Training Intercultural Competence of Nurse Educators Online: A Design-Based Research Approach

Few cultural competence interventions exist for nurse educators who shape students' cultural competence. This article thus details the design, implementation, and evaluation (2021-2024) of an online cultural competence training program (TraINErS) for nurse educators and proposes design principles.

Following a design-based research approach, there were two development and testing cycles (TraINErS1.0 and TraINErS2.0), involving a multidisciplinary European team, with two corresponding testing cycles with nurse educators (N1 = 16; N2 = 22) from seven European countries. Data were collected through user reports, an evaluation questionnaire, and the System Usability Scale.

Testing TraINErS1.0 led to content and sequencing adjustments. TraINErS2.0 achieved positive evaluations and high system usability scores (80.44). Participants valued flexibility and self-paced learning but noted asynchronous challenges. The resulting design principles emphasize metacognitive awareness, experiential learning, multimedia use, and motivation mechanisms.

These principles can guide the design of online nurse educator training, preparing them to produce culturally competent nursing professionals.