Technology Acceptance and Usability of Microsoft Teams and Stream in Nursing Education

Background/Introduction: Nurse educators are required to be competent in technology, to transform the traditional classroom to include remote or hybrid experiences enhancing the learning experience and mimic clinical practice.

Purpose: Report the findings of the use of online software Microsoft Teams and Stream. Measuring usability, the perception of usefulness and ease of use for students.

Methods or Processes/Procedures: The study was conducted at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). Investigators gathered data from approximately 120 students of which fifty-eight (n = 58) students who were in their third- and fourth-year BSN curriculum which included medical- surgical and women’s health content.

Results: Results suggest participants perceived the platform as useful, easy to use, and supporting the teaching-learning process. The platform permitted the organization of content and accommodated different learning styles. Lectures were perceived as innovative, engaging, and easy to navigate. Factors influencing the belief, attitudes, and intention to use were adaptability, early introduction and addressing student concerns immediately. Findings from this study suggests that the introduction of content in incremental blocks provided the ability to engage, retain information and allowed the students to further construct and build nursing knowledge.

Limitations: The absence of instructions for using the platform, students’ initial bias for traditional instruction.

Conclusions/Implications for Practice: This study presented a technology acceptance and usability evaluation of an online software platform. Results suggest participants perceived the platform as useful and easy to use for a variety of learners. Blocking lectures in small segments, and on-demand recorded video lectures provided added benefit in terms of ease of use and knowledge retention, the use of technology positively supported the teaching-learning process.

Michael Hebert
DNP, M.Div., BA, RN, MEC

Biography

Dr. Hebert has educated nursing students for ten years. His research focuses on how technology and education intersect, providing enrichment to the educational experience. He is the purveyor of ehrsimulator.com which is an electronic health record specifically for educating nursing students. Dr. Hebert is a graduate of Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University with a Doctor of Nursing Practice (educational leadership track). Dr. Hebert also holds degrees in Roman Catholic Theology, Psychology and Philosophy. Presently, he is teaching at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Email: drmhrn@outlook.com

Co-Author(s)
Jennifer Rossie, MSN, RN
Antionella Upshaw, PhD, BS, RN, CNE