Using Remote Access Laboratories in nursing education

Remote Access Laboratory (RAL) based learning activities are commonplace in engineering faculties; in other disciplines such activities are not widely used. Practicing safe-installations of intravenous pump driver setups and related clinical reasoning skills are important components for the training of nurses. The aim of this research project is to develop and trial remote access technologies that enable nursing students to test their knowledge, skills, and clinical reasoning with intravenous infusion pump drivers. This has been possible by extending the concept of RAL from a physical and tangible experiment, to more conceptual experimentation in any form conducted remotely. In such a context clinical reasoning becomes possible. This paper discusses a prototype that has been build through collaboration betweens the Faculty of Engineering and Surveying and the Department of Nursing and Midwifery. An initial evaluation with a group of nursing students has been completed to assess if such activities can assist with the training of student nurses. Previous work has identified the need to scaffold learning activities that rely on RAL technology; the key conclusion in this paper is that in the context of nursing this have to be taken a step further. RAL activities here require contextualisation to become an effective learning tool.