Now, the dean and professor of Christine E Lynn College of Nursing at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton is heading up a very different curriculum: one that is more akin to an in-person/online hybrid model, due, in part, to a pandemic that accelerated the shift to online learning and the advancement of new technologies overall.

This sea change comes with its perks and its challenges, George-Dalmida says.

“I think online education works best when it’s a mix between innovation and appropriate use of technology, and of course interactive teaching methods that engage our nursing staff and really get to the meat and potatoes of what our students need,” she explains. 

Some current and future approaches in a virtual curriculum include:

• Online learning management platforms such as Blackboard and Canvas
• Project-based learning, which can be done online using technologies such as breakout rooms and virtual whiteboards
• Narrated PowerPoint presentations
• Virtual simulation 
• Adaptive technologies 
• Artificial intelligence

“We’re blending many opportunities for students to learn well and to provide them with the experiences that will help them be great future nurses,” George-Dalmida says.

More foundationally, online learning platforms need to be well-organized to be effective, she notes. This way, “students have a clear way to navigate the information,” George-Dalmida explains. It’s on students, too, to familiarize themselves with the platform and online tools in advance, and ask questions as needed. This way, they can devote their time to learning and engaging with the content, their classmates, and their teachers.

And yet in-person learning still has its value. “Virtual simulation covers a number of topics that students would need to learn to develop clinical critical thinking skills related to patients,” George-Dalmida says, “and then in-person labs give them the opportunity to practice their skills so once they do get to that clinical, in-person setting in the hospital, they feel a little more comfortable working through solving problems and applying their critical thinking.”

Those in-person rotations in hospitals and clinics are critical to enable students to grow into “caring, compassionate, and highly skilled nurses,” she says.

Nurses, and faculty to teach them, are in demand right now. In some respects, online learning has made attaining this education more feasible, whether someone is aiming to get a Bachelor of Science in nursing or a doctorate. 

If someone chooses to get an online education to become a nurse, they can expect more flexibility — but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still hard work, George-Dalmida suggests. 

“I think, overall, nursing school is very stressful for most students,” she explains. “It’s very intimidating. And it does require time management and organizational skills in general, whether it’s in-person or online.” 

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Beverly Malone, Ph.D., RN, FAAN

President and CEO, National League for Nursing

In recognition of their essential role and in celebration of nursing education’s historic and continuing inspiration to nurses everywhere, I am proud to announce 2022 as the Year of the Nurse Educator.

The pandemic highlighted just what is at stake when nursing resources are stretched too thin, particularly for people of color and underserved communities. We know that among the major obstacles to reversing the shortage of nurses is a shortage of nurse educators, which in turn limits the available spots for qualified applicants to nursing programs. There can be no better response to this vicious cycle than to encourage more nurses to earn the master’s degree required to teach in pre-licensure programs and for master’s and doctoral-credentialed faculty to become Certified Nurse Educators, the badge of expertise in this advanced specialty area of practice.

As much of nursing education, like education at all levels, migrated online out of necessity during the past two years, a fortunate consequence has been increasing opportunities to earn advanced degrees entirely online by accredited programs and institutions. We anticipate that such programs will free nurses from the burdens of lost income, crushing student loan debt, and having to move to a distant campus, thus making it easier to pursue a master’s in nursing or education.

Throughout the Year of the Nurse Educator, the National League for Nursing and our partner organizations are spotlighting the pride that nurse educators experience teaching in a variety of academic and clinical settings: major research universities connected to cutting-edge teaching hospitals, community college and diploma pre-licensure programs, and innovative models of primary and preventative care in marginalized, impoverished communities.

To bring you this free, downloadable online educational content, the campaign has created a dedicated Year of the Nurse Educator website: YearofNurseEducators.org. Throughout the year, you will find posted personal stories from veteran and novice nurse educators, sharing what and who inspired them to go into nursing education and how their students help keep them fresh to meet new challenges. You will also learn from students about the mentors who have made a difference in their lives, as they nominate these special people for a monthly recognition program.

In addition to the website, the campaign will feature #BeyondANurseEducator, a social media initiative to be launched in May, in conjunction with National Nurses Month; the Nurse Educator of the Year Award, which will be awarded up to five deserving honorees; and regular e-blasts, video testimonials, blog posts, and podcasts on the NursingEDge.

Please join me and my colleagues in saluting our dedicated, hardworking heroes in nursing education — and get inspired to join our ranks. A future nurse will thank you today. And their patients and families will thank you tomorrow!

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Dr. Mary Lou Sole

Dean and Endowed Chair, College of Nursing, University of Central Florida

Dr. Josh Hamilton

Dean and Graduate Program Director, Rasmussen University

Matt Cooper

Founder, Skillshare

What does the future of online nursing education look like to you?

Mary Lou Sole: Online education will continue to grow as more students are looking for flexible options to attain a higher education. The pandemic has shown us the importance of having high-quality online offerings. Emerging technologies are being integrated with more traditional online education to engage the student and immerse them in the content area. We will also see more adaptive and flexible learning options that allow the student to complete coursework based on a personalized timetable.

Josh Hamilton: Online learners are going to be looking for affordable, flexible online options that accommodate their needs as working professionals. We’re going to see more schools doing what Rasmussen has always done when it comes to our post-licensure and graduate degrees: emphasizing learning and becoming proficient over marking the passage of time in a classroom or electronic learning environment. We don’t expect students to spend time in activities and assignments that don’t feel relevant to the work they’re doing today – and the work they want to do when they graduate! Nursing education must become more authentic and contemporaneous for us to keep pace.

Is technology good enough to give nursing students the hands-on experience they need when pursuing a degree online?

JH: Online learning was initially focused on didactic content. Some skill training can be integrated into online courses with the appropriate technology and software. For example, online health assessment courses integrate simulated technology to enhance learning of assessment skills. Specifically, such technology brings into the classroom the finer “soft” skills of interacting with people to gain a far more holistic assessment and establish a relationship of trust between client and nurse. There are several creative and effective means of evaluating student skills. Students can learn skills through practice and submitting videoclips of performance for evaluation. Simulated programs also provide an opportunity to learn and demonstrate critical thinking skills. However, I believe that most programs need time integrated into the clinical setting for real-life experience. Much can be demonstrated through simulation; however, application in the clinical setting is essential. Distance education offerings that are well-designed bring this aspect of education into the scope of online learning.

What is the most common challenge students face when trying to pursue an online education, and how can this be avoided?

Matt Cooper: A challenge our students face is not knowing where to start and finding the confidence to take that first step. We find that new students start off full of enthusiasm and chomping at the bit to dive in, but it can also feel a bit overwhelming for them. There’s also a lot more self-discipline required with online learning. We’ve all heard about the struggles that kids and their parents have faced with virtual schooling throughout the pandemic, and it’s not that different for adults trying to stay focused on a class when there are endless distractions getting in the way. This then puts the onus on us to ensure a student’s experience is a highly personalized one, and that there’s a fair amount of structure offered. It was this realization that led us to launch learning paths, which take a student from A to Z on a topic.

MLS: Students may mistakenly believe that online education is easier than traditional means of delivery. Students must possess a significant level of self-determination to adequately plan, organize, and execute assignment, course, and program completion successfully. A major difference between distance and local education is the importance of learning from each other and engaging in courses with classmates and the instructor in two-way communication. Distance learning involves far less sitting and passive listening. It is interactive to the point of being required for success. The online student cannot sit in the back row of the class and merely listen. To be successful, participation is demanded. The students must immerse themselves in learning.

What is the largest challenge you’ve faced as an expert in this industry?

MC: The in-person learning experience is unique and its benefits are innumerable. Our biggest challenge is figuring out how to leverage the long list of benefits of online learning and then closing the gaps in some of the other areas that traditionally favor the in-person model. To do this, we can make the content as engaging as possible, ensuring our teachers weave in authentic personal stories and even get comfortable with showing their mistakes. We can also provide mechanisms to receive feedback and input from teachers and other students, and we can re-create the energy of an in-person classroom with live sessions and Q&As. We’re exploring all of these things through our primary membership experience, as well as in our cohort-based Chroma Courses.

What are the three biggest benefits of online learning when someone is looking to pursue a higher education in nursing?

MLS: The first is flexibility of scheduling to allow for a balance in life with work and family. Also, access to a wide range of programs not limited by geography, and learner equity. High-quality course designs, which incorporate multiple methods of information dissemination and knowledge assessment, give a far more balanced classroom than the traditional lecture/test approach to education.

JH: My perspective on this is shaped by the compelling stories of our students and recent graduates. They have told us that they chose our online programs because they were flexible and allowed them to continue to work as nurses while they were pursuing an advanced degree. Many of our learners have returned to tell us that our authentic assessments were a reflection of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that have helped them be successful in the workplace. Our emphasis on competence (not time-in-task or letter grades) and the collaborative interactions with faculty are critical in this development. Thanks to online learning, schools finally can deliver a rigorous, enriching, and challenging program that feels contemporary and relevant — for a fair price.

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Brandon Busteed

President, Kaplan University Partners

The global pandemic drove an incredible rise in awareness of online education, which is expected to be a $1 trillion market by 2027. Few people know that world better than Brandon Busteed, a pioneer in the field and currently chief partnership officer and global head of learn-work innovation at Kaplan. He recently sat down to discuss the future of online education.

What are the three biggest benefits of online learning?

Flexibility and convenience. Online degrees have been a pathway for many more Americans to get a college education who otherwise didn’t have the option. But as a result of the pandemic, we’re starting to realize that hybridity is becoming the new norm. You have kids who are sick for the week or may have to travel, and instead of missing class, they can join remotely.

For students that don’t like to speak up in class or are shy and aren’t good at asking questions, having a modality where they can message the teacher or faculty member while they’re in the classroom is important. And virtual teacher hours are another great example —in-person office hours are hugely underutilized. If you can pop in virtually or do an instant message chat with them, you increase the connectivity.

What’s the biggest challenge in the industry?

The pandemic has been a double-edged sword. The whole world got exposed to online learning and acceptance of it skyrocketed. But many experienced online education in a subpar fashion. That continues to be the big challenge — there’s a huge variety of quality with online degrees and courses. How do you, as an individual student or a parent, suss out the really high-quality stuff versus the stuff that’s just kind of slapped together?

What’s the most common challenge students face pursuing an online education?

Balancing time against other life and work priorities. Most people pursuing fully online education are working, they’re parents, or they have a full-time job. It’s mostly about how they juggle their time, how flexible the program and curriculum are. It’s about to what degree they got prior learning credits for, work that they’ve already done, or opportunities to accelerate by doing competency-based models.

That’s where support systems come into play. The best online programs and universities are taking down the resistance points for students and adding non-academic support services.

What does the future of online education look like?

It’s going to be increasingly more human. There’s going to be an increasing number of human touchpoints that are part of the experience. That could be brief mentoring, advising sessions, or students connecting with a real human being on Zoom, FaceTime, or whatever the modality is.

It’s also going to be a driver of lowering the cost of higher education. You’re starting to see universities that are now price-differentiating their online programs from their residential programs and lowering the cost of effectively the same degree. We’re in the early days of that, but ultimately we’re going to start to see online education driving down the cost of higher education.

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Julie Miller, B.S.N., RN, CCRN-K

Clinical Practice Specialist, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN)

Linda Bell, M.S.N., RN

Clinical Practice Specialist, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN)

Imagine arriving at work and suddenly needing to perform tasks you haven’t been taught to do before. This is the current reality in the world of nursing.

With continuing surges in patients who have COVID-19, the healthcare system is facing a worsening shortage of nurses and an ever-widening gap between nursing experience and patients’ complexity. Nurses who are unfamiliar with the critical care environment are being brought into intensive care units to help care for the overwhelming number of patients. As a result, it is imperative to have safe, efficient, and virtual continuing education to meet the learning needs of nurses. 

Hospitals and nurses need relevant, up-to-date online education to help upskill competencies in order to safely provide care for acutely and critically ill patients. The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has helped meet this need with an array of online COVID-19-related educational resources, made available to all nurses for free. These resources add to AACN’s portfolio of continuing education opportunities that support the learning needs of nurses who are new to or experienced in progressive and critical care. 

Thanks to the growing number of online nursing education and resources, such as those offered by AACN, nurses can practice their critical-thinking and clinical-judgment skills in a safe, realistic virtual hospital environment, where they can practice assessing patients and make medical decisions through interactive, case-based scenarios. 

AACN is the largest specialty nursing organization in the world, with more than 130,000 members, and a leading provider of continuing education for nurses and other healthcare providers. Learn more about AACN by visiting www.aacn.org. 

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Corwin McCammon

Professional Masters in Business Administration Online (PMBAO), Florida International University

Why did you choose to pursue your degree, and why did you choose to pursue it online? How has this format benefited you professionally and personally? 

I was looking to transition from working in startups to a more traditional corporate role within finance. I was mindful of my knowledge gaps and believed an MBA would provide me a great foundation to build a new career. I chose an online program because I wanted to pursue international consulting opportunities and experiences while completing the program.

I was fortunate enough to live and work in nine countries during my two-year program. This decision placed my coursework in a global context, and the program helped me further my interests in renewable energy and e-mobility. My online MBA at FIU prepared me to excel in my new role by supporting my learning goals in a format that worked for me.

What has your university/school done to engage you as a learner, despite the remote format? What strategies have you, your classmates, and your instructors used to maintain a relationship?

The [Professional Masters of Business Administration Online] program at FIU is designed for working adults who juggle many hats in their day-to-day lives. The program team understands that remote learning can be challenging and provides many resources to support the virtual environment.

Earn your MBA without putting your life on hold. FIU’s fully online program gives you the opportunity to learn from esteemed faculty, as well as network with professionals.

As a student, you get on-campus residencies, industry nights, professional development seminars, and the amazing business career management team at your disposal. I took advantage of many of the services offered by the business career management team. They helped me update my résumé and cover letter. I had virtual coaching sessions to prepare me to succeed at the job fairs I went to my last semester. The team played a pivotal role in the job I have now. The program has the right mix of resources and support to give you that edge you need in the job market.

How has participation in your degree program better prepared you to achieve future aspirations? How has this education impacted your life? 

In my new role at Stellantis (formerly Fiat Chrysler Automotives [FCA]), I am financially responsible for the product development of the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango and play a crucial role in the electrification strategy for my vehicles. I didn’t know this is where my MBA journey would lead me, but I am grateful the FIU business program helped facilitate this new reality. 

FIU introduced me to FCA when I participated in a school sponsored business case competition sponsored by the company at the National Black MBA Association. Participation on the FIU team opened more doors within the company than I could have ever imagined. Further, the program helped reinforce my commitment to educating future business leaders. The professors I met in the program inspired me to share my knowledge and experience with others. This month, I officially start my Executive Ph.D. in Business Administration.

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The tech industry is expected to reach a record-breaking $5 trillion market value by the end of 2021, with sectors like cybersecurity, data science, and UX/UI design on the rise. And as the industry grows, so does the need for skilled tech professionals who are ready to enter these fast-growing fields. 

Tech bootcamps like Flatiron School can provide students the knowledge and hands-on experience they need to get job-ready in as little as 15 weeks. As opposed to a university education, bootcamps get you out of the classroom and into the workforce so you can start earning and progressing in your career more quickly.

“When you go to a university, you are required to take many extraneous courses that you won’t use after graduation,” said Bret Fund, Flatiron School’s head of education. “But what you learn in a bootcamp directly maps to your chosen career, so you can get there sooner.”

Save and earn

Bootcamps don’t just save graduates time — they’re often a more affordable option, too. For example, tuition for Flatiron Schools’ career-changing courses in software engineering, data science, cybersecurity, and product design cost a little under $17,000. In comparison, a four-year bachelor’s degree at an in-state, public university costs an average of over $42,000, according to College Board.

Perhaps most importantly, bootcamp alumni are equally capable of landing well-paying jobs upon graduation. In its 2020 Jobs Report, Flatiron School boasted an 86 percent employment rate for job-seeking 2019 graduates (both on-campus and online), and graduates who accepted full-time employment earned a $74,962 average starting salary during the same reporting period.

If you’re ready to pursue a career in tech, visit flatironschool.com to find the right program for you (available in select markets).

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Becky Klein-Collins

Vice President, Impact, CAEL (Council for Adult and Experiential Learning)

But what about classes that are heavy in “hands on” learning experiences? The good news is that technology and innovation are making it possible to bring more of the latest types of learning to your living room, your break room, or almost anywhere you can connect to the internet. 

Learning experiences

Learning online doesn’t necessarily mean watching lectures on Zoom. The best programs will offer you engaging instruction and opportunities to work on real-world projects.

For instance, in the energy industry, sophisticated computer programs have created simulations of an entire power plant. This has been a game-changer for learners seeking training that they can fit around their busy work schedules, and it also provides a close-up look at power plant equipment without having to shut down the whole plant.

Training for digital lab tech jobs also offers new approaches to online instruction. In some programs, instructors wear head-mounted cameras to offer virtual students a “POV” procedural perspective. Students following along at home use take-home materials they were issued to familiarize themselves with processes and equipment. 

Elsewhere, IT students have used a secure portal to access the full complement of a college computer network. 

The right fit for all

Of course, there are lots of reasons why someone might prefer to be in a brick-and-mortar classroom with a live instructor. For those students, there are options to blend in-classroom learning with online components to help deepen the learning experience. 

But don’t assume online learning will be easier. While online learning can make access to learning much easier, mastering the content will take the same work and dedication as it would in a traditional classroom. That’s why even the most high-tech virtual programs offer ways to engage with teachers and a community of fellow learners for support. 

If online learning is the right choice for you, make sure you have an adequate internet connection and hardware — laptops are best, but some programs might be possible to do on a smartphone (be sure to ask if that’s an option). 

Still unsure? Many institutions offer practice courses and other ways for students to test the waters of online learning.  After all, when world-class educational experiences are no longer limited by geography, the possibilities become global — not just for students, but for the colleges that recruit them. 

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Beverly Malone, Ph.D., RN, FAAN

President and CEO, National League for Nursing

“Forecast for the Future: Technology Trends in Nursing Education,” a recent survey by Wolters Kluwer Health and the National League for Nursing of administrators, deans, directors, and faculty in nursing education programs predicts the classroom of the future will be a hybrid learning environment. While investment in and development of new technology will remain strong during the next few years, in-person learning is anticipated to also expand by incorporating existing and Next-Gen technologies, including novel virtual reality and augmented reality (VR and AR).

Fortunately, advances in technology have spurred the development of online learning modules, tools for educators to evaluate and assess student mastery of abstract concepts, and virtual simulations that effectively facilitated clinical training, and instilled critical thinking skills essential to healthcare delivery and positive patient outcomes. 

Virtual experience

While the heart of nursing will always be the nurse-patient relationship, there are multiple levels of patient care, not all of them requiring in-person learning to be of value. For example, focusing on learning a skill set through virtual reality, prior to encountering actual patients, will mean that pre-licensure students will be that much more practice-ready once they enter the nursing workforce. 

Another benefit of virtual learning is its widening of the pool for clinical preceptors in remote locations nationwide and around the world. Absent the limitations of geography, it’s been easier to match students with preceptors whose profiles are compatible. 

With its outsize impact on communities of color, the pandemic showed that the social determinants of health — the daily conditions in which people live and work — take center stage in initiatives aiming for social and economic justice for historically underserved populations. Both live and virtual educational experiences can also help close those well-documented gaps in care and lead to a better, healthier future for everyone.

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Jack Mills

Senior Vice President of Partnerships, Impact, and Insights, Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL)

The best online learning programs were not, however, a simple broadcasting of traditional classroom lectures. Over the past 30 years, the specialized science of online learning has evolved as a format that works throughout students’ personal and professional lives. It can help adults access career-furthering education, fueling social mobility and community prosperity.

High stakes

The need for our current workforce to gain new skills is urgent. The pandemic is intensifying the tech-driven disruption of jobs. Although there were more than 9 million job openings in May, 9.3 million people remained unemployed. One theory for this paradox is that employers are searching for workers with higher skill levels. Strategies to make workforce education and training more accessible are an important way forward to rewarding careers and broad economic growth.

Unfortunately, most adult learners do not have the luxury of treating education as a full-time job. They often must contend with two kinds of scarcity — time and income. Many are holding down one or more low-paying jobs, and/or caring for family members. The essence of serving adult learners well is meeting them where they are, rather than expecting them to somehow put their “real-life” responsibilities on hold.

Online learning does exactly that, and much more. Over the past several decades, it has led to innovations from new accelerated programs to open educational resources to fully online programs and colleges. It has also proven that it can offer all the academic rigor of traditional programs. 

Sophisticated virtual experiences can be nearly indistinguishable from “real life” learning, even for more hands-on fields of study (consider the DOT-approved simulators that are part of training programs in the transportation industry).

Access for all

But to reach its full potential, we must ensure broadband access is available to all communities. Digital literacy and lack of technology devices can be challenges. 

While the mass pivot to online learning occurred under duress and wasn’t flawless, its growth is an encouraging development. After all, if education is to fulfill its promise as the great equalizer, there must be equitable access to it. Online learning provides yet another evolving route within the vital journey of lifelong learning.

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