Session 32

Title: An Online Story-Based Learning Community for Nurse Educators

Session Description:

There is a shortage of nurses who possess the leadership practices required to fill current and impending nursing leadership vacancies. Hospital-based nurse educators are in a prime position to foster a leadership mindset within nurses, and seek out potential nurse leaders; however, nurse educators first need to develop their own leadership practices and feel empowered to take on the role of mentoring future nurse leaders. The goal of the study was to develop an online learning community where hospital-based nurse educators could develop their own nursing leadership practices through storytelling within an environment that included the elements of teaching presence, cognitive presence, and social presence. The online learning community would be considered an empowering environment, and nurse educators would improve their own feelings of empowerment.

A wiki was used as the computer-user interface for the online learning community, and was designed based on the principles of human-computer interaction, learning theory, and instructional design. The wiki was separated into two learning communities, namely, the facilitated community and the self-organizing community. The researcher/facilitator was the leader of the facilitated community, while self-organizing community members were responsible for leading their own community. The facilitator intervened in the self-organizing community when necessary, mostly to address technical issues. Through direct instruction via narrated presentations available to both communities, and leadership stories written and posted by the community members themselves, nurse educators learned about exemplary practices of leadership.

In this presentation, hear how nurse educators from British Columbia, Manitoba, and Ontario, formed a community of learning. The effect of participation in the online community on their own perceived levels of empowerment and leadership development will be examined. Critical factors to consider in the establishment of an online learning community will be identified.

Presenter: Brenda Stutsky

Brenda Stutsky is a registered nurse and Director of Nursing Innovation and Research at the Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg. In addition, she holds an appointment as an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Manitoba.

Brenda recently completed her PhD in Computing Technology in Education from Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Her research interests include online learning communities, technology in higher and professional education, and empowerment and leadership in healthcare.