"Teaching Through Your Fingertips”: A Descriptive Study to Understand the Experiences and Needs of Online Educators in Postgraduate Nursing Education in Australia
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCUAbstract
Introduction: Even before COVID-19, enrolments in online postgraduate nursing and midwifery courses were growing globally. Teaching into planned online courses requires pedagogical considerations unique to the context. Objective: The objective of this descriptive mixed methods study was to understand the experiences and needs of Australian online educators who taught into planned online postgraduate nursing or midwifery courses. Methods: A 55-item online survey captured the experiences and needs of participants. This paper reports on the analysis of participants’ qualitative responses in this survey, analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Forty-nine postgraduate educators participated in this study. Results: Five core themes were identified: time is precious; redefining the educator role; understanding the pedagogical shift; online and alone; and learning to teach online. Many educators report lacking the skills and confidence to deliver high-quality education to postgraduate students through their fingertips. Conclusion: This research highlighted that online educators need support through resources, education, and professional development.
Journal
SAGE Open Nursing
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Volume
9
ISBN/ISSN
2377-9608
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Pages Count
9
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Publisher
Sage Publications
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EISSN
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DOI
10.1177/23779608231165722