title: A strategy for involving on-campus and distance students in a nursing research course.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Teaching research at the undergraduate level can be a challenge. This is particularly true for distance education courses, in which students often feel isolated from each other and from faculty. Faculty teaching on-campus and distance education research courses designed a student research project and a method for bringing distance and on-campus students together to present their research findings.
  
  
  METHODS
  By actively engaging students in the research process and providing an on-campus research day for the presentation of student posters (Year 1) and research papers (Year 2), course faculty were able to achieve their two goals of directly involving students in the nursing research process and creating a greater student sense of belonging within the college learning community.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Statistical analysis of an evaluation survey among on-site and off-site registered nurse to bachelor of science in nursing students indicated both groups ranked the Year 1 poster research day as good to very good. Students attending the Year 2 research day, where they presented papers, ranked the day as good. Statistical analysis indicated a significant difference between the two research days, with a clear student preference for posters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Students valued their active participation in the research process and the opportunity to get together and present their work. However, students clearly preferred a poster presentation format to presenting their findings as a research paper.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131-5688, USA.
authors.forename: George F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Shuster
authors.forename: Cheryl Demerth
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Learn
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Duncan
mesh_terms: D020375:Education, Distance; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate; D006801:Humans; D009516:New Mexico; D015399:Nursing Research / Q000193:education*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*