Professional Development: Mentoring Faculty in the On-line Environment

According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the number of on-line nursing programs has grown by more than a third in the past two years and there is an increasing demand for qualified nursing faculty. Creating an engaging learning environment in the on-line setting requires a different skill set than in the traditional classroom. Experienced faculty have mastery of course content, but may need to become familiar with the technology required to conduct an on-line class as well as developing effective facilitation strategies for the on-line environment. Less experienced faculty may require mentoring with content as well as with technology and facilitation strategies.

Each course in the on-line graduate nursing program at our School of Nursing and Health Studies provides students with weekly synchronous sessions that offer them the opportunity for real-time interface with faculty and classmates. Multiple cohort start dates throughout the year and low student-to-faculty ratios necessitates increasing on-line adjunct faculty. This presents the challenge of developing effective mentoring and communication methods for a large number of on-line faculty from varied backgrounds with significant time constraints due to full-time clinical/research schedules.

Using quantitative and qualitative evaluation data from faculty and students, the Advanced Pathophysiology course faculty developed a successful faculty mentoring program that has resulted in improved performance and course satisfaction for both faculty and students. This presentation will highlight specific strategies for mentoring on-line faculty, with varied levels of experience, to develop technology and facilitation skills and provide ongoing support to foster professional development and retention.