Learning Objective #1: Describe the learning styles of today's Net generation nursing students

Learning Objective #2: Discuss multiple teaching methods that meet the diverse learning styles of today's nursing student

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Today's nursing students are vastly different from nursing students of the past. No longer are they passive purveyors of information, but they want and need to be actively involved in attaining and applying information and expect immediate feedback and interactive learning. Today's nurse educators need to consider changing their paradigm to address the needs of today's students and tomorrow's nurses. The purpose of this study was to describe the diverse learning styles of today's nursing students. The Solomon/Felder Index of Learning Styles (ILS) measured four dimensions of learning: processing (active/reflective), perception (sensing/intuitive), input (visual/verbal), and understanding (sequential/global). Qualitative comments, using an open-ended questionnaire, were also obtained. A convenience sample of 86 nursing students attending the 2004 National Student Nurses Association convention were recruited to participate in this study. Ranging in age from 18-49 years, 91% of the students were female and 9% were male. Forty-eight percent of the students were enrolled in a baccalaureate program, 48% in an associate program, and 4% in a diploma nursing program. The results of the ILS indicated that 79% of the students scored as active learners, 84% as sensing learners, 78% as visual learners, and 64% as sequential learners. This was consistent with the qualitative data where students reported wanting to be actively involved in the classroom; their preference for hands-on work and their need for relevant information, details, and examples; their need for visual cues; and their need for teacher organization, details and step-by-step instructions. The implications for nursing faculty as a result of this study include the need to make multiple methods of learning available to students to meet their diverse learning styles. By understanding the learning needs of today's students, nurse educators can better engage them in the learning process and foster essential critical thinking skills.