Open learning: a new collaborative plan for continuing education

The polytechnic schools of nursing, in collaboration and partnership with the Open Polytechnic and with clinical practitioners, have now begun to develop a distance education approach for the continuing education of nurses and midwives. The project is ambitious but the potential benefits for nurses and midwives would be tremendous.

The project proposal is being developed in a co-operative and collaborative manner. Work will begin in earnest on the development with 1993 as the timeframe to begin implementation. Eleven key objectives that emerged from discussions are listed. Options for developing and offering units of learning are still being explored. Each polytechnic school of nursing wants to co-operate and collaborate to avoid duplication, ensure portability and relevance to courses and thus maximise continuing education opportunities.

Units of learning will be developed and offered from different polytechnics. Some polytechnics will act as regional bases for learning support and a national database of courses will be maintained. Initiatives are already taking place. The collaborative nature of the project is enabling the polytechnics and the clinical practitioners to use their combined expertise to improve access to relevant professional continuing education. Show less