Resources

1. Good Time Management: The student maintains a study schedule throughout the semester.
2. Effective Communication: The student asks for help, makes contact with other students and the instructor online.
3. Independent Study Habits: The student can study and complete assignments without direct supervision and maintain a schedule.
4. Self-Motivation: The student has a strong desire to learn skills, acquire knowledge, and fulfill assignments.
5. Academic Readiness: The student has the basic reading, writing, and computer literacy skills to succeed in class.
6. Technology Prepared: The student is ready to use constantly evolving technology to learn.

1. Asynchronous: A course where students complete their work whenever it best suits them rather than logging in at specified times.
2. Blended/Hybrid Learning: A class that incorporates campus-based learning alongside online classes.
3. Course Management System: A learning platform used to manage online learning such as Moodle.
4. Discussion Boards: A message board where conversations take place online about course materials just as discussions would typically take place in the face-to-face classroom.
5. Proctored Exam: When an online student needs to take a supervised exam, a local proctor is used to ensure academic integrity is maintained.
6. Synchronous: Requires students to log in to their online course at specific times.

1. Assuming your classes will be easy: Classes are just as rigorous as the face-to-face classes.
2. Ignoring a course’s technical requirements: Online courses require the use of a variety of different technologies that may not be familiar.
3. Not creating a dedicated study space: Find a special place in your house or learning environment that is a dedicated organized place to study and complete assignments.
4. Procrastinating on assignments: It is easy for assignments to sneak up on you. Create a time schedule to balance school and work and other responsibilities.
5. Believing you are all on your own: Since you are not meeting classmates and instructors in-person, it can feel like you are working alone. Take advantage of technologies that encourage interaction with the class including using webcams and group activities.
6. Thinking you will get away with cheating: Cheating is a serious ethical issue and it may seem like it would be easy to cheat. Online learning platforms have become much more sophisticated in identifying online cheaters and instructors have learned the signs of a cheating student.
7. Not being an active participant in class: Success in online courses increases with interactivity with classmates and the instructor. Contribute to discussion and chats in order to build a learning environment.
8. Losing motivation: Students often have a full schedule with multiple commitments. Keep the end goal in mind and remind yourself of what you are working towards!

1. Know the guidelines: Find out when to log in, the time limits, and if you will be using a proctor.
2. Think about format: Is the test multiple choice, short answer, or essay questions?
3. Use practice tests: If available, try a practice test to get comfortable with the format.
4. Find a good test-taking spot: Find a quiet place to focus.
5. Pay attention to time: Consider setting an alarm at intervals to keep pace.
6. Alert instructor to technology issues: Instructors need to be notified of any technology issues. Take a screenshot of errors for proof.
7. Check work: Before clicking the “submit” button, review answers to avoid careless mistakes.
8. Self-Assess: Reflect on questions and identify areas of uncertainty.
9. Consult with the professor: If a grade was lower than expected or the test was harder than expected, discuss areas for improvement with the instructor.

1. Take frequent breaks: Step away from the computer for a short break or snack
2. Make realistic plans: Don’t try staying up all night trying to work at the last minute.
3. Turn off technology: At the end of the day turn off the computer and cell phone and take time to relax.
4. Breathe: If you feel stress, take some deep breaths with your eyes closed reflecting on what you need to accomplish.
5. Break up tasks: Break up learning segments into short time periods or small goals.
6. Exercise: Take short walks or exercise regularly to release endorphins.
7. Meditate: Spend time each day to refocus and find calmness.
8. Focus on the positives: Think about all the good things that a nursing education will bring!
9. See friends: Laughter is the best medicine so take social breaks.
10. Control your time: Build structure into a time schedule to be more organized.

1. Respect your professor: Use the same respect in an email that you would face-to-face.
2. Do your research: Before asking a question, look up resources first to try to answer the question on your own.
3. Use proper grammar: Use college level communication. Avoid slang, misspellings or overly informal language.
4. Be aware of tone
5. Avoid all caps: Translates into yelling.
6. Don’t share personal information
7. Always explain yourself: Make sure people understand what you are trying to say.
8. Be respectful: whether or not you agree with a peer’s point of view, it’s important to be respectful and have an open dialogue.

• Oakland University Online Learning Homepage
• Oakland University Student Guide for Online Learning: An e-Learning guide that provides basic information on how to participate in your fully online courses, along with helpful support resources
• Oakland University Online Learning Resources for Current Students: Includes First steps, online learning tips, getting help, and technical requirements.
• OU Student Services: Regardless of whether you are a student sitting in an on-campus classroom or logging into a course from hundreds of miles away, Oakland University provides services to support you in your academic goals.
• Strategies for Online Success: An orientation to learning online aimed at preparing students for the transition from taking courses in-person to taking them online. It consists of three modules developed by Michigan Virtual that include interactive components, such as videos, self-checks, and resources you can download:
• Online Learning Basics
• Skills for Online Learning
• Online Learning Technology

During the COVID-19 epidemic, some healthcare practice facilities have limited clinical experiences to nursing students. Schools of Nursing in Michigan are allowed to conduct up to 100% of clinical experience hours in each undergraduate nursing course using virtual simulation and/or other clinically related online activities during the COVID-19 epidemic. The OU SON is dedicated to providing virtual and clinical experiences that meet the clinical course objectives and prepare students for nursing practice.

Virtual Simulation Defined:

• An educational technique that replaces or amplifies real experiences with guided experiences that evoke or replicate substantial aspect of the real world in a fully interactive manner.
• Virtual patient depicted on an interactive computer screen where the learner takes a central role in operating simulated systems to exercise motor control skills, decision skills, and communication skills.
• The learner takes the role of a health care provider who makes decisions about the type and order of clinical information acquired, differential diagnosis, and management and follow-up of the patient.

Virtual simulation experiences allow students to use critical thinking and decision-making to develop clinical judgment. Healthcare partners have identified critical thinking and clinical judgment as a concerning deficit in entry practice of graduate nurses.

Virtual simulation experiences are developed to allow the student to develop critical thinking skills by thinking ahead, thinking in action, and thinking back. Critical thinking skills are then utilized in the process of clinical judgment when making patient care decisions to promote positive patient outcomes.

Stages of Critical Thinking

1. Thinking Ahead: Anticipating what might happen to the patient to be proactive by identifying what you can do to be prepared. (Pre-work or pre-briefing in simulation experience)
2. Thinking-in-Action: Thinking in the moment considering cues and priorities being influenced by previous hands-on experience. (Decision-making during simulation)
3. Thinking Back: Deconstructing and analyzing the reasoning process to identify assumptions, look for flaws and omissions, gain insight, and correct and improve thinking. (Debriefing following simulation)

Clinical Judgment

• Based on assessment findings the nurse develops the ability to recognize cues and test hypotheses.
• The nurse recognizes a need for action.
• The nurse understands the rationale for actions and contemplates the expected outcomes for the patient.