Jennifer Roye, the Assistant Dean for Simulation and Technology at The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) College of Nursing and Health Innovation, is a two-time Risepoint grant recipient.
Her research—“Integration of Telehealth/Telemedicine Training Into a Family Nurse Practitioner Program” and “Creating a Virtual Clinical Experience To Increase Empathy Among Undergraduate Nursing Students”—explores the innovative use of simulation in accelerated, online nursing programs. Access her research abstracts and bio in the growing Featured Research section of Faculty eCommons.
We sat down with Jennifer to learn more about her, her experience teaching online, and her research interests.
About Jennifer
What was your journey to becoming online faculty like?
I began my UTA career as a clinical instructor for our pediatrics course, a position that I absolutely loved. As we developed our accelerated online BSN, I was ready to take the lead in a course. I was excited about being able to build a course from the ground up and integrate some innovative “fun” teaching strategies that leveraged technology. I began teaching the Nursing Care of Children and Adolescents course in the spring of 2010 online. I was the lead instructor for that course until the summer of 2022. At that point, I had been developing the Fundamentals of Telehealth course, another course that would be 100% online and that was related to my research interest. This course launched in the summer of 2022, and I am happy to say it is a Quality Matters-certified course!
What do you enjoy most about teaching online?
I enjoy meeting with my students during virtual office hours. We hold these once a week. I feel it is extremely critical to promote community in the online teaching environment.
Why was this research of interest to you?
I am very interested in telehealth and the ability to create online and virtual simulation experiences. In both research activities, there was a virtual component. Geographical dispersion is no longer a challenge if you can join all participants, whether it be patients and providers or students, in a large-scale simulation together for an experiential learning activity.
What was your takeaway from your research?
Telehealth is here to stay. Interestingly enough, the telehealth study was completed just two days before the world shut down in the spring of 2020. Who knew what it would become at that point, but we demonstrated that it was a viable option for delivering healthcare pre-COVID, even if it was just two days! The large-scale simulation we developed absolutely served it’s purpose during COVID, allowing all students to participate virtually. However, some activities are best experienced in person. This spring was our first Live Poverty Simulation since COVID. It was great!
What would you tell someone new to online learning?
Keep connected with your learners. Don’t just be a headshot on the home page.
What else would you like to share?
Don’t be afraid to try something new. Integrate teaching methods that will keep the learner engaged. Update your content often. Keep it current and relevant.
What is a perfect Saturday morning?
Coffee on the patio, a couple of hours in the garden, maybe a nap in the hammock.
