From “Sage on the Stage” to Facilitator of Learning: A Transformative Learning Experience for New Online Nursing Faculty

Background

Nationally, about one-third of faculty, feel they are being “pushed” into online venues by administration and those who had been teaching the longest were most reluctant to embrace online learning (Allen, Seaman, Lederman, Jaschik, 2012a). Market pressures and the demand to deliver education at reduced costs have been identified as possible reasons why institutions of higher education are driven to adopt online programs of study (Schejbal, 2012). Transitioning to a new style of teaching as faculty experience the move from traditional, lecture-oriented classes to the online venue can threaten a faculty member’s comfort level as well as their sense of accomplishments associated with a traditional mode of educating nursing students (Hoffmann & Dudjak, 2012). In an online environment, traditional approaches, such as lecture, are often not as successful as more active learning approaches, which include reflection and opportunities to demonstrate learning, and may lead to students feeling disconnected and dissatisfied with the course content (Boling, Hough, Krinsky, Saleem, & Stevens, 2012).