An Examination of Interprofessional Team Functioning in a BScN Blended Learning Program: Implications for Accessible Distance-Based Nursing Education Programs

In this study, the perceptions and experiences of an interprofessional team responsible for the development and delivery of the Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) Blended Learning Program at Nipissing University were examined. In this program, RPNs can acquire a BScN through distance-based part-time study, including online courses and clinical practicum. In three years, the program has grown from an initial intake of 60 students to a current enrolment of over 600 students (Fitzgerald, Beattie, Carter, & Caswell, 2014).The success of the program is attributed to three factors: a part-time curriculum that permits students to work as they study; partnerships with hospitals and other clinical facilities to support the nurse-learner’s clinical placements; and the performance of a highfunctioning interprofessional team. This study of teamwork will benefit nursing and adult learning educators as well as e-learning professionals involved in the development and delivery of flexible programs for working nurses.

A Season for Everything: A Journal Well Done and a New One on Its Way

In this final issue of the Canadian Journal of University Continuing Education (CJUCE), on behalf of the CAUCE Board of Directors 2015–2016 and the CJUCE–JPCOE Working Group, I would like to reflect on CJUCE’s past and JPCOE’s future.

Digging Up: A Five-Year Journey to Instructional-Design Stability in a Postsecondary Distance Education Unit

This report of practice describes a five-year process to establish and implement quality standards for a substantial portfolio of distancedelivered courses at the Centre for Continuing and Distance Education, University of Saskatchewan. The report describes an analysis of the issues and the solutions found that led to our current curriculum design standards and procedures, the implementation of learning technologies, and the identification of issues and solutions regarding copyright law. Lastly, the future prospects of these distance-delivered postsecondary courses are considered. Focusing on the issues and solutions for each category of challenges, this report describes the five-year journey of a small instructional-design team that faced roadblocks and barriers common to many postsecondary continuing and distance education units.

Evolution of a Tradition

This will be the final issue of the CAUCE journal, the Canadian Journal of University Continuing Education (CJUCE). The CAUCE board, in consultation with the membership, decided at the 2015 spring conference to retire CJUCE and develop a new journal that better represents the changes occurring in continuing education.

Leadership in Continuing Education: Leveraging Student-Centred Narratives

For this study, we interviewed eight Canadian and American continuing education deans and directors to explore how their personal accounts or “stories” about leadership high- light the dynamic nature of their leadership roles. This article focuses on the potential impact of these stories to better integrate and serve the adult learner within the higher education environment. Four major themes emerged from our analysis of the data: the non-traditional career trajectories of the leaders; marginalization and identity; lead- ership and innovation; and alignment and resistance.Our study suggests that continuing education leaders generally excel in sharing student-centered narratives and in pushing boundaries—in part to convince diverse stakeholders of the importance of the field of continuing education. Interviews with participants indicate that continuing educa- tion leaders think in interdisciplinary terms and weave a master narrative about life- long learning, combining several individual threads. Continuing education leaders strive to have conversations leading to collaborative partnerships and educational innovation.