Student-preferred caring behaviors for online nursing education.

Better understanding of how to convey and sustain caring in online nursing classrooms will support caring as a core value in nursing. Sitzman and Leners (2006) identified online instructor behaviors that supported students feeling cared for in online classroom settings. In this study, 122 baccalaureate online students from five universities completed an online survey in relation to prioritizing these previously identified caring instructor behaviors. Respondents also answered one open-ended question identifying other caring behaviors not presented in the survey. Twelve caring practices for online nurse educators were developed based on analysis of the survey results.