Unit 2 –Activity 3: Reflective Journal on Online Learning

             Distance education has considerable potential in nursing continuing education because it provides learners with a variety of benefits such as convenience, flexibility, opportunities to work collaboratively and cost-effectiveness in nursing education (DeYoung, 2009).  Presently, a nursing shortage is one of the major problems in the health care system. The advent of online nursing continuing education in a way answers this problem because it provides individuals who want to earn a nursing degree or nurses who desire professional development with many opportunities to realize their dreams because of the online training options provided by the program.  Distance learning contributes as well to continuing education and health service quality beyond the fulfillment of professional requirements (Billings & Halstead, 2009).

                As a nurse who is presently in clinical practice, I can claim that online education is a brilliant innovation in the educational system to encourage and motivate me to pursue my professional advancement. I learned through this program that there are characteristics that contribute to successful learning that a student needs to develop.  First is the attitude.  A student needs to have a positive attitude towards learning because it influences learning efficiency, motivation, and knowledge application.  Second is discipline and determination.  In online learning, the student is free from the traditional structure of classroom learning, thus the susceptibility of distractions brought by work, family and environment create a big impact in the our focus towards one’s studies. A student needs solid determination to succeed in their studies through online learning. Third is time management. With the aforementioned factors that affecting my studies, I need to learn how to prioritize my needs and properly use and manage my time in order to stay focus and meet the demands of my studies.  On the other hand, I still believe that pursuing my career through online education will give me positive outcomes in terms of academic achievements, satisfaction, outlook and increased desire for learning.

References

Billing, D. M. & Halstead, J. A. (2009). Teaching in nursing: A guide for faculty (3rd edition). St.
 Louis, MO.: Saunders Elsevier.

DeYoung, S. (2009). Teaching strategies for nurse educators (2nd edition). Upper Saddle River,
 NJ.: Prentice Hall.