• Researching Student Engagement in Nursing Education: Improvement in Opportunities for Critical Thinking

Student Engagement can be described as how involved or interested students appear to be in their learning and how connected they are to their classes, their institutions, and each other (Axelson & Flick, 2010). Moving toward learner-centered teaching will lead to greater success for students and increased job satisfaction for teachers (Wright, 2011). Promotion of engaging learning activities enhances knowledge retention and generates critical thinking. Problem based learning and project-based learning helps use student-influenced inquiry and critical thinking structured around complex and carefully designed tasks to motivate students to perform at their highest level (Robinson, 2013). Learning methods should assist students to make carnal connections between obtaining knowledge in the classroom, clinical situations and simulated activities, to real world events.

Providing a student-centered instructional method, which would be helpful to understand the conceptual approach to teaching, as well as be a self-examination of knowledge obtained through lecture and problem-based class-activities promotes student success. Encouraging the use of tools in clinical courses can assist in content focus (Giddens, et al., 2008). Reviewing student experiential feedback can contribute towards furthering instructional theory development and practice strategies and student understanding of the importance of providing feedback is essential (Reynolds & Caperton, 2011; Webber, Lynch, & Oluku, 2013). Evaluation of outcomes includes determining the effectiveness of the assignments and the students’ perception of learning utilizing the assignments, as well as overall performance of exams.

Through course evaluation and verbal feedback from students, evidence for implementation of new teaching practices and the development of new teaching assignments to engage the learner, as well as provide additional study methods beyond the classroom is needed. The importance of student engagement is to enhance learning opportunities, promote critical thinking, and to guide active methods of student acquisition of knowledge for complex concepts in nursing education.  Conceptual-based assignments were created to be used as student-generated study guides that produce student engagement in the classroom, student-centered learning, and student self-evaluation of learning. These assignments go beyond typical homework and answering questions, by integrating classroom activities, lecture, and instructional information into assignments completed for a grade. Student generated learning through guided completion of assignments allows students to create their own study guides for exams.

The purpose is to provide students with self-directed, conceptual-based assignments to guide study for exams. The assignments are topic specific to the exams and are to be used to study and focus the learner’s concentration on materials. Exemplars are used for the concepts with a review of anatomy and physiology with diagrams for self-directed study. The students did not receive feedback on assignments prior to exams. All students participated in the assignments and exams over the course of the 4 month semester. The dilemma was to provide a student-centered instructional method that would be helpful to understand the conceptual approach to teaching, as well as be a self-examination of knowledge obtained through lecture and class-activities.

Assignments were designed to guide the student through processing information being delivered in class and create a written tool to direct the student studying for exams. Four assignments were developed as study guides to be completed during off-class time, and to be submitted on the day of the exam. This was developed not to test the students learning, but to help distinguish important topics and facts they would later be tested on.

The students are surveyed at the end of the semester using a 5-point Likert scale to determine the effectiveness of the assignments and the students’ perception of learning utilizing the diagrams provided in the assignments. Based on current results, 99% of the students feel the assignments helped guide studying before the exam, 97% of the students feel that additional assignments ease anxiety of preparation for exams, and 100% of the students felt that assignments help off-set test grades for overall achievement in the class. Based on feedback received the majority of the students found the assignments helpful in studying for the exams, and all students appreciated the off-set of the grade by inclusion of the assignments in the overall grade. Additional results to be provided from this fall and upcoming Spring Semester as comparison to the previous year.

Continuous assessment of innovative teaching, development of lessons and assignments, and overall student engagement allows for quality improvement. Creative ideas should be explored and developed, tested and utilized, and evaluated for their effectiveness. Generate the teaching strategies and plan the improvement process simultaneous for better student outcomes.