A survey of nursing faculty needs for training in use of new technologies for education and practice

This study describes nursing faculty's use, knowledge of, and training needs associated with distance learning, simulation, telehealth, and informatics tools in nursing education and practice. Web-based surveys were completed by 193 faculty members from nursing schools in the western United States. More than half of the respondents were frequent users of distance learning and informatics tools. Approximately 66% of faculty reported they were competent with distance learning and informatics tools. Training and technical support for the use of distance learning was highest, yet 69% of faculty still reported a need for additional training. The availability of training and financial and technical support was associated with greater use of distance learning technologies (p < 0.05 for all). Although a key limitation of this survey was the overlapping definitions across the four technologies, the findings suggest nursing faculty perceive a need for training and support to effectively use educational technologies in nursing education.