Implementation of a Virtual Boot Camp to Facilitate Graduate Online Learning

Abstract Students who begin their online graduate education often lack the technological preparedness and scholarly writing skills needed to make a successful transition to the contemporary online learning environment. This presentation will offer two innovative online orientation programs for Masters and Doctoral nursing students that simulate course activities in an online Learning Management System. The objectives of our online orientation are to familiarize the students with various online technologies, formulate social interactions and a sense of connectedness to the School of Nursing, improve scholarly writing, discover learning strategies and time management skills as well as complete literature searches. With enhanced orientation through accelerated learning modules, students gain a true perspective of what asynchronous online learning is as well as the principles of scholarly writing. Integral to the design is active student engagement in a risk-free environment with assignments that will enhance individual scholarly writing. Objectives and Learning Outcomes Upon completion of the session, participants will be able to: 1. Identify Mayer’s principles (2008) for effective design of an online orientation program for graduate students. 2. Recognize five key areas of concentration for an online orientation program for graduate students. 3. Develop strategies to create an online orientation program for graduate students. 4. Predict future interventions to improve online graduate program orientations