Faculty Experience of a Technological Innovation in Nursing Education

Abstract

AIM The purpose of this study was to investigate faculty experiences associated with using an innovative technology known as The Neighborhood (a virtual community). BACKGROUND As expectations for nursing faculty to incorporate student‐centered learning activities increase, there will be greater use of innovative technologies to help them achieve this goal. There is limited research on the faculty experience of adopting innovative technologies. METHOD This article focuses on the qualitative component of an 18‐month, multisite, mixed‐methods study, a descriptive qualitative content analysis from data collected from focus groups held at each of five intervention schools. RESULTS Three key themes about the innovation emerged from the data analysis: Teaching/Learning Benefit, Commitment to the Innovation, and Cost. CONCLUSION With the expansion of technologies specifically designed for health care education, optimal support is critical. Ongoing research is needed to gain a better understanding of faculty experiences for successful adoption efforts.