Fostering Nursing Students’ Informatics Competencies via A Web-based Information Literacy Course

Abstract

This paper reports the development and implementation of a web-based nursing information literacy course aiming to promote informatics competencies of intended nurses. This particular 18-month course in school years 2011-2012 underwent three distinct phases: initial design, pilot-test and modification, and final implementation. Participants were senior students in a professional nursing college in Southern Taiwan. The researchers conducted the class in a predominately online setting, where all class work took place except for prearranged meetings for class issues and/or problems that occurred unexpectedly. The results showed that the majority of students perceived positively about the teaching method, felt that they gained more knowledge and skills about information literacy and had the abilities to apply these skills in their future nursing practices. This teaching model can serve as a reference for educators and administrators when considering to implement informatics curriculum for nursing students to create opportunities for competency before graduation.