eng Science and Education Publishing American Journal of Educational Research 2327-6150 2015-08-04 3 8 1040 1044 10.12691/education-3-8-15 EDUCATION20153815 article Kayla Wright kwright@gwu.edu 1 Sandra Davis 1 School of Nursing, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA On-line Nurse Practitioner (NP) programs require a unique set of support services to promote student engagement and success. This study used a descriptive mixed-methods approach to better understand the use of a NP Blackboard® Community for providing student support services by examining student feedback related to utilization and sense of community. Forty-nine percent of students surveyed accessed the NP Community 2 to 5 times per semester while the remaining 51% accessed the site less frequently. The NP Community was most useful in providing students with information needed for clinical placements and it was a close second to Facebook for fostering a sense of community among students (50% and 44 % respectively). Provision of an effective NP Blackboard® Community for providing support services requires creative management and on-going evaluation. Today's students are immersed in technology that offers virtually instantaneous forms communicating, finding information and retrieving data. Strategies for incorporating newer social media applications for providing support services and fostering a sense of community should be considered. http://pubs.sciepub.com/education/3/8/15/education-3-8-15.pdf nurse practitioner nursing student education distance education