Open learning; the managers' and educationalists' perspective

The development of the internal market within nurse education has led colleges of nursing to review their portfolio of course provision for consumers of health education. As a result of this, education is questioning whether traditional modes of programme delivery are sufficiently versatile to meet the needs of purchasers within the changing nature of health care delivery. This study uses a case study approach to explore nurse managers' and nurse educationalists' feelings and motivations towards the development of open-learning programmes within one college of nursing. The central themes emerging from the literature review of open learning mirror the philosophies underpinning humanistic education theories. These themes led to the development of the theoretical framework against which the data generated from in-depth interviews with managers and educationalists were analysed. The data identified that both managers and educationalists valued open learning as a mode of programme delivery appropriate to their needs. However, both groups confused the concepts of open and distance learning, the latter being firmly supported by nurse managers as it allows staff development without demanding time out of the clinical area. Each group saw benefits in the commercialization of open-learning packages, not purely as a cut-throat enterprise but as a means by which nurse education can protect itself from competition.