The Associate Degree in nursing program at Excelsior College added a new program requirement called the Focused Clinical Competencies Assessment (FCCAsm) in 2007. The FCCA is a computer based simulated clinical assessment designed to assess students' competencies related to the clinical application of nursing process. To support the students' preparation for this computerized assessment, three online tutorials were designed. These tutorials serve as a visual supplement in helping students become successful in navigating through the simulation which will allow them to demonstrate the required competencies. This type of authentic clinical environment and the new learning environment of the online tutorials represents a new paradigm for students, staff and faculty of Excelsior College's Associate Degree nursing program. Technological components, student population, and cost benefit-analysis of technological tools were all taken into consideration when developing these tutorials. Collaboration of at-a-distance and on-site faculty and design staff was essential in designing these interactive, self-paced tutorials. This program has a diverse learner population that demonstrates a vast range of computer expertise. Until the implementation of the FCCA, students' participation in online conferences was optional. The FCCA tutorials serve as an aid in preparing students for successful completion of their assessments and student participation is strongly encouraged. In the early stages of developing the FCCA, the decision was made to provide student support through online tutorials at no cost to the student. The tutorials support learners of all types and assist them in preparing to navigate through the simulated assessment. Faculty members believe students need to participate in these online tutorials to achieve success on the assessment. In designing the tutorials, the focus was to create an engaging and interactive asynchronous learning environment for students. Given a limited number of faculty, these tutorials were designed to be self-paced, student driven, and non- instructional. This required detailed explanations and step-by-step directions move the student from step a to step b. This meant the learning environment had to be rich in resources and self-sufficient. Due to a limited budget, technological tools were carefully selected, researched, and tested. Programs such as Citrix, simulation application, internal portal tools, Articulate and Engage, Adobe Connect Pro, Blackboard, Camtashia, Soft Chalk, as well as a host of other technological programs were used in the development of the tutorials. Participants will learn about the wide variety of innovative tools available and will take away plans and ideas for use in their own context.
