This blog explores the importance of engagement and focuses on some instructional concepts and approaches that can be utilized within a Zoom environment to expand engagement.
By Andrew Bobal, EdD
Today’s instruction in a COVID world is drastically different than it was just twelve months ago. Courses and programs that were never taught online have been thrust into the online world without choice; this is true for instructors as well. One the biggest hurdles with online synchronous Continue reading “Improving Engagement in Synchronous Online Learning”
By Susan Sportsman, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN
Perhaps the most critical challenge we face is to ensure that our graduates are competent when making clinical judgements appropriate for novice nurses. Developing this competence has always been important—after all, effective clinical judgment is what keeps the clients we serve safe. However, the implementation of the Next Generation NCLEX (NGN) by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) in 2023 has brought this need into prominence. At the same time, the pandemic has created the need to deliver more instruction for nursing students in an online format. Let’s look at four principles to help us achieve the outcomes of developing novice nurses who make effective clinical judgment the core of their nursing practice, all of which can be implemented in an online setting. Continue reading “Developing Clinical Judgment in an Online Environment”
By Laura Dzurec, PhD, PMHCNS-BC, ANEF, FAAN
I never cease to be impressed by the power of stories. It doesn’t matter whether I’m with my grandchildren, in front of a classroom full of nursing students, or working on a research report, it’s stories—not my careful recitation of facts and figures—that are the glue attracting and holding audience consideration and attention. There is incredible power in stories. Like this one: Continue reading “Tell Me What You See: Workplace Bullying and Storytelling”
By Susan Sportsman, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN
COVID-19 has changed how nurse educators prepare students for practice. The changes in the health care environment—and nursing specifically—over the last decade have given faculty numerous challenges: integration of important new content in an already “stuffed” curriculum, evolving expectations of students, parents and college administrators, and the difficulty in finding appropriate clinical sites and sufficient numbers of faculty. As if these challenges weren’t enough, now faculty must cope with an international pandemic that has huge implications personally and professionally. In addition to their other responsibilities, faculty now must prepare students for practice using masks, social distancing, and limited clinical sites-all while working from home!
One thing, however, has not changed. Continue reading “Highlights from the new NCSBN Report on Quality Indicators for Nursing Programs”
By Susan Sportsman, PhD, RN ANEF, FAAN
The Coronavirus pandemic has forced most nursing schools to increase their use of online testing, as we reported recently. As I talk to faculty around the country, I continue to hear concerns about the security and validity of online testing. How valid is this concern, and what can we do to mitigate it? Continue reading “Addressing Cheating in Online Testing”
By Susan Sportsman, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN
Most of us have been coping, both personally and professionally, with the results of social distancing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. While we would like life to return to “normal,” we also worry about the health impact of returning to our “face-to-face” lives. Equally important, when this crisis passes, what will the new normal look like? Continue reading “Testing Online in the Era of Social Distancing”
By Susan Sportsman, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN
Online discussion boards provide the most effective learning when students are given the opportunity to demonstrate higher order thinking skills. Regardless of the topic of discussion, students must be able to demonstrate that they can: Continue reading “Evaluating Online Discussions”
By Susan Sportsman, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN
The impact of the coronavirus is being felt everywhere. As I write this, schools, colleges, and universities across the country are temporarily closed and planning to move classes to online instruction when they reopen. For faculty in nursing programs, this directive is manageable, as many face-to-face courses involve some level of interaction online. However, as I talk to faculty from across the country, I hear concerns regarding the loss of a caring learning environment among students and faculty in courses delivered only online. I also hear concerns that implementing teaching-learning strategies to stimulate critical thinking is more difficult in an online environment that in face-to-face instruction. Perhaps during this national emergency it would be helpful for all of us to think about “best practices” for online instruction, particularly those that involve creating a caring environment that encourages critical thinking. Continue reading “Online Learning: Creating a Caring Environment that Encourages Critical Thinking”
By Susan Sportsman PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN
The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) recently posted on their website five types of questions that they will include as part of the Next Generation NCLEX (NGN) test revision. While the NCSBN intends to continue to use the multiple-choice test format which currently makes up a significant portion of the NCLEX exam, other types of test items will also be included. Continue reading “NGN-Style Questions—What Should We Do Now?”
by Susan Sportsman, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN and Cathy Converse
“Courage is the first of human qualities because it’s the quality that guarantees the others.” –Aristotle
Introduction
Leadership is on the hearts and minds of most of us as we navigate the complexities of our personal and professional lives. Although volumes have been written about effective leadership using a variety of perspectives, the need for courage in times of conflict and discord, particularly in situations of perceived high risk, seems particularly relevant. Few environments represent higher risk than health care. Continue reading “The Case for Courageous Leadership”
