Community of Inquiry-Guided Design of Asynchronous Online Continuing Professional Development for Pediatric Nurses

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Online Learning
• Pediatric Care

Background:

• Limited pediatric nursing education exists in African undergraduate and postgraduate programs.
• Nurses require enhanced professional development for pediatric care.
• There is a need for accessible, high-quality continuing education for nurses in Africa.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development of online courses for pediatric nurses.
• To illustrate the integration of the Community of Inquiry framework in these courses.
• To provide effective professional development for nurses caring for children in Africa.

Main Methods:

• Development of asynchronous online courses by the University of Cape Town's Children's Nursing Development Unit.
• Application of the Community of Inquiry framework, integrating cognitive, social, and teaching presences.
• Focus on creating optimal online learning experiences for nurses.

Main Results:

• The article demonstrates the practical application of the Community of Inquiry framework within the online courses.
• Examples showcase how nurse educators integrated the framework's components.
• The study highlights the successful implementation of online learning strategies.

Conclusions:

• Nurse educators successfully employed the Community of Inquiry framework.
• The framework facilitated deep and meaningful learning experiences.
• The online professional development program effectively prepared pediatric nurses.