Aims
To report a study undertaken to explore the underlying factors influencing e‐learning adoption in nurse education.
Background
Despite e‐learning's high profile it has not been readily integrated into teaching practice in nurse education. Previous research has identified generic, cross‐disciplinary factors but has left out ‘soft’ factors.
Design
The study adopted an exploratory descriptive design.
Methods
Q‐methodology was used to explore e‐learning adoption in a Division of Nursing located in an institution of Higher Education in the UK. Between September–December 2009, 38 participants were recruited to participate in Q‐sorts and post‐sort interviews. The Q‐sort data were factor analysed and the interviews were coded to their respective factors to develop in‐depth narratives.
Findings
Four factors were identified: ‘E‐learning advocates’ saw e‐learning's potential to improve nurse education and prepare future nurses for their evolving role; the ‘Humanists’ had avoided e‐learning because they valued human interaction; the ‘Sceptics’ doubted that technology could improve learning outcomes; and the ‘Pragmatics,’ only used e‐learning as a tool to post lecture notes online to supplement what they covered in class.
Conclusion
The findings point to the variety of responses existing among nurse academics faced with integrating e‐learning into their teaching. Moving beyond the binary labels commonly attributed to those considered either ‘early adopters’ or ‘laggards,’ the findings contribute to the literature by revealing a wider breadth of views and responses towards technology. Acknowledging these views can inform future e‐learning strategies and lead to improvement in e‐learning use in nurse education.