER 1, 2009

IT 6750: CURRENT TRENDS AND ISSUES IN INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY

INTRODUCTION

Instructional Designer, what is that? It was during my

interview at AORN that I asked this question. It was the first

time I had heard the phrase, let alone know what the role

entailed. As a registered nurse and a nurse educator this new

phrase took me by surprise and intrigued me. Designing

instruction? Well isn’t that what I have been doing all along? I

was interviewing for a position at this nursing association in

my quest to make a career change yet keeping true to my

nursing background. I was informed that the Instructional

Designers are the backbone of designing and developing

online education at AORN and work closely with the nurses at

the association. I soon began working for the Association of

periOperative Registered Nurses-AORN in 2006 as a

Perioperative Education Specialist-my dream job.

Here, I could develop my skills as a nurse educator,

education developer and nurse planner of education events

and products. As I approached my second year at AORN I

started looking into certificate programs and graduate

programs in instructional design as this was an area that I

found very interesting and could enhance my graduate degree

in nursing, my nursing experience as an educator and provide

a solid background in education and technology.

In searching for programs I realized that the University of

Colorado Denver offered exactly what I was looking for- the

Master of Arts in Information and Learning Technologies with

an emphasis in Instructional Design and Adult Learning. I am

currently enrolled in IT 6750 Current Issues and Trends in

Instructional Technology. As part of this assignment we are to

predict what our job would be in 2014. The next section

describes what I would like to see as my future endeavors in

2014 as a Nurse Instructional Designer detailing job, scope,

technological influences and what I envision as the future in

nursing education.

Do not train children to learning by force and harshness, but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each. -- Plato

2014-WHAT A GREAT YEAR!

I finally completed my PhD in Nursing, my job has evolved in that I now work from home and

I currently serve as a nurse education consultant, collaborating with both the School of

Education and the College of Nursing at the University of Colorado as well as continuing my

work at AORN in developing a new and innovative graduate program combining nursing

science, the perioperative specialty and instructional design. New technologies in simulation

training have become the wave of the future in healthcare education and are emphasized on

this project. My main role is creating online courses in conjunction with simulation training

scenarios by incorporating the ADDIE principles of instructional design. Below is an example of

the ADDIE Model which guides my practice in the development of simulation training and

online courses that I develop. Here is a great link to learn about the ADDIE principle.

http://pimarsc.pbworks.com/JTED-Technology-Overview . All of our online education programs

utilize collaborative learning methods as well as honing in on critical thinking skills to enhance

learning and knowledge acquisition.

With simulation training on the rise, Wilford and Doyle

(2006) state the use of simulation training is gaining

momentum while allowing multiple learning objectives to

be taught in a realistic clinical environment without

harming patients. Since 1975 the military has been using

simulation training to enhance learning and attainment of

skill acquisition (2006). The first documented simulation

training was done by divers in the Royal Navy, and it was

this simulation training that prompted the U.S. military to

promote flight simulation training programs to train pilots

(2006).

Simulation training is ever changing and evolving

education, staff development and training in nursing and

healthcare. Currently, all patient care skills are being

taught with the latest technological advances in web-based

education, Virtual Reality (VR) and high fidelity human

patient simulation training equipment and mannequins to

enhance clinical site education. According to Hanna and

Fins (2006), relying solely on simulation and online

education cannot promote quality care or interpersonal

skills in the clinical setting but simulation and online

education can augment clinical site hands-on training to

increase confidence and increase communication, skills and

patient outcomes.

STIMULATING LEARNING

THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

INNOVATIONS, COLLABORATIVE

LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS AND

CRITICAL THINKING

There are several stages involved when developing and

designing on-line education. Of importance are elements

that will engage, attract and motivate learning while

It is the supreme

art of the teacher

to awaken joy in

creative

expression and

knowledge.

-- Albert Einstein

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The secret in education lies in respecting the student.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I hear, and I forget. I see, and I remember. I do, and I understand. -Chinese Proverb

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~

Learning without

thought is labor

lost; thought

without learning

is perilous.

-- Confucius

maintaining robust content that promotes collaborative

knowledge acquisition. Technology integration in education

is revolutionary in the sense that is has transformed how we

think, teach, learn and evaluate learning. According to

Peters (2000), the use of technology integration in

education work synergistically when the learning can be

obtained and utilized effortlessly. Gokhale (1995) defines

“collaborative learning as an instruction method in which

students at various performance levels work together in

small groups toward a common goal”. This promotes

ownership in learning among the participants in the group

thus creating an environment of learning grounded in

critical thinking skills. In creating nursing education it is

important to not forget the importance of critical thinking

and the application of skills and training needed to identify

and incorporate a plan to care for a patient with an acute

illness. Jeong (2003) clearly identifies that in online

instruction the use of threaded discussions on various

questions posed by the instructor prompted more insight

and questions from the students who actively participated

in the discussions. Also of importance here is that Jeong

(2003) identified that the discussions prompted critical

thinking and prompted a higher level of questioning by the

students. In online education the threaded discussions are

integral to learning, relearning and critical thinking as the

more insight the participants gain the more questioning is

evident and resolution to problem solve is enhanced (2003).

REFLECTIVE CONSIDERATIONS

It is important to identify that good online instruction

should incorporate a well thought out plan, design and

content that builds on concepts to attain information and

acquire knowledge and skill that serve a purpose in a field of

study. Online instruction that utilize graphics, voice, video

and content specific to a group’s needs while utilizing

interactivity will always be well received provided that the

I hear, and I forget. I see, and I remember. I do, and I understand. -Chinese Proverb

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~

Learning without

thought is labor

lost; thought

without learning

is perilous.

-- Confucius

graphics, voice and video interactivity do not distract but

enhance and promote learning. Future considerations will

involve even more technological advances in which will

promote more integration in the education and healthcare

arena, but it is important to stay true to the methods of the

“old” and blending with the new to facilitate teaching

learning and acquiring knowledge.

I hear, and I forget. I see, and I remember. I do, and I understand. -Chinese Proverb

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Learning without

thought is labor

lost; thought

without learning

is perilous.

-- Confucius

References Gokhale, A.A. (1995). Collaborative learning enhances critical thinking. Journal of Technology Education; 7(1), 22-30. Hanna, M., & Fins, J.J. (2006). Power and communication: Why simulation training ought to be complimented by experiential and humanist learning. Academic Medicine; 81(3), 265-270. Jeong, A.C. (2003). The sequential analysis of group interaction and critical thinking in online threaded discussions. The American Journal of Distance Education; 17(1), 25-43. Mann, E. (2007) http://pimarsc.pbworks.com/JTED-Technology-Overview and http://pimarsc.pbworks.com/f/Intel_Instruction_flowchart.gif accessed October 20, 2009. Peters, O. (2000). Digital learning environments: New possibilities and opportunities. International Review of Research in Open Distance Learning; 1(1), 1-19. Wilford, A., & Doyle, T.J. (2006). Integrating simulation training into the nursing curriculum. British Journal of Nursing, 15(17), 926-30.