Spring Break
Online nursing courses accommodate students
Maria Iliakova
Issue date: 10/24/05 Section: News
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The University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Nursing, which offers a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing (BSN), master's and Ph.D. degrees, provides its students many online class options to serve a wide range of needs.
"The number one benefit of online classes is the increased student accessibility, in terms of geographical location and schedule availability," says Dr. Katherine Smith, associate dean of the UMKC School of Medicine.
"More new jobs are expected to be created for registered nurses than for any other occupation," stated the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics in a report released in 2004.
Dr. Kathryn Ballou, a clinical associate professor in the School of Nursing, explained how online programs allow students flexibility.
"All of the students in the BSN completion and master's program are already registered nurses; most work in a job; some have kids," Ballou said. "Every BSN program and master's program struggles with providing additional degree programs to nurses that work around their busy schedules...online classes for post-licensure students are important."
While UMKC offers some online courses through PACE, Program for Adult Continuing Education, and some through the computer science and electrical engineering programs, only the School of Nursing offers a complete online program.
Ballou explained the BSN completion program enrolls students who already have an associate degree in nursing and would like to complete their BSN.
UMKC uses several online platforms for its courses: Centra, WebCT and Blackboard. Centra offers live video broadcasts of a class for participants in different physical locations. WebCT allows professor to monitor assignments and students to easily access their grades. Blackboard, the platform of the online courses taught through the School of Nursing, features announcements, tasks, grade access and discussion boards.
"Live chats or discussion boards, where you create asynchronous threaded posts," said Dr. Ballou, "are an incredible way to allow lots of student dialogue and problem solving with each other and with me. Not only can they post questions, but they can comment on each others' posts...I pose case-based problems and the students respond online."
"The number one benefit of online classes is the increased student accessibility, in terms of geographical location and schedule availability," says Dr. Katherine Smith, associate dean of the UMKC School of Medicine.
"More new jobs are expected to be created for registered nurses than for any other occupation," stated the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics in a report released in 2004.
Dr. Kathryn Ballou, a clinical associate professor in the School of Nursing, explained how online programs allow students flexibility.
"All of the students in the BSN completion and master's program are already registered nurses; most work in a job; some have kids," Ballou said. "Every BSN program and master's program struggles with providing additional degree programs to nurses that work around their busy schedules...online classes for post-licensure students are important."
While UMKC offers some online courses through PACE, Program for Adult Continuing Education, and some through the computer science and electrical engineering programs, only the School of Nursing offers a complete online program.
Ballou explained the BSN completion program enrolls students who already have an associate degree in nursing and would like to complete their BSN.
UMKC uses several online platforms for its courses: Centra, WebCT and Blackboard. Centra offers live video broadcasts of a class for participants in different physical locations. WebCT allows professor to monitor assignments and students to easily access their grades. Blackboard, the platform of the online courses taught through the School of Nursing, features announcements, tasks, grade access and discussion boards.
"Live chats or discussion boards, where you create asynchronous threaded posts," said Dr. Ballou, "are an incredible way to allow lots of student dialogue and problem solving with each other and with me. Not only can they post questions, but they can comment on each others' posts...I pose case-based problems and the students respond online."
