During his podcast, History of Educational Technology, Rick Schwier asked class participants to recall their earliest memories of educational technology. I quickly recalled using slides/projector, transparencies (overheads), mannekins, and a cardiac monitor/defibrillator for the first CPR and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) courses that I taught as a nurse in the mid 1980’s. The slides/ projector and transparencies re-emphasized/supplemented material found in the course textbook and were used for the theory portion of the courses. The mannekins and cardiac monitor/defibrillator were used in the practical portion of the CPR and/or ACLS course.

The CPR and ACLS courses were designed by the American Heart Association (AHA) and were intended to be standardized. As such, the same instructional materials and technology (except for the cardiac monitor/defibrillator which varied between hospitals) were used to teach ACLS across the globe. In order to “pass” the ACLS course, participants had to achieve a score of 84 on a multiple-choice exam and proficiently lead a team of healthcare providers in the successful resuscitation of a simulated cardiac-arrest victim. As an instructor, I was tasked with “uncovering the material with the students” (Jim Julius), helping them to “think” about how to use knowledge to save a life, and assessing their ability to save a life. As was stated by Jarion Lanier, “If students don’t learn to think, then no amount of access to information will do them any good.”

Fast-forwarding to the present, I still teach ACLS in a face-to-face setting. The design of the course and student learning outcomes are essentially the same as they were in the mid 1980’s except that videos have replaced the slides and transparencies. In addition to the face-to-face course, the AHA began offering the ACLS course online about five years. The practical aspect of the course consisted of a computer simulation of a cardiac arrest and the online learner had to essentially manage the emergency by responding to a series of prompts in a rapid-fire manner. Not surprisingly, students complained that the complexity of the simulated assessment environment (i.e. educational technology) made it difficult for them “think” and therefore save the patient’s life. Rather quickly, the AHA realized that the design of and use of educational technology in the online ACLS Course was ineffective and transitioned it to a blended learning format in which the practical testing of the student is conducted in a face-to-face environment.

I have decided to focus my discussion on connectivism, as it is an emerging learning theory or “element” (Jim & Lisa) of a learning theory that I am just learning about. According to Strong & Hutchins, the “primacy of technological enhancement differentiates connectivism from the more dominant learning theories.” In his Jan. 2012 blog entitled, What Does Connectivism Mean for Education, Justin Marquis stated that within the framework of connectivism, “Those responsible for teaching and training need to incorporate instructional strategies that match learner expectations and the physical changes that technology has wrought on the human brain.” As such, he opined, “The application of connectivism to teaching and learning requires a thorough rethinking of the educational process and the role of the teacher, student, and technology in that process.” Jim and Lisa echoed similar sentiments about the changing roles of and relationships between the instructor, student, and content within the connectivism framework and presented a visual depiction of the relationships. Interestingly, within this framework the role of the instructor appears to be one of environmental designer. (Even more interesting though was how George Siemens has envisioned instructors as network administrators and curators).

So, as I contemplate my role as the environmental designer or curator of a nursing course, I cannot help but think that a course based entirely on the connectivism framework would be more appropriately scheduled during the last semester of a nursing program. Up until them, it is my opinion that instructivism, cognitivism, and constructivism would be the prevailing learning theories utilized as nursing students look to faculty as experts to learn from and clinical work as field experiences upon which to associate knowledge.

In considering what LMS to utilize when designing a course and how best to facilitate a course, I will keep in mind what Eric pondered in his introduction, “How do I want the student’s to experience this course?” However, as a novice who has yet to teach online, I must equally focus on the recommendations of Ko & Ross on how best to “manage” an online course room so that it neither becomes a “nightmare” for me nor my students. So…my ultimate goal is to find the balance between the pedagogical goals and the LMS.

Based on what I learned from reading Lisa’s article, I should first focus on how pedagogical goals can be achieved and then consider what technology can support this. For nursing students, a pedagogical goal in all courses is the development of critical-thinking skills. The e-portfolio platform discussed in the article by Jennifer Demski is the type of technological advancement that would allow nursing faculty to assess the development of students to think critically as they progress through the program. Another pedagogical goal in a nursing course may be to promote interdisciplinary communication skills of students as future members of the healthcare team (nurses, doctors, dieticians, respiratory therapists, etc.). Open Class, the cloud-based software developed by Pearson, would allow for the coordination of interdisciplinary projects between campuses. Such projects would serve as the foundation for communication and collaboration between the healthcare disciplines.

Open class is free, open and flexible LMS that houses google apps and wordpress. It has been adopted by Central Piedmont Community College and West Virginia University at Parkersburg.

During the fall semester, I taught a f2f Medical Terminology Course for the first time. I am teaching the same course this semester as well. On Day 1 of the course, I am prepared to answer the following FAQs:
1. Am I required to purchase the course textbook?
You must have a textbook to reference during weekly group exercises and to complete chapter exercises.
2. Are the questions on the examinations multiple- choice?
The examinations will contain fill-in-the blank, labeling, true or false, open-ended, and/or multiple-choice questions.
3. Will I be required to spell medical terms correctly on the course examinations?
Although the correct spelling of medical terms is very important, points will not be deducted for the incorrect spelling of medical terms on the weekly exams. However, .5 points will be deducted for each misspelled word on the midterm and final examinations.
4. Can I “make-up” a weekly short exam if I am absent from class.
No, you will not be able to take the 10-question exam that you missed. However, on the day of the midterm exam, and again on the day of the final exam, you can take a 10-question exam that covers the material in Chapters 2-7 and 8-13, respectively. The score that you obtain on this exam will replace the score of zero for the exam that you missed.
5. Will there be an opportunity to obtain extra-credit points?
Yes! Students may obtain a maximum of 20 extra credit points for the semester by creating two examinations with 1-10 multiple-choice questions and the correct answers. The extra credit points from Extra Credit Assignment #1 (1-10 points) will be added to the midterm examination score or weekly exams for chapters 2-7. The extra credit points from Extra Credit Assignment # 2 (1-10 points) will be added to the final examination score or weekly examinations for chapters 8-13.

Last semester, after the midterm examination, I asked the students in the course to complete a paper-copy of the following survey . Even though this survey only contained five questions, it provided me with very valuable feedback about the teaching/learning and assessment strategies that I was using. Now that the survey is in survey monkey, it will much easier for me to “tabulate and evaluate” the survey results.

This week, I experimented with the following programs for the first time: Lucidchart, Prezi, and Screencast-o-matic and used LucidChart to map the concepts associated with the medical condition, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (see below):

Concept mapping is a great way for nursing students to learn how to “connect the dots” between the pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, and treatments associated with a medical condition. I usually use a blackboard or whiteboard when I concept map with students in a f2f class. The program, Lucidchart, will help me to digitally create concept maps for online learners.