Approximately 20 years ago, I participated in a program when I returned to college for my professional nurse’s degree; where I challenged a particular subject to obtain a passing grade. I had been an LPN working in a Recovery Room for 18 years. I felt that I had many years of experience during this time, that I could study from about 2-3 suggested texts and then take a very difficult exam. After studying for six different subjects, and passing the exams, I then entered my senior nursing year to matriculate and only take my two nursing courses in college. I had done this, go to college, and work full-time to achieve my AAS in nursing. I was very confident going into this online program, as I knew I was very organized and structured, and felt I could accomplish this with ease. In my nursing classes, I had to deal with sometimes very much younger students, sometimes right out of high school. They did not share my passion for nursing and I found them to be very disruptive in the class. I found my professors very helpful, willing to assist me when I ran into trouble, and often sharing their nursing experiences with us. I often scored extremely high on my exams and my labwork. Therefore, again, I thought, I would definitely do very well with online classes. Well, 20 years have passed, I’m not as young, and can’t remember quite like I did in the past and I am very tired after working sometime 9-10 hours in the hospital. Although I can go to my office and study, often spending 3-4 hours on either the computer or reading, I find I am very limited to what the professors can share with me. They do not always get back to me right away if I have a question or problem, which I can certainly understand. In addition, even though the Internet opens up a completely new world to the student, I have not yet grasped even one tenth of the capabilities of the Internet and how it can assist me. This is very upsetting to me, but I have chosen this route to obtain my bachelors in nursing. Yes, it is more convenient for me at this time in my life, it is easier as I am in the comfort of my home that I have been away from for 9 -10 hours, but sometimes I feel that the cons outweigh the pros—in my particular case. I only have this and another course to go, and I am getting a little discouraged at the present.
Original Post
July 20, 2009
Title: Is Online Learning Easier?
While at work last night we had a discussion of the different types of programs where nurses can earn their BSN and/or MSN. I was surprised that the majority of nurses said they preferred the traditional classroom over online or distance programs. The view was there would not be the instructor support to help with elements of a course that the student was not able to understand. I look at this experience totally opposite, with the entire Internet at my disposal; I can research any topic and find the answers myself. In a classroom I would be limited to what the instructor was putting forth. Yes, I can always later do the online research but how often will that happen. I think in the classroom, instructors consciously or subconsciously teach to how they will test to insure the success of their students. With online learning, I am responsible for learning the material and have no idea what specific topics will be on an exam. It isn’t that it is easier to do an online degree program; it requires the desire to look for and learn the information as opposed to having it spoon-fed.
Tags: Healthcare Informatics, Healthcare Informatics Resources, Nursing Education, Health Care Informatics Education
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