COTE NOTE
The Center for Online Teaching Excellence
What I know about Collaboration in a Virtual Learning Environment Tara ZacharzukMarciano Tara Zacharzuk-Marciano is an Assistant Professor of Nursing at SUNY Ulster. She has been teaching at SUNY Ulster for seven years. She also works as a staff RN at a local medical center as a surgical nurse. Tara has been a RN for sixteen years and has taught clinical, lecture, and lab. She has also been involved with SUNY Ulster’s Simulation Center. Tara received her BSN from SUNY Plattsburgh and Masters of Arts in Nursing Education from Pace University. She is currently working on her PhD dissertation based on virtual learning environments from Capella University in Nursing Education. Both her masters and PhD programs have been entirely online programs. Tara believes that virtual learning environments will be an important and valuable teaching tool for the future of nursing education.
“Virtual learning is an
I would like to share what I know about Collaboration in Second Life Games and simulation have been identified as emerging technological tools affecting teaching and learning. “Virtually all college students have had experience with games. Games represent active, immersive learning environments where users integrate information to solve a problem. Learning in this manner incorporates discovery, analysis, interpretation, and performance as well as physical and mental activity. An increasing number of colleges and universities are exploring the use of games to enhance learning (http://er.educause.edu/articles/2015/7/taking-serious-games-seriously-ineducation). SUNY Ulster’s Healthcare facility in Second Life is a terrific tool that would align existing Second Life Healthcare facilities and resources previously designed by SUNY Ulster with other SUNY schools eager to explore the next generation of learning in a virtual world. The SUNY Ulster Healthcare facility, located on the SUNY Learning Network Island, will serve as a hub for introducing all interested SUNY campuses to the opportunities for enhancing curriculum in a virtual world.
What is it Second Life is a virtual environment supported on an internet-based collaborative platform where faculty can build dynamic, interactive scenarios to support teaching and learning. Second Life provides an avenue for educators to engage students in the practice and development of critical thinking and reasoning skills beyond the traditional clinical setting. With the ever-dwindling number of available clinical sites, it is neither possible, nor feasible for all learning to take place with a real patient. Simulation that mimics the essential features of real-life experiences is a significant feature of Second Life that permits learning in a safe, controlled environment. Virtual learning is an important part of the learning experience that allows for the extension of nursing skills through simulated experiences.
How it works
learning experience that
Second Life offers endless opportunities for incorporating emerging technologies into the classroom and clinical experiences for both in-class and distance learning. It gives learners a sense of “being there” even when attending class in person is not possible or practical. Second Life provides opportunities for immersive education by bringing distance education and self-directed learning to a new level. This, in turn provides educators and distance learners with the ability to connect, communicate, and collaborate in a way that enhances experiential learning (http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-539241).
allows for the extension
What I did
important part of the
of nursing skills through simulated experiences.
”
I have used the SUNY Ulster Healthcare Facility in Second Life when developing my curriculum to offer another type of learning experience for my nursing students. Incorporating virtual learning technology into our curriculum provides additional educational opportunities for students to practice critical thinking and reasoning skills beyond the clinical setting. Second Life promotes self-directed learning and collaboration enhanced by unique experiential learning.
How I did it This has been a technically challenging research project to implement. While we are still developing the technology, we have been able to completely redesign our hospital using improved equipment, objects, and building technology. This allows us to have a sharper looking simulation, increased realism, and the
The Open SUNY Center for Online Teaching Excellence
November 18, 2015 • Volume 4 • Issue 2
COTE NOTE Staff
ability to revisit how we will utilize second Life.
The COTE Community Team: Alexandra M. Pickett, Associate Director, Open SUNY; Martie Dixon, Assistant Academic Dean, Distance Learning & Alternate Programs, Erie Community College; Patricia Aceves, Director of the Faculty Center in Teaching, Learning & Technology, Stony Brook University; Lisa Dubuc, Coordinator of Electronic Learning, Niagara County Community College; Christine Kroll, Assistant Dean for Online Education, Graduate School of Education, University at Buffalo; Deborah Spiro, Assistant Vice President for Distance Education, Nassau Community College; Vicky Sloan, Distance Learning Coordinator, Clinton Community College; Erin Maney, Senior Instructional Designer, Open SUNY; Lisa Raposo, Assistant Director, SUNY Center for Professional Development
Why I did it
This publication is produced by the Open SUNY Center for Online Teaching Excellence under the SUNY Office of the Provost.
What I learned
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The reason for developing this tool is the need to develop other learning experiences for nursing students, in addition to their classroom or clinical experiences. With the dwindling number of clinical sites and more nursing education being offered online, virtual learning is in the forefront for teaching critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills. It also allows students to connect and collaborate with others around the globe. The increasing complexity of the healthcare environment has greatly increased the importance of teaching technology in the classroom. Using Second Life as an innovative teaching strategy has already helped infuse technology into the SUNY Ulster nursing program, a goal supported by state and national nursing organizations as well as the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) 2011 report on the Future of Nursing Education (IOM, 2011). There is an opportunity for Ulster to work with other SUNY nursing programs to use the unique technology of Second Life to train novices in preparation for real life clinical experiences. This will serve to further enhance student success and improve overall retention rates.
What happened when I did it We are implementing this new tool during the Fall semester of 2015. Some of our goals of this project include providing another place for students to practice clinical reasoning, critical thinking, and clinical skills in a safe, reality-based environment. The challenge we have now encountered is what we can do with the technology, this is not game ware and does not function is this manner. We have learned a great deal from utilizing this technology. There is a large learning curve and it takes time to develop the healthcare facility in Second Life. Some lessons learned include what do we really want to accomplish in Second Life. How do we want students to learn while utilizing Second Life. Understanding that this is not game ware and does not function in this manner was a critical realization we have come to with the multiple setbacks we have encountered. Deciding the best way for this technology to function for us, to meet our students needs, and develop an environment where students can learn have become the most critical aspects for us now. Simulating patient care scenarios in a realistic environment is an increasingly popular method for preparing health professionals to care for patients. Virtual learning is an important part of the learning experience that allows for the extension of nursing skills through simulated experiences. Incorporating virtual learning technology into our curriculum provides additional educational opportunities for students to practice critical thinking skills beyond the clinical setting.
How others can use it The collaborative use of Second Life among SUNY institutions will allow faculty, working with technical assistants, to create situational learning environments in a virtual world, allowing students the opportunity to be exposed to and assess hazardous living conditions, unsafe environmental elements, potential patient health or safety risks – without leaving the campus or their homes to do so. An added benefit will be to increase the technical skill level of faculty and students participating in the project. Implementing Second Life as a collaboration tool can offer many benefits to your students. It can require extensive set-up, but SUNY Ulster’s Healthcare facility is already created and available. If any SUNY Nursing Programs are interested in utilizing SUNY Ulster’s Healthcare Facility please contact me to discuss your needs and ideas at zacharzt@sunyulster.edu.
This publication is disseminated under the creative commons license AttributionNoncommercial-Share Alike 3.0
The Open SUNY Center for Online Teaching Excellence
November 18, 2015 • Volume 4 • Issue 2