Discussion: Educational Technology Needs Nursing

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Discussion: Educational Technology Needs Nursing

Overview
Conduct an educational technology needs assessment for your current workplace setting or another health care setting you are familiar with and interested in. Document the results of your needs assessment in a 3–5-page report.

Note: Each assessment in this course builds upon the work you have completed in previous assessments. Therefore, complete the assessments in the order in which they are presented. Discussion: Educational Technology Needs Nursing

Assessment Instructions
Note: Complete the assessments in this course in the order in which they are presented.

PREPARATION
Workplace Setting and Educational Context
You may choose your current workplace setting or another health care setting you are familiar with and interested in as the context for this assessment and all subsequent assessments. Also, in your selected setting, choose the educational context within which the technology is being used:

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Academic.
Clinical (on the job).
Continuing professional education.
As you work through each assessment in this course, imagine yourself as the director of nursing education or fulfilling a similar role in your organization. In your capacity as director, you are aware that several organizational training initiatives and ongoing educational programs have not met expectations. You suspect that part of the reason for this can be attributed to the ineffective use of existing educational technologies, and in some cases, the lack of appropriate tools and technology. Consequently, you have decided to conduct a needs assessment to determine what changes in existing technologies, or their use, you might propose to executive leaders that would have a positive impact on current nursing processes, staff performance, and patient outcomes. Discussion: Educational Technology Needs Nursing

To prepare for the assessment, you are encouraged to reflect on how educational technologies, such as simulation equipment, e-learning, and remote communication technologies, are used to support nursing education or training programs you are familiar with. Then, consider the effectiveness of these technologies and whether new or upgraded technologies, or changes in current use, might help close performance gaps and improve patient outcomes. In addition, you may wish to review the assessment requirements and scoring guide to ensure you understand the work you will be asked to complete. Discussion: Educational Technology Needs Nursing

Note: Remember that you can submit all, or a portion of, your draft needs assessment to Smarthinking Tutoring for feedback, before you submit the final version for this assessment. If you plan on using this free service, be mindful of the turnaround time of 24–48 hours for receiving feedback.

REQUIREMENTS
Conduct an educational technology needs assessment.

Note: If you have not already done so, complete the Vila Health: Educational Technology Needs Assessment challenge, linked in the Required Resources.

The needs assessment requirements, outlined below, correspond to the grading criteria in the scoring guide, so be sure to address each point. Read the performance-level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed. In addition, be sure to note the requirements below for document format and length and for citing supporting evidence.

Describe how nurses are currently using educational technology within the setting and educational context you have chosen for this assessment.
What information is lacking that would provide you with a more complete or accurate description of current usage?
Is your description based on any particular assumptions?
Compare the current state of educational technology use with the desired state (best practices in nursing education). Discussion: Educational Technology Needs Nursing
Choose any analysis methodology that you are familiar with and comfortable using. For example:
Gap analysis.
SWOT or TOWS analysis.
Appreciative inquiry (discover and dream steps).
Address the following:
What, if any, changes are needed in how nurses currently use the existing technology?
Is there a need for a new technology solution?
On what do you base your conclusions?
Assess the metrics used to determine the benefits of current educational technology use.
Are the metrics sufficient for the intended purpose?
What are the best practices that could help improve the quality, interpretation, and use of the data?
Explain how new or existing educational technology aligns with the strategic mission of the organization.
If needed, locate a public statement of the organization’s mission.
Recommend changes to existing educational technology, or current use of the technology, that will improve nursing education.
How will your recommendations result in improvements in nursing education?
What evidence do you have to support your conclusions and recommendations?
Support assertions, arguments, propositions, and conclusions with relevant and credible evidence.
Is your supporting evidence clear and explicit?
How or why does particular evidence support a claim?
Will your reader see the connection?
Did you summarize, paraphrase, and quote your sources appropriately?
Write clearly and concisely in a logically coherent and appropriate form and style.
Write with a specific purpose and audience in mind.
Adhere to scholarly and disciplinary writing standards and APA formatting requirements.
Document Format and Length
Format your needs assessment using current APA style.

Use the APA Style Paper Template, linked in the Required Resources. An APA Style Paper Tutorial is also provided (linked in the Suggested Resources) to help you in writing and formatting your needs assessment. Be sure to include:
A title page and references page. An abstract is not required.
A running head on all pages.
Appropriate section headings.
Your needs assessment should be 3–5 pages in length, not including the title page and references page.
SUPPORTING EVIDENCE
Cite at least three credible sources from peer-reviewed journals or professional industry publications to support your needs assessment.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Proofread your needs assessment, before you submit it, to minimize errors that could distract readers and make it more difficult for them to focus on the substance of your assessment.

Portfolio Prompt: You may choose to save your needs assessment to your ePortfolio.

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Resources
REQUIRED RESOURCES
The following resources are required to complete the assessment.

Templates
Use this template for your needs assessment.

APA Style Paper Template [DOCX].
Media
Vila Health: Educational Technology Needs Assessment. Discussion: Educational Technology Needs Nursing
Vila Health is a virtual environment that simulates a real-world health care system. In the various Vila Health challenges, you will apply professional strategies, practice skills, and build competencies that you can apply to your coursework and in your career. The information you gather in this challenge will help you to complete the assessment. Discussion: Educational Technology Needs Nursing
SHOW LESS

SUGGESTED RESOURCES
Needs Assessment and Gap Analysis
The following resources provide useful insight into the process of assessing needs and analyzing performance gaps that will inform your thinking about changes in existing technologies, or their use, that you might propose to executive leaders that would have a positive impact on current nursing processes, staff performance, and patient outcomes:

Jannetti, A. J. (2012). A guide to performing a needs assessment and a gap analysis [PDF]. Available from https://www.suna.org
Dickerson, P. (2014). Needs assessment: Collecting the evidence. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 45(3), 104–105.
Greenberg, C. I. (n.d.). How to conduct a training needs analysis. Retrieved from http://www.xperthr.com/how-to/how-to-conduct-a-tra…
Kiyoshi-Teo, H., Carter, N., & Rose, A. (2017). Fall prevention practice gap analysis: Aiming for targeted improvements. Medsurg Nursing, 26(5), 332–335.
Lin, K., Chang, L., Tsai, F., & Kao, C. (2015). Examining the gaps between teaching and learning in the technology curriculum within Taiwan’s 9-year articulated curriculum reform from the perspective of curriculum implementation [PDF]. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 25(3), 363–385.
Spencer, R. (2016, March 16). 4 steps for a training needs analysis [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://elearningindustry.com/4-steps-training-nee…
Media
The following interactive exercises will help you with the assessment, if you elect to take a SWOT or TOWS approach to comparing the current state of educational technology use with the desired state:

SWOT Analysis.
TOWS Analysis in Action: Going Beyond the SWOT Analysis.
Scholarly Writing and APA Style
Use the following resources to improve your writing skills and find answers to specific questions:

Academic Honesty & APA Style and Formatting. Discussion: Educational Technology Needs Nursing
APA Module.
APA Style Paper Tutorial [DOCX].
swot_analysis.pdf
tows_analysis.pdf
vila_health__educational_technology_needs_assessment_scoring_guide.pdf
apa_paper_templates_form