Refocusing the Lens: Caring and Compassion in an Online Nursing Environment.

The concept of compassionate caring in an online nursing education environment is an idea that has limited research. The College of Nursing at Sacred Heart University has adopted a caring model and philosophy to foster an engaged, mutually beneficial environment and guide how faculty and students interact in the online environment. Examples of how faculty engage students in these behaviors are offered.

A Paradigm Shift From Brick and Mortar: Full-Time Nursing Faculty Off Campus.

The organizational structure for the Master of Science in Nursing's online program at Sacred Heart University offers a remarkably different innovative faculty model. Full-time, doctorally prepared faculty reside in several different states and teach online but are fully integrated and immersed in all aspects of the college of nursing. This untraditional model, which has proven to be successful over time using best practices for online education, is replicable and offers an innovative option for online learning.