InnovationCENTER: Synchronous Online Role Play for Enhancing Community, Collaboration, and Oral Presentation Proficiency

Abstract

With graduate nursing education delivered largely via online technologies, predominantly in the asynchronous format to accommodate the many needs of adult learners, one must ask whether online education adequately prepares graduates for the roles and skills needed to transform practice in an ever-evolving health care system (Kalisch & Begeny, 2010; Tucker, 2004). Communication tools within course management systems widely used for online course delivery enable students to develop skills in asynchronous, text-based communication but may not provide opportunities for graduate students to develop the effective oral communication skills (Cornelius & Glasgow, 2007; Smith, Passmore, & Faught, 2009) expected in professional practice, including the ability to articulate ideas clearly and succinctly and defend positions through extemporaneous question-and-answer exchanges with an audience. For online nursing programs to evolve beyond the mere teaching of the content, attention must be given to fostering an educational approach that uses real-world contexts to facilitate proficiency in oral and written communication and equips students with the skills needed for practice. This article examines the effectiveness of synchronous role play as a teaching strategy to enhance oral presentation proficiency in online learning environments. The selection of appropriate technology to enable synchronous role-play activities and the development of strategies for supporting student learning in technology-rich, collaborative learning environments are discussed. Background Most graduate students at this large public university are geographically dispersed, work full-time or part-time, represent different generations, practice with varying levels of professional experiences, and juggle multiple family and educational responsibilities. To accommodate their needs, all graduate online courses are offered asynchronously without required visits to campus. An Applied Technology in Health Care course was developed to provide doctor of nursing practice (DNP) students with the knowledge and skills needed to inform decision-making about patient care and health care systems and provide leadership within health care systems and/or academic settings. The course aligns with competencies outlined by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2006), the National League for Nursing (2008), and the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (2006) to provide a framework for graduate nurse education built on computer literacy, information literacy, informatics, and communication competencies. Nurse practitioner master's degree and certificate students, as well as PhD students, enroll in this course, along with all DNP students, creating a diverse learning community of students of different ages, backgrounds, professional experiences, and levels of comfort and expertise with technology and online education. The challenge for the course designers was to provide flexible learning that would meet the needs of all types of learners and ensure that diversity resulted in a richer learning experience. Instructional Design Approach The focal unit in today's health care system is the interdisciplinary team. Without practice in developing effective collaboration and communication skills, including the ability to speak extemporaneously and defend positions and answer questions on the spot, graduate-prepared nurses may not be adequately prepared to be successful team players and deliver professional presentations and proposals to management or to stakeholders. To enhance collaborative skills and oral presentation proficiency, the course instructor worked with an instructional designer to simulate a real-world context of presenting and defending a proposal in front of a management team. This learning activity supported the following course objectives: * Apply computer and information literacy skills to the health care setting. …