Virtual classroom technology

Facilitating distance education nurses’ knowledge of systematic literature searching

Abstract

Online learning environments are increasingly viewed as a valid and beneficial means of facilitating learning in the higher education setting. Blackboard Collaborate is an online collaborative learning (OCL) technology that can be used as a virtual classroom in the distance education setting to facilitate knowledge of systematic literature searching. The technology allows for learning pedagogical principles that encourage collaborative engagement. The authors discuss how they developed and delivered instruction on systematic database searching for health literature to distance education nursing Masters’ students. An online self-reporting survey was administered to determine student knowledge, and to gauge student experience of using this technology.