Generational Differences in Faculty and Student Comfort With Technology Use.

BackgroundNavigating through online education courses continues to be a struggle for some nursing students. At the same time, integrating technology into online courses can be difficult for nursing faculty.PurposeThe purpose of this study was to assess faculty technology integration practices, student attitudes about technology use, and generational differences related to faculty and student technology use.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional survey design was used to obtain data for this study.ResultsIntegration of technology into online courses and student attitudes about technology use were not significantly different by generation. Faculty and students from the Baby Boomer and Generation X reported less comfort using technology and higher levels of anxiety using technology than did individuals from Generation Y.ConclusionSignificant generational variations were not noted in relation to technology integration into courses and overall student attitudes about technology in this study, but differences were noted in relation to comfort with use of technology and anxiety when using technology. Student learning outcomes and satisfaction with learning may be influenced by the student's comfort using technology and faculty's confidence in integrating and using technology to provide online instruction

Self-efficacy and Satisfaction With Teaching in Online Courses.

BACKGROUND:Growth of online education has increased the demand for satisfied educators with perceived self-efficacy in online teaching. Teaching self-efficacy is an indicator of the belief that one can make a difference in student learning outcomes. PURPOSE:The aim of this study was to examine the level of teaching self-efficacy and satisfaction of online nursing faculty. METHODS:This study used a descriptive cross-sectional survey design. Faculty satisfaction was measured by the Online Instructor Satisfaction Measure, and self-efficacy for online teaching was measured by the Michigan Nurse Educator's Sense of Efficacy for Online Teaching instrument. RESULTS:The sample included 100 faculty in multiple schools of nursing who taught at least 1 online course in RN to BSN or graduate nursing programs. Overall, participants had relatively high levels of online teaching self-efficacy and satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS:Teacher self-efficacy can be facilitated through faculty development and increased experience teaching online