Dear Future Students

The proverbial teaching toolbox.

Dear Future Students,

            Once upon a time, there was a nurse who believed that all nursing education was just as she had experienced.  It was the 20^th century, and it was dull and dreary, full of lecture and passive learning.

            One day, in the fifteenth year of her nursing career, the nurse decided to go back to school, to learn how to become a 20^th century nurse educator.  But because fifteen years had passed since the nurse had been in school, it was a new age in nursing education.  It was the 21^st century, and it was bright and exciting, full of active learning and student-centered teaching strategies!  The nurse was so relieved to find such a bright future awaited her, where she could bring her creativity and her love of nursing to the classroom, to grow the next generation of caring, competent and holistic nurses.

            My dear future students, this has been my journey so far.  With every passing week, I am developing innovative ideas for student-centered nursing education.  With every passing week, my teaching toolbox expands with strategies that are active and engaging, for the traditional, hybrid and online classroom.  We will have games, simulation, discussion, reflection, technology, and so much more.  My dear future students, I am almost ready for you, to guide you on your own journey in nursing education.

Technology in the 21^st Century Classroom

I encourage you to take a moment to watch this video, How to Use Technology in Education.

          This is one of the better videos I have viewed on 21^st century classrooms and technology.  How do we meet the needs of the 21^st century learner?  Technology is not the sole solution.  We must look at the whole picture, including learning styles and other teaching strategies.  On the other hand, technology needs be integrated into the whole curriculum and applied in ways that are meaningful for learning.  Integrating technologically-enhanced teaching strategies aids the movement away from fact-based learning, into a deeper, higher level learning and development of critical thinking skills.

Transitioning to 21^st Century Nurse Educators

Finally, for the future nurse educators, I leave you with three links to help you transition into your new roles:

          From Janice Petrella Lynch (2016), Sage advice: Motivational teaching strategies for nurse educators.  This is a conglomeration of wisdom for nurse educators around the world.  There is a lot of great advice here!

          From Penn, Wilson & Rosseter (2008), Transitioning from Nursing Practice to a Teaching Role. This article from the ANA is for nurses considering a role in education and gives a great overview of nursing education in the 21^st century.

          From LinkedIn SlideShare, (2014), Nurse Educator Interview Questions.  This slideshow gives an overview of what to expect on your first interview for a job in nursing education.  (I am saving this link for me!). 

Until my next adventure,

Crystal

Competency in Nursing Infomatics

          I took seven years of Spanish language classes through high school and college, and then married a man that was born and raised in Budapest, Hungary.  If you are not familiar with the Hungarian language, I can assure you it is nothing like English or Spanish.  After several years of exposure, I remember one day sitting at the dining room table with his family, listening to them speak in Hungarian, suddenly realizing how much I could decipher from their conversation.    

            Beginning my graduate nursing informatics course reminded me of listening to Hungarian the first several years.  In the beginning of the course there was terminology and technology I was familiar with, but overall, I was lacking competency and confidence.  After several weeks of experimenting with technologically-enhanced teaching strategies and exploring information systems, my competency and confidence has grown.

            June Kaminski, RN, MSN, PhD, discusses competency in healthcare technology on her Nursing Informatics Learning Center website.  Kaminski breaks down competency level into User Level, Modifier Level, and Innovator Level.  The User level of competency is a nurse who is competent in the core nursing informatics skills, and is considered the minimum level of competency for all practicing nurses (Kaminski, 2016).  The Modifier demonstrates intermediate competency level.  Among many other competencies, this nurse applies technology in accessing evidence-based practice from multiple sources, uses technology to support decision making, has an understanding of computer systems and programs in relation to practice, and participates in leadership and education practices in regards to nursing informatics (Kaminski, 2016).  Finally, the Innovator is the nurse that demonstrates advanced and specialized competency level in nursing informatics.  This nurse participates in the design and development of information systems, applications for nursing practice, utilizes data sets for quality improvement, designs new nursing technologies, and so much more.  The Innovator may have advanced, specialized training in nursing informatics (Kaminski, 2016).

Using Nursing Informatics in Education and Leadership

            My role as a hospital nurse educator has helped to place me firmly in the Modifier level.  As I progress through graduate school and increase my responsibilities in nursing leadership, the more Innovator level competencies I am able to demonstrate.

            After fifteen years of marriage, I am far from fluent in Hungarian.  I do have a level of proficiency, however, that allows me to engage in polite conversation, order in a restaurant, and navigate the city.  Likewise, I am far from fluent in nursing informatics.  Will I ever reach the complete Innovator Level of competency?  I suppose, potentially.  As I have dedicated myself to lifelong learning in nursing, so will I continue to acquire knowledge and skills specific to nursing informatics. 

A legközelebbi kalandomig, 

(Until my next adventure),

Crystal

Reference

Kaminski, J. (2016). Nursing informatics competencies. Nursing Informatics Learning Center. Retrieved from http://nursing-informatics.com/niassess/plan.html

Becoming a Better Educator through Authentic Assessment and Feed Forward

         Is the measure of a good educator found in the final performance of her students, on say, a final exam?  Perhaps.  But perhaps a better measure of a good educator is in looking at the day to day assessment and feedback of the performance of her students.  My hope is that the latter is true, and why I will incorporate authentic assessment and formative evaluation into my role as a nurse educator.

          Authentic assessment can be described as what it is not—it is not what one would consider a traditional means of student assessment through methods like multiple choice examinations.  Instead, authentic assessment is meaningful and applicable to the real world (Mueller, 2016).  Simulation is a great example of authentic assessment, taking the student’s knowledge and applying it to skills necessary to become a competent nurse.  Authentic assessment techniques can be used in the classroom setting as well.  For example, how does a nursing student learn to provide patient education?  Certainly they can be tested on knowledge of learning theory, self-care, etc.  But does that provide an assessment as to whether or not a student can actually do patient teaching in a competent and caring manner?  In the classroom that uses authentic assessment, the student may be assessed on their ability to deliver patient teaching in role play, through a case a study, presentation or concept map. 

Authentic Assessment of Patient Teaching through a Classroom Presentation

          Formative evaluation is a form of feedback to both the student and the educator.  Formative evaluation is an assessment used for learning, to improve learning outcomes (Bonnel & Smith, 2010).  In other words, the educator may use formative evaluation to assess student learning and to drive further instruction.  Feed forward is the concept in which the teacher takes what she has learned in assessing the student learning to modify her teaching. Feed forward is a concept I have used in my role as a hospital nurse educator, without ever knowing there was a formal name for such a concept.  I will routinely trial new games or activity on a few members of the leadership team in order to make the necessary adjustments before introducing the activity in the classroom.

          Concordia University offers Advice on Using Authentic Assessment in Teaching.  The website offers tips for incorporating authentic assessment as well as several useful examples. The authors end with suggesting reflection as a way to gain understanding into what the students have learned.  Student reflections also give the educator the opportunity to feed forward.

          In their Educational Leadership article Feed Up, Back, Forward, Fisher and Frey distinguish the differences and provide specific examples of feed up, feedback and feed forward.  The authors refer to feed up as the beginning of the feedback process, where develops a clear overall purpose or learning objective.  That way, students know what to expect and the educator is able to tailor the teaching strategies to meet the learning needs.

          It is my continued hope that through the incorporation of authentic assessment and feed forward strategies, my classroom will develop knowledgeable, competent and caring nurses.  That would be my definition of a successful nurse educator.

Until my next adventure,
Crystal 

References

Bonnel, W. & Smith, K.V. (2010). Teaching technologies in nursing and the health professions. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

Mueller, J. (2016). Authentic assessment toolbox.  Retrieved from http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/index.htm