Integrating Collaborative Learning in Nursing Education

Group work for students in an academic setting is often discouraging for both students and the instructor. Students complain that groups often include students who are not motivated to master a concept or assignment and/or students who do not possess the same skill set as other members of the group. Often a subset of the original group takes responsibility for completing the assignment allowing the remaining students to not participate as required or expected. Instructors are frequently called upon to govern the group when problems with participation occur and are asked to “force non-participating students” to do their share of the work.

Collaborative in nursing education encourages students to take an active role in their learning. Evolving from social learning theories and constructivism, collaboratively learning can improve both the process and outcomes of learning in nursing education. When properly implemented, students become responsible for their learning as well as the learning of their group members. Strategies for positive collaborative learning include considering group size in light of the assignment, establishing basic rules for group participation, promoting group communication, maintaining an instructor presence that changes as the project evolves, use of the group charter for group governance, and incorporating appropriate technology to promote group process. Consideration should also be given to assessment methods for the group project from both the instructor and individual group members. Self-assessment promotes a more active ownership in the outcomes of the group.

Critical thinking, leadership, and communication skill development is evident in collaborative learning teams.  Self-awareness of personal strengths and weaknesses become evident through open discussions with group members.  Students helping students better reflect the “real world” experiences. These experiences also transfers easily for the graduate nurse to the practice setting of working within a multi-disciplinary team. Examples from both online and face-to-face classrooms will be presented.