Paper
Friday, July 15, 2005
Collaborative Learning across Borders: Partnering Students, Faculty, & Community
Debra F. Sheppard-LeMoine, MN1, Lucille Wittstock, MN, BScN1, Barbara Downe-Wamboldt, PhD1, Alice F. Kuehn, PhD2, Andrea Chircop, MN, RN1, Donna Murnaghan, N//A3, Judy Elliott, MA4, Kimberley A. Critchley, RN, PhD5, Neil S. MacNaughton, MA, RN6, Lourdes Mendez, MCE7, Guadalupe Ramirez, MCST8, Sabrina Arteaga, MF, Silvia Espinoza Ortega, MSP9, Rosemary Herbert10, Tess Judge-Ellis, MSN, ARNP, FNP11, Velia Cardenas, ME9, Lucila Acosta12, and Maria Magdalena Herrera12. (1) Nursing, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada, (2) Sinclair School of Nursing, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO, USA, (3) Programs and Partnerships, Health Research Institute, Charlottetown, PE, Canada, (4) Nursing, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO, USA, (5) School of Nursing, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PE, Canada, (6) IA, USA, (7) Facultad de Enfermeria, Universidad Autonoma De Nuevo Leon, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, (8) Facultad de Enfermeria, Universidad Autonoma De San Luis Potosi, San Luis Potosi, SLP, Mexico, (9) Enfermeria, Universidad Autonoma De Nuevo Leon, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, (10) Nursing, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PE, Canada, (11) College of Nursing, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA, (12) Enfermeria, Universidad Autonoma De San Luis Potosi, San Luis Potosi, SLP, Mexico
| Learning Objective #1: Explore the impact of an international project on nursing students and faculty by examining innovative strategies that foster collaborative education across three North American countries |
| Learning Objective #2: Describe challenges experienced throughout the process of jointly developing memorandums of understanding, online course development, exchange experiences, and evaluation processes |
The purpose of the project is to develop a sustainable, multi-dimensional program for Canadian, Mexican and United States university nursing students, faculty and nurses. Analysis of the nurse role within each country's health care system; growth in multi-cultural awareness; understanding of specific health care beliefs and values unique to each country; and participation in cultural immersion experiences provide the context.
Six university schools of nursing in Canada, Mexico and the United States of America are partnering in this four year endeavor. Strategies for immersing students and faculty in their own culture and those of the other two countries were developed and are being implemented. These include an on-line course delivered collaboratively among the partners and international exchanges for students and faculty. Ongoing project evaluation continues to inform project implementation.
Participants include students and faculty from six university schools of nursing in three countries. The number of students enrolled in the on-line course varies according to each universitiy's inclusion criteria, averaging 15/university. From them, a minimum of six per univerity participate in the exchanges.
Preliminary evaluation data suggests partners are committed to sustainability of the project. Effective and cooperative relationships have developed among the participants from all partner countries. This innovative, international project has the potential to influence the future direction of nursing education, practice and research.