Implementing technology to support clinical skill development: is there a right way? An evaluation study of a unique skills website to support skill acquisition

Although the pandemic prompted a transition to an online-centred learning world (Ghoman, Cutumisu and Schmolzer, 2021), the power of digital technologies to promote student learning is not a new concept to higher education institutions, which have been implementing and creating technological innovations to support learning long before the pandemic (Wekerle, Daumiller and Kollar, 2020). Therefore, the debate on using technology in education is not on whether it has an impact, as this has already been established, but rather on when, for whom and how it should be used (Wekerle, Daumiller and Kollar, 2020; Schmid et al., 2014). Accordingly, Schmid et al. (2014) assert that technology and pedagogy are not separate entities but symbiotically intertwined. They also note that while technology is a strategy for learning, it should not be bound by hardware issues; rather, like other traditional pedagogy, it must depend on the considerations made for how and why it is used. This is supported by Fawns (2022), who notes that educators who introduce technology without consideration of its intended purpose open themselves up to having an inadequate appreciation of its complexity, resulting in limited success. It is, therefore, essential that academics acquire the expertise and know-how to effectively use technology as considerations now need to move beyond the ‘what’ to the ‘how’ and, more importantly ‘, why’ (Cox, 2018; Wekerle, Daumiller and Kollar, 2020). This is particularly relevant for nursing academics who need to adopt a more innovative approach, utilising a more diverse range of technology to deliver learning and instructions (Janes et al., 2023).