Integration of laptop computer technology into an undergraduate nursing course

An evaluative study was done to determine the effects of laptop computer use on baccalaureate nursing students' attitudes toward computers, computer knowledge, and computer skills. Students in the experimental group (n = 20) received laptop computers and 9 hours of computer instruction. They were encouraged to use the laptop computers for e-mail, library searches, and word processing. The comparison group (n = 18) completed the same assignments in the usual manner. Students had positive attitudes toward computers both pretest and posttest with no significant increase or difference between the two groups. There was no significant difference between the two groups in computer knowledge outcomes; however, the experimental group had statistically significant gains in computer skills. Results of this study suggest that the integration of laptop computer technology into the undergraduate nursing curriculum can be an effective way to increase students' computer skills while maintaining positive attitudes toward computers in nursing.