1. Chapter 17:
MOOCS and Virtual Learning Spaces: A Withering of the Traditional Classroom

2. Higher Education—State of Evolution and Alternative Learning Environments
Traditional face-to-face learning spaces and pedagogy is being challenged by
Massive open, online courses (MOOCS)
Notion of open courseware
Creation of virtual environments

3. MOOCS
Online courses on a wide range of topics open to anyone in the world who has Internet access and computer and language proficiencies
Registration is open to everyone.
No limits on the number of student participants
No need for prerequisites

4. Question
How are traditional learning environment being challenged?

5. Answer
Massive Open Online Courses, MOOCs, have shaped the online learning scene, fostered “disruptive” innovations in higher education and lifelong learning, and quickly gained immense popularity over such a short period of time

6. Two different types of MOOCS
CMOOCS
XMOOCS

7. Benefits of MOOCS Thousands of students enroll from around the world.
Access is free or involves minimal fee for certificate of completion.
Education taught by university experts
Serves as an alternative (and supplement for many) to the traditional, university classroom
Allows learners to acquire new skills at their own pace
May also enhance employability

8. Challenges and Concerns of MOOCs
Completion rate
Majority of MOOCs are conducted in English.
Not accessible to underprivileged communities
Majority of learners were already educated.

9. Open Source Materials Use of open source websites/concerns Wikipedia
UpToDate
Google
Medscape

10. Virtual Learning Spaces/Online Courses
According to the landmark report 2013—Grade Change: Tracking Online Education in the United States, 7.1 million higher education students were taking at least one online course in the United States.
Majority of academic leaders are predicting online courses to continue to impact an increasing number of students.

11. Online Pedagogy
Considered as “those in which at least 80% of the course content is delivered online”
In the past were offered in an asynchronous format
Today’s format includes the following:
Web-conferencing tools such as Adobe Connect, Blackboard’s Collaborate, Cisco’s Webex, and Citrix’s GoToMeeting have enabled nurse faculty to push beyond the asynchronous world to foster synchronous communication in real time.

12. Question
What is the difference between an asynchronous format and a synchronous format?

13. Answer
An asynchronous format consists of organized modules, vast amounts of reading, and typed discussion boards, and they involved working independently at a time of one’s convenience. Web-conferencing tools such as Adobe Connect, Blackboard’s Collaborate, Cisco’s Webex, and Citrix’s GoToMeeting have enabled nurse faculty to push beyond the asynchronous world to foster synchronous communication in real time.

14. More Online Tools
Blackboard
Angel
Moodle
Canvas
VoiceThread

15. Communication and Online Courses
Teachers must provide frequent communication with students and encourage them to communicate as well
It is imperative to success.
Faculty members must demonstrate presence.
Make it explicit to the student that he or she is available by or phone call

16. Standards for Distance Education
Regulatory issues: assure quality and that online standards were comparable to face-to-face method by utilizing the five pillars to measure quality in online courses
Learning effectiveness
Scale
Access
Faculty satisfaction
Student satisfaction

17. Faculty and Learner Expectations: Challenges and Impact of Traditional versus Online Classes
Decreased financial resources
Increased accountability to stakeholders
Demands for curriculum reform that meets the changing needs of the nursing workforce
Shrinking faculty shortage
Accommodating the millennial student

18. Traditional versus Online Nursing Education
Inaccessibility to a wireless network in the traditional learning environment poses challenges to learner expectations
As a demographic that frequently uses the Internet, it is important for students to access the appropriate discipline-specific databases such as CINAHL and Medline instead of using Internet search engines
Use of an interactive response system in class
Instant messaging or a group chat room and blogging

19. Question
What are the reasons that students are seeking online classes more than ever?

20. Answer
Demands for curriculum reform that meets the changing needs of the nursing workforce and accommodating the millennial student.

21. Environmental Barriers: Time, Setting, and Physical Space
Traditional nursing education requires a considerable time commitment from both the instructor and student.
Clinical and research faculty must balance primary responsibilities with teaching commitments and faculty development.
Increasing clinical demands can be challenges to effective teaching.
Students that attend a traditional classroom have to balance their own competing employment and familial and financial priorities.

22. Environmental Barriers: Time, Setting, and Physical Space (cont.)
Inappropriately designed physical space
Lack of flexibility
Geographic restrictions
Appointed times
Limited number of students

23. Faculty Development and MOOC Teaching Faculty Expectations
Paying more attention to their teaching styles and pedagogy when thousands of participants/learners are embarking on their open digital platform
Faculty wanting to ensure their teaching is high quality
Platforms allow different levels of interaction with students to actually understand the students’ strengths, weaknesses, and collaborative spirit.

24. Faculty Learning New Styles of Teaching in MOOCS
Faculty learning to develop his or her distinct online voice and presence
Findings ways to improve quality of online presentations and communication to thousands of participants to provide clarity and articulation of specific messages, directions, and overall summaries
Flipping their traditional courses

25. Classroom Learning Environments of the Future?
Movement toward interprofessional education to better simulate reality as opposed to educating students in silos
Simulation hospitals
Personalized electronic health records
Tracking applications
Personalized medicine

26. End of Presentation