A transformation in the delivery of doctoral level nursing programs is necessary to increase the number of doctorally prepared nurses (Benner, Sutphen, Leonard, & Day, 2009; Frith & Clark, 2013). The implementation of doctoral nursing programs that are completely online has not sufficiently addressed the challenges that students encounter within these learning environments, especially after years away from school. Universities struggle to offer sufficient and effective support for online students, regardless of the degree sought, as new online students are required to decipher vast quantities of information even before they begin their educational program.
Timely information on the practicalities of online programs is essential in order to navigate incoming students on the pathway to success (Smyth & Lodge, 2012). This article outlines an interdisciplinary collaboration involving a librarian, a writing coach, an instructional designer, and a nurse educator in their attempt to provide midcareer adult learners with the resources and support they needed to be successful within an online doctoral program in nursing education.
PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS AND IDENTIFIED PROBLEMS
The previous orientation for the online doctoral in nursing education program consisted of a series of online narrated PowerPoint presentations detailing the features of the learning management system (LMS). Students received these presentations approximately 1 month before an on-campus, face-to-face orientation. The on-campus orientation was required before the beginning of course work and introduced students to key components of the doctoral program, such as the LMS, library resources, research skills, and writing assistance.
However, with the transition to a new online doctoral program, the first year of the online program proved difficult for students, and faculty and their cross-campus partners identified the need for further student support. In particular, faculty and staff noted the lack of practical knowledge regarding the LMS and unfamiliarity with library resources to conduct literature searches. Also, experience with academic writing was marginal whereas foundational nursing research concepts were unfamiliar and distant to the students.
The nursing students' first-year difficulties impeded their academic success and their ability to achieve course outcomes. Therefore, an improved approach to the orientation process for doctoral nursing students was found to be necessary. The first step involved conducting a literature review in order to design an online orientation for the doctoral nursing program.
LITERATURE REVIEW
The following question guided the literature review: What are the recommendations for the design of online nursing student orientations? An integrative review, as outlined by Whittemore and Knafl (2005), was used as a guide for the literature search.
The databases CINAHL, ProQuest, ERIC, and PubMed were searched for articles published between 2009 and 2015 using the key phrases online student orientations, online nursing student orientations, and online graduate nursing student orientations. Although 900 articles were located, only two educational briefs on online orientation for nursing students were found to be particularly relevant for this project (Carruth, Broussard, Waldmeier, Gauthier, & Mixon, 2010; Hansen, Clark, McCleish, & Hogan, 2009). Data were evaluated with the use of a 2-point scale (2 = high, 1 = low) for the category of data relevance (Whittemore & Knafl, 2005).
Carruth et al. (2010) stressed that online nursing student orientations should offer a nonpunitive environment with multiple opportunities for students to practice the necessary skills required in an online course. These skills involved the LMS and basic computer literacy. Recommendations included flexibility and adaptability in the orientation design (Carruth et al., 2010; Hansen et al., 2009) to help students assimilate vital information necessary for program success. The integration of an online orientation design versus a face-to-face design was seen as beneficial to student progression, retention, and success in an online nursing program (Carruth et al., 2010; Hansen et al., 2009). Specific recommendations for the collaborative design of online nursing student orientations were not found.
FACULTY-LIBRARIAN-STAFF COLLABORATIONS
In spring 2014, the director of the doctoral nursing program created a working group, consisting of interdisciplinary support staff, for the online orientation. This working group encompassed the program director, the nursing school's writing coach, the nursing school's instructional designer, and the library's liaison to the nursing school. Although subgroups of this team had worked together frequently in the past, they had never met in unison before.
As each member of the working group person was accustomed to working independently, the initial online orientation design called for them to work in parallel, with separate modules for each member's purview. However, this design introduced immediate issues. Because each module was distinct, the orientation as designed would fail to take advantage of the natural overlaps in content and practice that would normally happen in an online classroom. For example, the writing coach designed the module for the writing assignment to include the development of an annotated bibliography in APA style and the completion of a manuscript (including title page, introduction, research questions, supporting paragraphs, conclusion, and reference pages). Although students would need to use library skills in order to complete this writing module assignment and writing would, by definition, guide students' use of the library, there would be no integration of services within the modules to reflect this complementary structure. Furthermore, this design only gave a week to each group member, allowing little time for students to integrate group feedback or practice necessary skills.
As a result, the design of the online orientation shifted to a much more collaborative effort (see Supplemental Digital Content 1, available at http://links.lww.com/NEP/A1). The group began by cooperatively developing overall learning outcomes, pedagogy, and a flexible schedule for the online orientation. Essentially, each module featured an instructional activity from each group member, inserted where online activities would naturally fall in an online course, as students reviewed research concepts and developed their scholarly writing. This collaborative design not only turned most of the online orientation into an active learning exercise but also unintrusively introduced the various support services that could help students during each step of the program.
RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The newly developed online orientation program offers a way to proactively prepare online doctoral students for their program. It can also serve to identify at-risk doctoral students and connect them with the appropriate resources to facilitate program completion. During the online orientation, students develop good online learner and writing behaviors while learning about the expectations and philosophical foundations of the program. In addition, students can experience the level of rigor demanded by their future doctoral study as well as the typical levels of feedback and support offered by the school's faculty and staff. Lastly, students are not only informed about the support services that exist but also use these services repeatedly at the point of need. Rather than struggle on their own, students are taught to reach out for help when needed, a habit that continues into the first semester of the doctoral program.
The process of collaboration has benefited faculty and staff. Those taking part in the collaboration established strong working relationships and a better understanding of each support service's capabilities and strengths. The act of collaboration encouraged team members to reflect on their field and current practices and to incorporate the expertise and support available to them and their students through the university. After completion of the project, the team continued to meet regularly to discuss orientation assessments and evaluations as well as the next iteration of the doctoral nursing program online orientation. Those faculty who were not involved with the orientation team benefit by receiving better prepared students in their doctoral courses.
It is recommended that, in developing an online orientation, the team should encompass representatives from all the services that support that program. Team members should foster mutual respect and recognition for the capabilities and knowledge of all members. If a university provides academic support services, it is in the best interest of the university, staff, faculty, and students that these services are integrated, promoted, and utilized in the actual programs.
REFERENCES