Key Findings

The purpose of this survey was to assess the effectiveness of the eLearning activity in a health education environment for this cohort of graduate nurses. These results could then be used for the further refinement of the eLearning site and the development of the next year’s course to ensure alignment with Bay of Plenty District Health Board (BOPDHB) business requirements and the requirements of the governing professional body, New Zealand Nursing Council.

While our evaluations indicate that the group agreed about the usefulness of the resources and found the eLearning environment convenient, we also asked for one suggestion on what to include for the next group in 2011.

From the graduate nurses’ feedback we will action the following changes:

• Stagger the workshops so staff can attend at different times when their ward work is not so busy.
• Include timelines each month rather than just a deadline date.
• Integrate discussion forums as part of the group rather than for one course.

Key Recommendations

Further developing and blending eLearning as a complementary method of training delivery at the Bay of Plenty District Health Board adds value to the organisation in many ways.

However, the following three strategies will return the best investment:

Strategic priority

• Structure eLearning to match strategic needs and organisational goals (e.g. The Nursing Strategic 2008-2011 sets a target of a 10% annual increase in nurses’ engagement in PDRP).

Stop reinventing the wheel

• Cut costs by reusing content, graphics and objects.
• Increase the value of our objects by allowing others to use.

Reduced time to effectiveness

• Link and build on nursing knowledge from undergraduate degree and support continuous integration of reflective practice as a lifelong learning tool.