D is ta n c e e d u c a tio n D o c to ra l program fo r nurses as o ffe r e d by th e U n ive rs ity of South A f r i c a ( U N I S A ) VJ Ehlers, PhD, Department of Advanced Nursing Sciences, UNISA Conference paper p rese n te d a t the In tern a tio n a l N etw ork f o r Doctoral E ducation in N ursing (IN D E N) at the Royal College o f M edicine in L ondon on 2 7 J u n e 1999 B a c k g ro u n d In fo r m a tio n U n isa The purpose o f this article is to p ro v id e b rie f overview s o f distance education, the developm ent o f the U niversity o f South Africa (U nisa) and the D ep artm en t o f A d v an ced N ursing S ci­ ences at this university. D o cto ral p ro g ram s as offered by this D epartm ent w ill be discu ssed in som e detail. D istance ed u ­ cation courses are offered th ro u g h o u t the w orld, but doctoral program s, esp ecially in the field o f N ursin g Sciences, are not offered by all distance edu catio n institutions. There are nu m erous form s o f and d efinitions for distance ed u ­ cation. T h ey all have only one thing in com m on, nam ely the physical d istance betw een the students and the teachers, and usually the absence o f students from classroom s and even from entire u n iv e rs ity c a m p u se s. P y m (in R e in e rt & F ry b a c k 1997:42) aptly described d istan ce edu catio n as “ ...a se t o f teaching a n d learning stra teg ies f o r c o n n ectin g p e o p le who have learning needs with the resources required to m eet those needs". D istan ce education has been offered in m any form s for nearly 150 years (R ow ntree in R einert & Fryback 1997:42). In 1873 the U niversity o f the C ape o f G o o d H ope, later to be renam ed the U niversity o f S outh A frica (U nisa), m odelled after the U niversity o f L ond o n as it ex isted at that tim e, was founded. Initially this U n iv ersity acted solely as an ex am in ­ ing body, b ut com m enced teaching external students by m eans of correspondence m ethods in 1946. Students can w rite their ex am in atio n s at m ore than 4 5 0 ex ­ am ination centers th ro ughout the w orld. D u rin g 1998, U nisa conferred a total o f 12 402 d iplom as and degrees, including 400 M asters’ and 83 D octoral degrees, o f w hich three w ere awarded by the D epartm ent o f A dv an ced N u rsin g Sciences. The D e p a r t m e n t o f A d v a n c e d N u r s i n g S c ie n c e s , U n i s a This D epartm ent w as estab lish ed du rin g 1975, adm itting its first stu d en ts du rin g 1976 an d b o a stin g its first g rad u ates during A pril 1978 g raduation cerem onies. T he D epartm ent offers undergraduate and d ip lo m a distance ed u catio n courses only to registered professional nurses w ish in g to obtain post basic qualificatio n s in H ealth S ervices M anagem ent, N u rs­ ing E d u c a tio n , C o m m u n ity H ealth N u rsin g , O ccu p atio n al Health N ursin g and G erontological N ursin g by pursuing un­ dergraduate degree and/or dip lo m a courses. T his D epartm ent fulfils the South A frican Nursing C o u n cil’s (SA N C ’s) require­ m ents, enabling the successful candidates to register their ad­ ditional qualifications with the SANC. A t post graduate level the D epartm ent offers a research based M aster’s degree (for students possessing H onours degrees), a course content M a ste r’s degree com prising five papers and a research dissertation (for students w ithout H onours degrees) and a M a ste r’s degree specializing in Clinical N ursing Care - only available to students w orking in selected services where preceptors can be provided. D uring 1999 the total num ber of students registered for the different courses were: C O U R S E C O M P L E T E D R E G : 1999 D iplom as in A dvanced N ursing Sc 1 118 6 8 6 BA Cur 7 391 2 831 M A Cur 69 368 D Litt et Phil 25 37 (Statistics obtained from U n isa’s Bureau for M anagem ent In­ form ation: June 1999) D is ta n c e e d u c a tio n D L it t et Phil p rog ram as o ffe re d by the D e p a rtm e n t o f A d v a n c e d N u rsin g S c ie n c e s , U N IS A I n tr o d u c tio n The distance education (D L itt et Phil) doctoral program has been offered by this D epartm ent since the 1980s - instituted to m eet the need for further education by the successful M as­ te r ’s students. A need for doctoral program s in nursing was also identified by the nursing services in the Republic o f South A frica (R SA ) w ho required nurse leaders prepared at doc­ C u r a t i o n is D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 0 toral level, especially for policy form ulations. The first suc­ cessful candidate graduated during 1984. The total num ber o f successful candidates until the end o f 1998 am ounted to 25. D uring 1999 the students registered for the D Litt et Phil degree were 37 - from the RSA (17), Botsw ana (4), Lesotho (4), M alaw i (1), Sw aziland (5), Z am ­ bia (1), Zim babw e (3) and the U nited States o f Am erica (1 w ho moved to New York from B otsw ana during his studies). The fields in w hich these 37 students w ere conducting their research could be categorized as falling into: Students select their ow n fields o f research usually in accord­ ance with needs perceived by their em ployers, o r their coun­ tries’ identified health and/or nursing care priorities. A d m iss io n re q u ire m e n ts Any student w ishing to be adm itted to the D Litt et Phil pro­ gram should be in possession o f a M a ste r’s degree or equiva­ lent qualification. The underlying rationale for this adm is­ sion requirem ent is that the D Litt et Phil student should pos­ sess in-depth knowledge about the prospective field of research and should be capable o f conducting independent research. T he prospective student needs to subm it a detailed academ ic record together w ith a research proposal, outlining the title, topic, purpose, scope, m ethodology and feasibility o f the pro­ posed research. This is a research-focused program , with the aim o f preparing nurses who can contribute to the develop­ ment o f nursing know ledge and theory in general. C andi­ dates can em bark on research activities striving to develop the clinical science underlying nursing practice provided they w ork in areas w here such research is feasible, where the em ­ ployers support the specific field o f research and where pre­ ceptors might be available. The decision as to the topic and title o f the research rests with the student. T he subm itted proposal is review ed by the D epartm ent’s Re­ search and Ethics C om m ittee and a prospective prom oter can volunteer to be appointed. D epending on the field o f research a co-prom oter can be appointed from w ithin the D epartm ent o f A dvanced N ursing Sciences, or from any other relevant departm ent such as A nthropology, Psychology, Sociology, Education, Law, Public A dm inistration or Business M anage­ ment. In certain cases co-prom oters can be appointed from o th er universities o r any o th er relevant institutions. T his approach seem s to be supported by authors from other coun­ tries, such as B aker (1995:62) who proclaim s “F aculty fro m oth er disciplines a n d sufficien t support s ta ff are needed to enhance the nursing research effort, strengthen the educa­ tional program, especially the cognate courses a n d electives, a n d generally ensure a quality enterprise ”. If the proposal is accepted, the prom oter and the co-prom oter appointed, then the student can proceed w ith his/her reg is­ tration for the D Litt et Phil degree at Unisa. D u r a tio n o f c o u rs e T he m inim um duration is two years, but m ost students re­ quire m ore than fo u r years to com plete their research and subm it their theses for exam ination. A fter a period o f four years has elapsed, the prom oter needs to subm it a w ritten m otivation as to w hy the student should be allow ed to regis­ ter for periods exceeding four years. Annual re-registration depends on progress reports subm itted by the prom oter(s). The rationale underlying this requirem ent is that inform a­ tion changes rapidly and students who take too long to com ­ plete their research and their theses run the risk o f presenting outdated data. M ost students are full tim e em ployees occu­ pying dem anding positions w hich leave lim ited tim e for pur­ suing their doctoral studies. M ainly those students who can m anage to ob tain study leave ranging from six to tw elve m onths m anage to com plete their doctoral research and the­ ses w ithin five years. O r g a n iz a t io n o f c o u rs e : role o f s tu d e n t a n d o f p ro m o te r(s) The D Litt et Phil program contains no prescribed course work. The Departm ent o f A dvanced Nursing Sciences offers research w orkshops w hich all m asters’ and doctoral students are en ­ couraged to attend, but attendance is voluntary. Each stu­ dent is expected to dem onstrate the ability to do independent research and to m ake a contribution to the field. Nursing Education 1 2 Psychiatric N ursing 2 Reproductive H ealth 8 Prim ary H ealth Care 1 Health Services M anagem ent 7 Clinical N ursing 1 Home Nursing 3 C aring 1 Health Education 3 The prom oter and jo in t prom oter are appointed in accord­ ance w ith their research interests and expertise, taking their respective academ ic responsibilities into account. The D Litt et Phil degree as offered by the D epartm ent o f A dvanced Nursing Sciences, U nisa, w ould seem to be sim ilar to the D Phil degree offered in the U SA , as d escrib ed by G orney- Fadim an (1981:654). In cases where students register at Unisa from foreign countries, these students are encouraged to con­ duct research in their respective countries, and co-prom oters are appointed from the countries concerned if at all possible. In this way students are encouraged to conduct research m ean­ ingful and applicable to their ow n countries, the research ca­ pacities o f the countries concerned are developed, and the members o f staff can know ledge and expertise about the health care situations in a num bers o f different countries. The initial role o f the student really am ounts to reading and com piling the chapters o f the proposed thesis. R egistered doctoral students can access the U nisa library by m eans o f the U nisa W eb-page, by fax, telephone or by e-mail. Once the stu d en t’s registration has been p rocessed the U nisa li­ brarian will com pile a list o f available literature, based on keyw ords supplied by the student, using a variety o f com pu­ ter retrieval system s. This is supplied free o f charge to the student, who then selects those items deem ed relevant to the particular research. B ooks can be borrow ed and photocopies o f articles obtained free o f charge from the U nisa library (the student only pays for the return postage o f the books). N a­ tional and international interlibrary loan facilities can also be utilized - free o f charge. 1 4 3 C u r a t io n is D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 0 The student is expected to su b m it ch ap ter-b y -ch ap ter fo r re ­ view and com m ents by both th e p ro m o ter and co-prom oter. T he fu n d am en tal role o f the p ro m o te r is to “p ro m o te” the stu d en t’s quality o f w ork so th at it reaches the outstanding quality o f w o rk dem anded fro m d octoral theses. A t U nisa, a D L itt et P hil degree w ill only be aw arded if it is regarded as being at the level o f attaining a d istinction (75% o r m ore) in A LL resp ects, academ ic co n trib u tio n , edito rial and technical standards and research m erit. U sually students com pile the first three ch ap ters and the re­ search instrum ents p rio r to c o n d u c tin g th e actual research. Statisticians are consulted o n ce th e research in stru m en t has been com piled, as to the feasib ility o f its co m p u terized statis­ tical analyses. T he pattern a d o p te d by m o st students im ply that C hapter 1 provides the gen eral b ack g ro u n d inform ation and rationale for conducting the specific research , C h ap ter 2 reviews literature relevant to the research , C h ap ter 3 discusses and justifies the research m eth o d o lo g y adopted, then the re ­ search findings are analyzed an d d iscu ssed in tw o or m ore chapters follow ed by the fin al c h a p te r co m p risin g the lim ita­ tions, co n c lu sio n s an d re c o m m e n d a tio n s o f th e research . Should the student have d e v elo p ed a m odel o r a course fo r a specific group o f nurses, this n eed s to be tested prio r to sub­ m itting the thesis fo r ex am ination. A bibliography con tain ­ ing accurate d etails o f all referen ces used throughout the th e­ sis m ust be included. T he research instrum ents, letters re­ questing and gran tin g perm issio n fo r conducting the research, and any o th e r docum ents relev an t to the research should be attached as appendages. (Those students w ho em bark on quali­ tative research approaches m ay follow d ifferen t procedures). After d a ta co llectio n , statistician s and c o m p u te r operators analyze the data and provide the student w ith com p u ter p rin t­ outs. It is up to the student to interpret the statistical fin d ­ ings and to obtain statistical, ty ping as w ell as editorial ex ­ pertise to p resen t an acceptable thesis. E ditorial assistance is a req u irem en t as m ost students present their theses in E n g ­ lish w hich m ig h t be their second or even third language. The students need to inform the u niversity in w riting by specified dates should they co n sid er h an d in g in their theses for e x am i­ nation. T h e pro m o ters need to approve each stu d en t’s ap p li­ cation. S ubsequent to such approval, exam iners are appointed. E x a m in a t io n No form al exam ination is co n d u cted . (U ntil the beginning of the 1990s each doctoral c a n d id ate w as subjected to an oral exam ination by internal and e x tern al exam iners, but this was discontinued due to financial and tim e constraints). Four bound copies o f the co m p leted th esis are subm itted for exam ination by the prom oter, c o -p ro m o te r and at least tw o additional ex tern al ex am in ers fro m tw o d ifferen t u n iv ersi­ ties. In the case w here a co -p ro m o te r had been appointed from a field o th er than n u rsing, at least one external ex am ­ iner will be ap p ointed from th e sam e field. T he four ex am in ­ ers subm it th eir independent rep o rts to a non-exam ining ch air­ person w ho prepares a co m b in ed report fo r the exam ination com m ittee. T h e e x a m in e rs’ rep o rts need to specify w hat contributions the thesis co u ld m ak e tow ards the science o f nursing. E ach ex am in er needs to in d icate w heth er the thesis can be accep ted unam ended, w h e th e r specific aspects require am endm ents or w hether it should be rejected. E xam iners are also encouraged to indicate w hether the thesis, or parts thereof, w ould be suitable for publication. N o m ark is allo­ cated, and no distinctions can be aw arded, because a D Litt et Phil degree is accepted as being w orthy o f a distinction. Should there be m arked differences am ong the exam iners, an additional exam iner m ight be appointed, or the student could be offered an oral exam ination opportunity, or the exam ina­ tion co m m ittee m ay decide to o ffer the student one m ore chance to am end the thesis. In the case o f m inor am end­ m ents the prom oter and co-prom oter need to inform the com ­ m ittee when the candidate had fulfilled the specifications, but in the case o f m ajor changes/im provem ents the thesis needs to be resubm itted for re-exam ination by four or m ore exam in­ ers. C urrently publications in scholarly journ als are not required, prior to aw arding the D Litt et Phil degree, but this possibil­ ity is being investigated. Students are encouraged to publish relevant aspects o f their theses, and w here applicable, pro­ m oters and/or co-prom oters act as co-authors. Publication in accredited jo u rn als and peer review s prior to subm itting the thesis for ex am ination purposes could add another dim en­ sion to the quality assurance aspect o f the distance education D Litt et Phil program . In this w ay the research results could also be dispersed to a w ider academ ic forum. A d v a n t a g e s a n d D is a d v a n ta g e s o f a d is ta n c e e d u c a t io n d o c to r a l p ro g ra m T he m ajor p erso n al advantage fo r the student o f pursuing this distance education D Litt et Phil program is the ability to continue w ith h is/h er life and w ork obviating fam ily disrup­ tions by relocating to a university city, o r even to a different country. S im ilarly the health care services are not disrupted by the absence o f num bers o f senior personnel. Students w ho continue w ith their jo b s w hile pursuing their studies are m ore likely to rem ain in their countries once they have ob­ tained their doctoral qualifications than those who relocate to other countries o r continents for study purposes. Because the students rem ain w ithin their com m unities, their fields o f re­ search are u su ally relev an t to th e ir specific c o m m u n ities’ needs. Ironically the very advantage o f being able to continue with o n e ’s w ork and life w hilst pursuing doctoral studies, is also its m ajor disadvantage. This is th e case because the studies are then sim ply ju s t added on top o f all the other responsibili­ ties, w hilst students w ho relocate to universities to pursue full tim e doctoral studies, need not fulfil their jo b obligations during this period, and som etim es other persons fulfil their fam ily obligations as well. Thus the students pursuing d is­ tance education courses can be expected to take m uch longer to com plete their studies than those w ho pursue full tim e stud­ ies at residential universities. Students who have m ade sub­ stantial progress w ith their studies are encouraged to apply fo r study leave, ideally once they have collected and analyzed th e ir data. S tu d y leav e d e fin ite ly en h an ces the stu d e n ts ’ chances o f achieving success, although a num ber o f students have m anaged to com plete their studies w ithout any study leave w hatsoever. A nother disadvantage is the “d istan ce” involved in distance 1 4 4 C u r a t i o n is D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 0 education. A lthough students are encouraged to m eet their prom oters personally, this is not alw ays possible. Telephone, fax and e-m ail contacts are encouraged. T hese can all be problem atic in A frica w here even e-m ails often function by land lines w hich are disrupted every tim e any length o f co p ­ per wire “goes m issing” . Postal services, including door-to- door deliveries can be expensive, unreliable and it can take weeks for a posted chapter to reach the prom oter, and weeks to return. Postal delays can be dem otivating for m any stu­ dents, but item s w hich get lost in the post are the m ajor p rob­ lems delaying progress. The answ er w ould seem to send all com pleted chapters by e- mail. D eciphering e-m ail attachm ents sent from different parts o f the continent using different program s pose challenges to both students and prom oters. H ow ever, as m ore and more Internet cafes are being established throughout Africa, this possibility is becom ing a reality - at least for students living and w orking in areas w ith access to the Internet, and with reliable electricity supplies. B ecause o f the distance betw een the prom oter and the stu­ dent, and because neither o f them is involved solely in re­ search, m uch o f the excitem ent inherent in successful research might never be actualized. T he student and the m entor can never be fully im m ersed in research, and m ight not “ ... expe­ rience the excitem ent o f know ledge building, an excitem ent that com es fro m seeing one p roject lead to another in an evolv­ ing program o r research” (K eller & W ard 1993:266). S tu­ dents follow ing distance education D L itt et Phil program s might not have the advantage o f w orking w ith m ore senior researchers nor o f teaching m ore ju n io r researchers. In this way the opportunity to learn from both ju n io r and senior co l­ leagues m ight be severely lim ited. A nother potential d isadvantage o f offering solely distance education D Litt et Phil courses, relate to the prom oters in­ volved. Because o f the distance, and thus the lack o f students on cam pus, the pro m o ters’ academ ic schedule can easily b e­ com e overloaded w ith any num ber o f “invisible” doctoral stu­ dents, in addition to undergraduate and other structured post­ graduate distance education courses. U nder these circum ­ stances the doctoral candidate’s quality o f guidance depends solely on the quality o f the responses supplied by the pro­ m oter and jo in t prom oter. “The fo c u s o f the research do cto r­ ate should be on research, a n d it shou ld be b u ilt around re­ search-productive fa c u lty m em bers w ho m entor students in their p a rticu la r areas o f research. Research doctoral p ro ­ gram s should carefully lim it the num b er o f students adm itted to study a n d assure that a ll students w ill have the opportu­ nity to becom e co m p eten t beg in n in g researchers w ho w ill continue on into productive research/teaching careers" (Grace 1989:269). The necessity to lim it the num ber o f distance education students m ight be m ore obscure than in the case o f face-to-face teaching situations. H ow ever, it w ould definitely seem to be in the interest o f both the students and the faculty m em bers that the total num ber o f students should be lim ited to m anageable proportions for the faculty in general and for each specific prom oter. “F aculty costs n e e d to be identified because w ithout time f o r the appropriate m entoring o f stu ­ dents, perform ance o f students w ill suffer. Student advisem ent a n d dissertation s u p e n ’ision require fa c u lty tim e a n d space considerations, as w ell as the individual intellectual output o f f a c u l t y m e m b e r s ” (G e rm a in , D e a tric k , H a g o p ia n & W hitney 1994: 121). C o n c lu s io n & R e c o m m e n d a tio n s T he D epartm ent o f A dvanced N ursing Sciences, U niversity o f South A frica, does have the infrastructure and the ex p er­ tise to offer D Litt et Phil distance education program s. S tand­ ards are m aintained by selecting candidates who have acquired a M a ste r’s or equivalent degree and w ho m anaged to subm it an acceptable research proposal. Prom oters and co-prom ot- ers m onitor each stu d en t’s progress and obtain subject spe­ cific expertise, such as statistical consultants w henever deem ed desirable. P ro m o ters’ annual progress reports can be used to prevent students m aking unsatisfactory progress from re-reg­ istering year after year. A t least tw o external exam iners are appointed to exam ine each thesis, in addition to the stu d en t’s appointed p rom oter and co-prom oter. The m ajor advantage o f distance education program s is that the students can con­ tinue w ith their life and w ork uninterruptedly but the m ajor disadvantage is that the students need to focus on their stud­ ies in addition to all th eir other jo b and hom e related resp o n ­ sibilities. Students w ho have m ade substantial progress and w ho m anage to obtain study leave seem to be able to finalize their theses w ithin shorter periods o f tim e than those w ho do not succeed in getting any study leave. Further research w ould seem to be needed to establish the specific needs o f students and to provide m eaningful support structures enabling m ore students to finish their research p ref­ erably w ithin four or five years. Further research w ould seem to be w arranted to investigate the successful doctoral can d i­ d a te s’ professional and academ ic activities subsequent to ob­ taining the D L itt et Phil degree. H ow ever, the D ep artm en t o f A dv an ced N ursing S ciences, U nisa, w ould need to seriously reconsider its role, function, m ission and vision to provide m eaningful learning ex p eri­ ences for its increasing num ber o f postgraduate students, e s­ pecially the doctoral candidates. O ne w ay in' w hich this d e­ partm ent attem pts to m eet this challenge is by h aving a per­ son responsible for coordinating the postgraduate stu d en ts’ affairs. It m ight require that specific persons be appointed specifically for postgraduate students, w hilst others concen­ trate on the undergraduate students. “Priority’ given to g ra d u ­ ate education decreases com m itm ent to undergraduate stu ­ dents a n d p rogram s ... grow th in nursing science requires re- conceptualizing the d is c ip lin e ” (B aker 1995:63). D istance education doctoral program s can definitely help to increase the num ber o f nurses on the A frican continent w ith doctoral qualifications. T hese nurses, assum ing leadership roles in m any A frican countries, can determ ine the future o f A frica’s nurses and m idw ives and the standard o f health care received by their patients/clients to a m arked extent - esp e­ cially if their num bers could increase substantially. A ny e f­ fort to increase the num ber o f successful doctoral candidates can result in enhanced health care for A frica’s people. The ultim ate contribution o f any doctoral nursing program m ight need to be ju d g e d by its actual and potential co n trib u ­ tion tow ards the nursing profession’s developm ent. Enabling nurses to do independent research at doctoral level, m ight be 1 4 5 C u r a t i o n is D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 0 o f pivotal im portance for the future ex p an sio n o f the pro fes­ sion. A lthough the distance e d u catio n D L itt et Phil program offered by th e D ep artm en t o f A d v an ced N ursin g Sciences, U nisa, does have its disad v an tag es, at least it does seem to succeed in p ro m o tin g a n u m b er o f nurse le a d e rs’ research cap acities in a n u m b er o f A frican countries. “A profession n o t ro o ted in system a tic research is a self-contradiction, a m yth, ra th er than a reality... The sile n t revolution in all the p ro fessions cam e a b o u t as a result p rim a rily o f know ledge enlarged through re se a rc h ” (M erton in M urp h y 1981:646). Lis t o f re fe re n c e s BAKER CM 1995: W hen to beg in a d octoral program in nursing. Intern a tio n a l N u rsin g R eview , 42(2):61-64. G ER M A IN C P; D E A T R IC K J A ; H A G O P IA N G A & WHITNEY FW 1994: E v alu atio n o f a P hD Program : p av ­ ing the way. N ursin g O utlook, M a y /Ju n e 1994: 117-121. G O R N EY -FA D IM A N M J 1981: A s tu d e n t’s perspective on th e d o c to ra l d ile m m a . N u r s in g O u tlo o k , N o v e m b e r 1981:650-654. v G R A C E HK 1989: Issues in d o cto ral edu catio n in N ursing. Journ a l o f P rofessional N u rsin g , 5(5):266-270. K E L L E R M L & W A R D S E 1 9 9 3 : F u n d i n g a n d socialization in th e d octoral p ro g ram at the U n iversity o f W is c o n s in -M a d is o n . J o u r n a l o f P r o fe s s io n a l N u r s in g , 9(5):161-266. M U R P H Y J F 1981: D octoral ed u catio n in, of, and for n u rs­ ing: an h is to r ic a l a n a ly s is . N u r s in g O u tlo o k , N o v e m b e r 1981:645-649. R EIN ER T B R & F R Y B A C K PB 1997: D istance learning and n u r s in g e d u c a tio n . J o u r n a l o f N u r s in g E d u c a tio n , 36(9):421-427. SIM SE N BJ; H O L R O Y D E & S E L L IC K K 1996: P o st­ g raduate e d u c a tio n ex p ec ta tio n s: a su rv ey o f H o n g K ong graduate nurses. J o u rn a l o f A d v a n c e d N ursing, 24:827-835. Statistics o b ta in ed from U n isa ’s B ureau for M an agem en t Inform ation (J u n e 1999). UNISA C A L E N D A R 1999. Part 8 . Pretoria: U nisa. P o s ts c rip t: A ll persons interested in doctoral education for nurses should access the follow ing Internet address: h ttp://w w w .um ich.edu/~inden This organization’s Web page is based at the U niversity o f M ichigan’s N ursing Faculty. B row sing through the contents and accessing specific inform ation will enable the users o f this W eb-page to becom e fam iliar w ith, and to access ad ­ dresses, o f m ost universities offering doctoral program s for nurses throughout the w orld. All the papers presented at the 1997 and 1999 c o n fe re n c e s (in c lu d in g th is one) can be accessed from this W eb-page. (Professor Shaké Ketefian, the C hairperson o f IN D E N , granted perm ission for the publica­ tion o f all conference papers appearing at this Internet site, because this W eb-page does not operate as any form al publi­ cation o f academ ic papers. It strives to provide a service to all nurse academ ics throughout the w orld). IN D EN would w elcom e new m em bers and all academ ic institutions offering doctoral program s in nursing could benefit from becom ing active m em bers and sharing in its lively e-m ail correspond­ ence, as well as participating in its biennial international co n ­ ferences w hich are planned to coincide w ith those o f the In­ ternational C ouncil o f N urses (ICN ) as far as possible. The 2001 IN D E N conference will probably precede the ICN co n ­ ference in C openhagen 10-15 June 2001. Inform ation will be published at this W eb-site. P rofessor Shaké Ketefian, the C hairperson o f INDEN, can be contacted directly at the follow ing e-m ail address (but kindly indicate “IN D EN E nquiries” as the subject o f the e-m ail to facilitate the answ ering process): ketefian@ umich.edu 1 4 6 C u r a t i o n is D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 0 http://www.umich.edu/~inden mailto:ketefian@umich.edu