Evidence To Support Certification in Online Nursing Teaching Excellence: A Systematic Review

Abstract A systematic review of the literature following PRISMA© (2020) was conducted to determine the evidence within nursing and higher education literature to support certification in online teaching and to determine the value of additional certification for nurse educators in higher education nursing programs. Data from CINAHL, ERIC, EBSCO, COCHRANE, AND PUBMED databases were collected following inclusion and exclusion criteria. An independent review by two authors was conducted with twenty-seven articles and one report identified. Bias was examined, followed by deductive analysis, which identified common themes and subthemes within the research. The results suggest that high-quality online courses require instructors with specific skills and competencies that are distinct and separate from those developed for face-to-face instruction. Professional development and training through certification or credentialing promote excellence in teaching for online higher education. There was intrinsic value associated with professional development and training for online educators. Institutional recognition of the extrinsic value and support for additional training and certification were identified as paramount for excellence in online education for educators.