Students' Perceptions of Learning and Evaluation Using Aesthetic Projects

Purpose: Students within a pre-licensure BSN program enroll in professional concepts courses and complete aesthetic learning activities and projects. The aesthetic way of knowing was described by Carper (1978) as the art of nursing and includes the subjective expression of information. Dewey (1938) described perception through aesthetics as a way to gather parts into a whole, creating a unity of meaning. Aesthetic ways of learning and expressing knowledge allow students to develop in the affective domain, reinforcing that nursing knowledge is not limited to the empiric way of knowing. Affective learning can prompt an emotional response and thereby result in changes of perspective and values that can aid in developing a holistic view guided by compassion (Sandberg, 2016). The foundation for nursing is caring (Watson, 2008); thus, it is imperative that nursing students develop the ability to join parts into a whole and develop caring competencies and values. Within the program’s caring science curriculum, faculty recognize students can express their knowledge through the humanities and arts (Watson, 2008); therefore, expression of knowledge through aesthetic learning is appropriate (Hills & Watson, 2011) and can help students explore the parts of a whole while allowing the opportunity to explore through alternative ways of expression. Aesthetic forms of learning can be used across the curriculum (Lindstrom, 2012) and are used in pre-service teacher training, youth justice, and in nursing education as a way to allow learner-centered pedagogies (Frawley, 2013; Froggett, 2007; Shearer, 2015). Aesthetic learning projects have demonstrated aesthetic learning can create experiential moments to see how the self connects to others as related to becoming a nurse (Spadoni, Doane, Sevean, & Poole, 2015). In a systematic review of arts-based pedagogies in undergraduate nursing programs, the authors found that using art in nursing education could create meaning, inspire learning, improve knowledge acquisition, and level of empathy (Rieger, Chernomas, McMillan, Morin, & Demczuk, 2016). Although some have argued that the aesthetic way of knowing cannot be measured, Bender and Elias (2017) presented a compelling argument that the aesthetic way of knowing can and should be explored using the scientific method. The purpose of this study was to explore students’ perceptions of their ability to learn, meet course objectives, develop knowledge of caring science, and be fairly evaluated through the use of aesthetic activities and projects.

Methods: Approval to conduct the study was obtained from the university’s IRB. Using a convenience sample of students (N=31) who had completed the two designated courses, students completed and 18-question survey. The survey was completed using Qualtrics. Although students accessed the survey through a link sent to their student email account, responses were anonymous. The survey included Likert-style questions, open-ended questions, and demographic questions including age, current healthcare experience, and prior education. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and qualitative analysis of open-ended responses to survey questions.

Results: The average age of participants was 24.6 years, the majority identified as female (n=27), and most (n=19) were not working in healthcare. Only 9 participants had earned a prior degree. The majority of participants (64.5%) perceived they could learn the course concepts by participating in aesthetic projects and enjoyed (70.97%) learning the course material through the creation of an aesthetic project. Participants also perceived they were able to meet course objectives (83.87%) through aesthetic projects and perceived that their learning can be fairly evaluated (67.7%) through use of aesthetic projects. The majority of participants (93.55%) perceived they could learn how caring is incorporated within professional nursing concepts by completing aesthetic assignments. Open-ended responses indicated participants perceived the aesthetic projects as giving them an opportunity to self-reflect and focus on the bigger picture, viewing self as the nurse they intend to be. While some participants felt completing an aesthetic project in groups was a barrier others felt that completing a project in a group allowed them to practice fostering teamwork and learning to address conflict. Regarding caring, participants felt that focusing on caring concepts aided in learning to care for each person individually rather than focusing on the diagnosis as well as helping students learn about themselves, including the importance of introspection.

Conclusion: Limitations of this study include the use of a convenience sample, difficult recruitment, and the low response rate (23%). Implications of this study include that students do perceive that they can learn professional concepts and caring science through the use of aesthetic projects. Further, students perceive they can be fairly evaluated through use of such projects. Therefore, the inclusion of aesthetic projects as a teaching/learning strategy may allow students to express themselves in a new and different way. Recommendations include consideration of aesthetic projects as a form of evaluation of student learning and further research into the usefulness of aesthetic projects in nursing education.