A Paradigm Shift From Brick and Mortar: Full-Time Nursing Faculty Off Campus

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Online Learning Models
• Faculty Organization

Background:

• Traditional nursing faculty models often involve on-campus presence.
• The rise of online education necessitates innovative approaches to faculty engagement.
• Assessing the effectiveness of distributed faculty models is crucial for online programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe an innovative faculty model for an online Master of Science in Nursing program.
• To evaluate the success and replicability of this untraditional organizational structure.
• To highlight best practices in online nursing education faculty integration.

Main Methods:

• Description of a distributed, full-time, doctorally prepared faculty model.
• Emphasis on full integration and immersion of online faculty in the college of nursing.
• Longitudinal assessment of the model's success using online education best practices.

Main Results:

• The innovative faculty model has proven successful over time.
• Full-time, doctorally prepared faculty are effectively integrated despite geographic distribution.
• The model demonstrates successful application of best practices for online education.

Conclusions:

• The described faculty model is a successful and innovative approach for online nursing programs.
• This untraditional structure is replicable, offering a viable option for other institutions.
• Distributed faculty can be fully integrated, enhancing the quality of online nursing education.