Yesterday, I attended a university student committee meeting. In 2008, there will be a diversity task force forming to address the needs of diverse students on campus. For example, the Muslims students have requested a 24 hour prayer room on campus. Many of our diverse students have problems and there is no one on campus who they can discuss their needs with. We will be hiring a counselor to specialize in counseling students with problems related to diversity.
Since we are increasing the student diversity on our campus, I wanted to look at how I could make some curriculum changes in the courses that I teach to meet the needs of these students. These are some suggestions that Amaro, Abriam-Yogo, & Yoder (2006) mentioned in their research study:
1. Ask for tutoring with English. The university does not provide English tutors to students. Honestly, I do not know where I could refer students for an English tutor. I need to bring this issue up at the next committee meeting.
2. Have papers edited by English-proficient classmates or family members. We provide a writing center at the University so this option would work.
3. Take a medical terminology class. We require a mandatory medical terminology class in the fall semester of the sophomore year for ALL students.
4. Record lectures. We do not allow students to tape lectures in the classroom because we discuss confidential information related to patients and clinical sites. If students want to tape lectures, they need to require special permission from the University.
5. Participate in study groups. I strongly encourage my students to participate in study groups in the courses that I teach.
6. Ask faculty to provide more time to complete tests or other assignments. I feel this is preferential treatment and this would not be fair to other students. If students want additional time to complete an exam, they must require special permission from the University.
I felt these suggestions from this article were helpful, and I plan to implement these curriculum changes in the courses that I teach.
References
Amaro, D., Abriam-Yago, K., Yoder, M. (2006). Perceived barriers for ethnically diverse students in nursing programs. Journal of Nursing Education, 45 (7), 247- 254.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Thursday, November 8, 2007
November 5th to 11th, 2007
In the past two years, our NCLEX pass rate has decreased, and we have made several changes in the undergraduate nursing curriculum. Recently, one curriculum change that our department has made was to make the standardized nursing exams count towards the student’s course grade. Each semester, students are required to take standardized exams in each nursing course, for example, OB, PEDS, medical-surgical nursing, psychiatric nursing, and pharmacology. The standardized exams are written by ERI world.
In previous years, students would not study for these standardized exams because they did not count toward their grade, and the scores were below average.Now, each standardizes exam counts 5% toward the student’s grade. If the student passes it on the first attempt, he/she will earn 5 points, on the second attempts 3 points, and third attempt 1 point. If the student does not pass on the third attempt, he/she will receive zero points. Now, the students take these exams very seriously, and they study hard for them. I teach OB, and I have an in class review for this exam. In addition, students can log onto ERI world and download review sessions to their pod cast and take practice quizzes.
There are a few faculty member who thought this policy seems too harsh, but I have seen a huge improvement in the amount of studying that the students are doing to prepare for this exam. I feel the more students study for a course the better, and hopefully this change in our curriculum will help our NCLEX results return to where they were two years ago.
In previous years, students would not study for these standardized exams because they did not count toward their grade, and the scores were below average.Now, each standardizes exam counts 5% toward the student’s grade. If the student passes it on the first attempt, he/she will earn 5 points, on the second attempts 3 points, and third attempt 1 point. If the student does not pass on the third attempt, he/she will receive zero points. Now, the students take these exams very seriously, and they study hard for them. I teach OB, and I have an in class review for this exam. In addition, students can log onto ERI world and download review sessions to their pod cast and take practice quizzes.
There are a few faculty member who thought this policy seems too harsh, but I have seen a huge improvement in the amount of studying that the students are doing to prepare for this exam. I feel the more students study for a course the better, and hopefully this change in our curriculum will help our NCLEX results return to where they were two years ago.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
October 29th to November 4th, 2007
Hooks (1994) recommends that faculty build community in the classroom by recognizing the value of each individual voice through journaling. Our nursing students are required to keep a journal in their Fundamentals clinical. I have found that the students tend to list the activities that they completed in clinical. After taking this class, I realized the purpose of journaling is to promote critical thinking. Now, I have higher expectations with my students when they submit their journals. Instead of simply telling me the activities that they completed in clinical, I ask them to write about how they are applying what they are learning in the classroom to the clinical setting. I also have them identify their strengths and weakness and how they plan to improve on their weaknesses. After I have told the students my expectations, I have found that the quality of their journals has improved, and they have been much more enjoyable for me to read.
I like the idea how Dr. Anderson allows us to create a blog to complete our journal, and I used a similar idea with my Fundamental students. I created a discussion board on WEB CT for each student, and the only person who can see their journal is myself and the student. I did not have them create a blog because I was worried that some of them may have technical difficulties, and I was concerned that private information would be posted on the web. With online journals, I don’t have to worry about loosing them, and I am able to provide more timely feedback. Finally, if there is a topic that was not discussed in class, journaling is an excellent method to learn more about the topic individually.
Since I found journaling a valuable learning experience in this class, I decided to make it an assignment for the Multicultural class that I am creating. I plan to have the students create a blog, and they will be required to write a weekly journal entry about any topic related to Multicultural nursing. Through this class, I have now view journaling in a totally different light, and it is an excellent learning experience.
References
Hooks, B. (1994). Teaching to transgress: Education as the practice of freedom. New York, NY: Rutledge.
I like the idea how Dr. Anderson allows us to create a blog to complete our journal, and I used a similar idea with my Fundamental students. I created a discussion board on WEB CT for each student, and the only person who can see their journal is myself and the student. I did not have them create a blog because I was worried that some of them may have technical difficulties, and I was concerned that private information would be posted on the web. With online journals, I don’t have to worry about loosing them, and I am able to provide more timely feedback. Finally, if there is a topic that was not discussed in class, journaling is an excellent method to learn more about the topic individually.
Since I found journaling a valuable learning experience in this class, I decided to make it an assignment for the Multicultural class that I am creating. I plan to have the students create a blog, and they will be required to write a weekly journal entry about any topic related to Multicultural nursing. Through this class, I have now view journaling in a totally different light, and it is an excellent learning experience.
References
Hooks, B. (1994). Teaching to transgress: Education as the practice of freedom. New York, NY: Rutledge.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
October 22nd to 28th, 2007
The nursing department made another curriculum change within the undergraduate nursing program. We are now administering comprehensive case studies to each level of students every semester as an evaluation method. At the beginning of the semester, students will complete case studies on content that we have covered in previous semesters. At this point, the student will not receive a grade on the assignment, but they will receive feedback. The reason we decided to use it as an evaluation tool is because we found that students are not transferring knowledge from one course to the next. Through the case studies, we are hoping to stimulate our students to critical think, remember content from previous semesters, and associate clinical with the theory that we are teaching them in class (Rowles & Brigham, 2005).
When I teach, I love to use case studies. Case studies help the student have an in-depth analysis of real-life situation to help them understand class content. In addition, it applies didactic content and theory to real life (Rowles & Brigham, 2005). I have found that my students enjoy them also, and I always receive positive comments on my faculty evaluations regarding them. Rowels and Brigham (2005) said that developing case studies is a difficult and time-consuming skill for many and the option of published case studies should be considered. I have to agree that writing case studies is time consuming. When I write them, I study NCLEX books, and I make sure that I include the most common concepts that will be on the state boards in the scenario.
A senior tenure faculty member came up with the comprehensive case study idea, but a lot of the other faculty feels like it is "busy work". Personally, I feel we need to do whatever we can to assist students to be successful on the state boards, and I am willing to give it a try.
References
Rowles, C., & Brigham, C.(2005). Strategies to promote critical thinking and active
learning. In D. M. Billings & J.A. Halstead (Eds.), Teaching in nursing: A guide
for faculty (pp. 283-315). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Sanders.
When I teach, I love to use case studies. Case studies help the student have an in-depth analysis of real-life situation to help them understand class content. In addition, it applies didactic content and theory to real life (Rowles & Brigham, 2005). I have found that my students enjoy them also, and I always receive positive comments on my faculty evaluations regarding them. Rowels and Brigham (2005) said that developing case studies is a difficult and time-consuming skill for many and the option of published case studies should be considered. I have to agree that writing case studies is time consuming. When I write them, I study NCLEX books, and I make sure that I include the most common concepts that will be on the state boards in the scenario.
A senior tenure faculty member came up with the comprehensive case study idea, but a lot of the other faculty feels like it is "busy work". Personally, I feel we need to do whatever we can to assist students to be successful on the state boards, and I am willing to give it a try.
References
Rowles, C., & Brigham, C.(2005). Strategies to promote critical thinking and active
learning. In D. M. Billings & J.A. Halstead (Eds.), Teaching in nursing: A guide
for faculty (pp. 283-315). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Sanders.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
October 15th to 21st, 2007
For this week’s journal entry, I want to discuss some curriculum changes that I plan to make in the OB course that I teach. This spring, I taught OB to sophomore nursing students in the undergraduate program over 7 weeks (2 hour class twice per week). I had a total of 75 students who were divided into two sections, and my faculty evaluations from these students were excellent.
This summer, I taught OB to the second degree students in an accelerated program over 4 days (8 hour classes). I had 22 students, and my faculty evaluations for this group were poor. The content and teaching methods for both groups of students were exactly the same, and I am frustrated that my evaluations are so drastically different.
The students that I teach in the spring and summer are totally different. The average age for the sophomore students is 19 years old. However, the students in the accelerated program already have a baccalaureate degree in another discipline and vary in age. For both group of students, I use a variety of teaching methods, for example, lecture, questions/answers, and case studies. There is information that I do not have time to teach in class (common discomforts of pregnancy and maternal-child nutrition), and I have created case studies on the discussion board and online quizzes in WEB CT.
This year, I am up for my 3 year review for tenure, and I need to explain my student evaluations to the department for my faculty evaluation. I believe one reason that I received poor evaluations from the accelerated students is because the material was taught in 8 hour classes over a 4 day period. Some of the students told me that they stopped paying attention because they could no longer absorb the information. I am unable to change how the course is delivered over 4 days so I decided to focus on my teaching methods.
This summer, I took Feminist Pedagogy with Dr. Grassley, and she told me that when she taught OB, she used a lot of videos to teach the content. This is one change that I plan to use in the course. For example, instead of lecturing about the stages of labor, I plan to show a short video about this content, and follow it with a case study. One of my personal goals for this course is to review the literature to find some teaching strategies for adult learners in an accelerated second degree program.
This summer, I taught OB to the second degree students in an accelerated program over 4 days (8 hour classes). I had 22 students, and my faculty evaluations for this group were poor. The content and teaching methods for both groups of students were exactly the same, and I am frustrated that my evaluations are so drastically different.
The students that I teach in the spring and summer are totally different. The average age for the sophomore students is 19 years old. However, the students in the accelerated program already have a baccalaureate degree in another discipline and vary in age. For both group of students, I use a variety of teaching methods, for example, lecture, questions/answers, and case studies. There is information that I do not have time to teach in class (common discomforts of pregnancy and maternal-child nutrition), and I have created case studies on the discussion board and online quizzes in WEB CT.
This year, I am up for my 3 year review for tenure, and I need to explain my student evaluations to the department for my faculty evaluation. I believe one reason that I received poor evaluations from the accelerated students is because the material was taught in 8 hour classes over a 4 day period. Some of the students told me that they stopped paying attention because they could no longer absorb the information. I am unable to change how the course is delivered over 4 days so I decided to focus on my teaching methods.
This summer, I took Feminist Pedagogy with Dr. Grassley, and she told me that when she taught OB, she used a lot of videos to teach the content. This is one change that I plan to use in the course. For example, instead of lecturing about the stages of labor, I plan to show a short video about this content, and follow it with a case study. One of my personal goals for this course is to review the literature to find some teaching strategies for adult learners in an accelerated second degree program.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
October 8th to 14th, 2007
In today’s curriculum meeting, one faculty member made a motion to change our undergraduate curriculum. Currently, we teach the nursing curriculum using the “womb to tomb” theory. For example, OB/PEDS is taught in the sophomore year and geriatrics is taught in the senior year.
Prior to this course, I had no problem with this curriculum theory. However, I posted this theory on Blackboard, and a classmate made a suggestion to teach med-surg first to serve as a foundation and then follow it with the specialty courses (e.g., OB/PEDS and Psych). I feel this rationale is logical because most employers prefer a nurse to have at least two years of experience in med-surg before working in a specialty area.
The proposed curriculum change is to teach med-surg and pharmacology in the spring semester of the sophomore year, and OB/PEDS in the fall semester of the junior year. I have two concerns regarding this proposal. First, the content that is taught in the sophomore year is difficult (med-surg and pharmacology), and I am not sure if students will be able to grasp it after only having Fundamentals. Second, we currently use Erikson and Maslow as theories in our curriculum. Obviously, with this curriculum change, Erikson will no longer be applicable in our program. One of my personal goals for this course is to learn about curriculum models that we could use in our undergraduate nursing program.
Prior to this course, I had no problem with this curriculum theory. However, I posted this theory on Blackboard, and a classmate made a suggestion to teach med-surg first to serve as a foundation and then follow it with the specialty courses (e.g., OB/PEDS and Psych). I feel this rationale is logical because most employers prefer a nurse to have at least two years of experience in med-surg before working in a specialty area.
The proposed curriculum change is to teach med-surg and pharmacology in the spring semester of the sophomore year, and OB/PEDS in the fall semester of the junior year. I have two concerns regarding this proposal. First, the content that is taught in the sophomore year is difficult (med-surg and pharmacology), and I am not sure if students will be able to grasp it after only having Fundamentals. Second, we currently use Erikson and Maslow as theories in our curriculum. Obviously, with this curriculum change, Erikson will no longer be applicable in our program. One of my personal goals for this course is to learn about curriculum models that we could use in our undergraduate nursing program.
Monday, October 8, 2007
October 1st to 7th
Today, I attended a nursing curriculum meeting, and we discussed how the DNP program proposal is progressing. There will be 30 credits in the core of the program, and students will choose a concentration in Mental Health, Management, Education, or Gerontology.
We have been funded for two full-time doctoral faculty, but we are concerned if we will be able to find doctoral prepared faculty who are willing to relocate to northeastern PA. Since the program will be online, it was questioned if the faculty member would be required to move to PA and that answer is undecided.
The syllabuses have been sent for approval to the University curriculum department and the Department of Education. We are planning to start this program online in the fall of 2008, and we need a cohort of 20 to 30 students. Since it is mid October, I was wondering if it will be difficult to recruit these many students. I do not know how long it will take for the University and Department of Education to approve the program. In addition, we will need time for advertising, submitting of applications, and interviewing prospective students.
It was discussed that the DNP programs are “taking off” on the East coast, and the West Coast are not as interested in the program. I was wondering why? Also, some universities are allowing faculty with a DNP program to obtain tenure and others are not. I personally feel that a faculty member with a DNP should not receive tenure because the amount of credits in a DNP program is considerably less than a Ph.D. degree. The Ph.D. degree is a research degree and the DNP is a practice degree, and research skills are needed by nursing faculty.
Another point that was mentioned is that the University cannot guarantee the job market for our DNP graduates. One faculty member commented that she does not believe that hospitals will pay nurses for the DNP degree. I question why there is such a “push” for the DNP degree. I realize that nurses need the terminal degree to be competititive with other professions, e.g., pharmacy, physical therapy, etc., but will the employers be willing to pay for this degree? The University that I teach at is a private school. Students will be paying a great deal of money for their tuition, and they will not be guaranteed a job that will pay for this level of degree. I realize that the DNP degree will be required in 2015. At that point, will employers start paying nurses more money for the degree?
I have mixed feelings about the DNP program. In my Exploring Scholarship class, we had to debate the DNP program, and I was on the con side. I really haven’t change my opinion regarding this program, and it has been over a year since I have taken that class.
We have been funded for two full-time doctoral faculty, but we are concerned if we will be able to find doctoral prepared faculty who are willing to relocate to northeastern PA. Since the program will be online, it was questioned if the faculty member would be required to move to PA and that answer is undecided.
The syllabuses have been sent for approval to the University curriculum department and the Department of Education. We are planning to start this program online in the fall of 2008, and we need a cohort of 20 to 30 students. Since it is mid October, I was wondering if it will be difficult to recruit these many students. I do not know how long it will take for the University and Department of Education to approve the program. In addition, we will need time for advertising, submitting of applications, and interviewing prospective students.
It was discussed that the DNP programs are “taking off” on the East coast, and the West Coast are not as interested in the program. I was wondering why? Also, some universities are allowing faculty with a DNP program to obtain tenure and others are not. I personally feel that a faculty member with a DNP should not receive tenure because the amount of credits in a DNP program is considerably less than a Ph.D. degree. The Ph.D. degree is a research degree and the DNP is a practice degree, and research skills are needed by nursing faculty.
Another point that was mentioned is that the University cannot guarantee the job market for our DNP graduates. One faculty member commented that she does not believe that hospitals will pay nurses for the DNP degree. I question why there is such a “push” for the DNP degree. I realize that nurses need the terminal degree to be competititive with other professions, e.g., pharmacy, physical therapy, etc., but will the employers be willing to pay for this degree? The University that I teach at is a private school. Students will be paying a great deal of money for their tuition, and they will not be guaranteed a job that will pay for this level of degree. I realize that the DNP degree will be required in 2015. At that point, will employers start paying nurses more money for the degree?
I have mixed feelings about the DNP program. In my Exploring Scholarship class, we had to debate the DNP program, and I was on the con side. I really haven’t change my opinion regarding this program, and it has been over a year since I have taken that class.
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