Weaving a transitional pedagogy through first year nursing: Building a web of digital learning resources

Wednesday 3 July: 5:30pm – 7:00pm, poster session

Presenters

Dr Adam Burston
Australian Catholic University, Australia
adam.burston@acu.edu.au

Dr Floraidh Corfee
Australian Catholic University, Australia

Overview

Blended learning engages students with digital and physical learning spaces and is an integral aspect of pedagogy associated with bridging the theory/practice gap. Early immersion in a multi-dimensional learning space equips students with the valuable self-curatorial skills associated with both theory and practice.

This project involved developing a suite of digital resources for commencing students in a Bachelor of Nursing and Bachelor of Nursing/Bachelor of Paramedicine program. The suite of resources were directly linked to two case-study based episodes of care, positioned as a central anchor point for the students’ learning. The resources included a series of video vignettes presenting different aspects of nursing, electronic medical records and supporting activities for reflection and recall such as quizzes and short-answer questions. 

The poster explicates the process of developing these digital resources, presented through the two episodes of care: the first between a student nurse and a patient in the emergency department, and the second between an older couple and a community nurse practitioner. The unit content’s eclecticism necessitated flexibility and the resources were designed to cover a range of concepts including preparation for clinical placement and preceptoring, the mastery of vital signs and pain assessment, health history gathering and assessment, and interpersonal communication techniques. The resources were then embedded in online and classroom activities positioning them as a central hub of student learning in the unit.

This approach allowed the developers to curate a web of learning spaces, moving away from a vertical model of content delivery. A number of approaches supported student learning, such as self-directed learning in the online space to allow independent sense-making and exploration, as well as scaffolded activities. This scaffolding included tutorial and practice laboratory learning prompts and grounding for discussion. The resources also served as a footing for psychomotor skills development in practice labs.

Presentation topic

Poster session