York Technical College to Apply Leading Edge Technology to Nursing Instruction

York Technical College to Apply Leading Edge Technology to Nursing Instruction

ROCK HILL—Beginning in January, York Technical College in Rock Hill will build on its past successes in the development and delivery of alternative instructional methods and formats by piloting a new and innovative distributed delivery model for its Practical Nursing (PN) curriculum, which will be offered in the evening and on weekends. Previous trials of distributed learning methods—which include the use of such technologies as podcasting and CD/DVD delivery of lectures—have proven to increase program capacity through the recruitment of students previously unable to attend traditional classes.

The college’s new PN track, funded by a grant as part of the state’s allied health initiative, will allow 24 new slots to be opened in the PN program, bringing total enrollment to 84. In addition to the distributed learning methods already piloted at the college, the new program will also make use of web-based teleconferencing technologies to offer a virtual interactive classroom experience for students—wherever they may be—as well as offering weekend clinical opportunities through a partnership with Piedmont Medical Center and making use of sophisticated new human patient simulators. These innovations will provide greater flexibility over traditional classroom scheduling, and will reduce student conflicts with transportation, employment schedules, and child care issues—common barriers to learning for many students.

York Technical College has a long been a leader in applying technology solutions to the challenges faced by its students, faculty, and staff. The college has been named by the Center for Digital Education and the American Association of Community Colleges as the number one digital-savvy community college in the county. So it was only natural for York Tech’s faculty and administrators to seek high-tech solutions to the challenge of finding economical and effective ways to add capacity to its nursing programs, technologies that can also be used by its other healthcare programs and beyond.

Initially, six courses will be offered through these distributed delivery methods, allowing students to complete the entire PN program with no traditional classroom seat time. Delivery of this type of programming is currently not offered anywhere else in the state and only a limited number of similar programs exist in the rest of the country. As part of the project, two full-time instructors were hired. Ultimately, it is York Tech’s goal to expand these instructional methods into its Associate Degree Nursing program. And as a side benefit, these innovations have the potential to increase collaboration with other educational facilities as delivery of the nursing curriculum is expanded through the use of digital technology.

York Technical College fully expects these programming and technology innovations to enable its faculty and staff to better meet the demands of a student population for which traditionally-timed programs have been unsuccessful. The flexible format, and the technologies that make it possible, will allow any student with a computer—including students in rural areas and working students looking to change careers—the opportunity to get the training they need and move into nursing positions. Because of the new avenues of communication these methods make available to them, many students will find that, even without stepping foot in a classroom, they will actually have improved access to course content and more contact with instructors and other students than ever before.

York Technical College ^. 452 S. Anderson Road ^. Rock Hill, SC 29730