Blended learning in a health assessment course: A mixed-methods study

Integration of visual thinking strategies to undergraduate health assessment course: A mixed-method feasibility study

Health assessment skills are vital to professional nursing practice. Health assessment has traditionally been taught using lecture, teacher-developed tests, practice and live demonstration, and interactive and computer-based learning materials. Rapid advances in information technology during the past decade have greatly expanded distance learning options in higher education. Although much nursing education now uses the Internet, there has been limited use of the Web to teach psychomotor and clinical skills. This article describes how online instruction can be integrated into a health assessment course to teach physical examination skills. The development of instructional videos that can be digitally streamed onto the Web for ready and repeated access can also enhance online learning of technical and clinical skills. Student evaluation of this Web-enhanced course revealed that online assignments enabled them to pace their learning, thereby promoting greater flexibility and independence. Students were able to master the technical skills of working online with minimal difficulty and reported that working online was no more stressful than attending class. The most helpful aspect of the online course was the instructor-developed video that was digitally streamed online.

Effects of three-dimensional holograms on the academic performance of nursing students in a health assessment and practice course: A pretest-intervention-posttest study

The Northeast Team of the Ohio Action Coalition, composed of regional clinical and academic educators, identified a potential barrier for nurses pursuing a baccalaureate degree. Duplication of health assessment content was identified for some associate degree graduates enrolled in RN-BSN programs, thereby adding extra time and cost for attaining the baccalaureate degree. In response, the Northeast Team of the Ohio Action Coalition developed an assessment competency evaluation that, if successfully passed, would grant credit for the health assessment course. The assessment competency evaluation provided the opportunity for students to demonstrate competency in both health assessment and clinical judgment skills.

Objective To explore the application effects of Flipped Classroom based on micro-lecture in the teaching practice of health assessment for nursing undergraduates. Methods Nursing undergraduates in the natural class of grade 2016 in Xi'an Creation College of Yan'an Universitywas randomly selected as the control group. A total of 55 students, with an average age of (20.22±1.13) years, were enrolled in the study. Another nat-ural class was chosen as the observation group, with a total of 54 students, with an average age of (20.37±1.21) years. Results At the end of the course, the students of the two groups received the course examination. The training scores of the control group were (80.13±1.73) and the observation group (90.67±1.53), while total score was (76.36±2.05) and (84.21±1.66) respectively. There were significant differences in the training results and the total score between the two groups (P<0.01). Comparing the results of teacher-student satisfaction test, 89.09% of the teachers were satisfied, 98.15% of the observation group while 94.55% of the students were satisfied, and 98.15% of the observation group. There was significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05, P<0.01). The satisfaction of teachers and students in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group, and the questionnaire survey showed that more than 90% of the students in the observation group were satisfied with the teaching effect. Conclusion The Flipped Classroom teaching based on micro-lecture could promote the students' mastery of the theoretical knowledge and practical skills of the health assessment course. Key words: Micro-lecture; Flipped Classroom; Health assessment; Practical teaching

Nurse practitioners (NPs) require clinical competence in advanced health assessment skills to differentiate between normal, variations of normal, and abnormal patient findings. High-stakes clinical examinations, using live hands-on simulation scenarios and standardized patients (SPs) or other human role players, are accepted teaching and evaluation tools for NP students. Providing objective, valid, and reliable feedback to students during high-stakes clinical examinations is of considerable value for ongoing skill development. The study examined opportunities to improve the quality of student evaluation in simulation testing modes. A purposive sample of 17 video recordings of health students' comprehensive examination of an SP or physical examination teaching associate (PETA) from a nursing graduate level health assessment course was evaluated. Using a standardized rubric, students were scored live and after a comprehensive examination of a SP/PETA and via a secure web-based video platform by the faculty and an independent reviewer. Evaluator group examination score comparisons revealed that distributions of examination scores within evaluator groups were not similar. Median examination scores were significantly different between groups; faculty median examination scores significantly higher than SPs/PETAs. Efficiency of student evaluation may be increased by improving reviewer training, reducing checklist length, and adopting electronic scoring. Development of an exemplary teaching video providing explanation and detail for expected student skill performance will allow reviewers to practice and improve competence in reliable scoring, reduce time and effort of scorers, and increase accuracy of scoring.

With the dramatic increase in the number of foreign-born residents in many U.S. communities, it is increasingly important that nursing education address the requirements of culturally competent care, The author describes the experience of establishing a teaching and learning environment to foster this concept. The setting was a health assessment course with students from 13 countries of origin. Emphasis is placed on effective teaching strategies, student contributions to the process, and the challenges that remain.

Synergizing PAD and BOPPPS: a teaching model's application in health assessment course

This study aimed to examine the effect of the course on technology use in nursing on students' readiness for self-directed learning and attitudes toward technology. This was a quasi-experimental study. The study involved 109 first-year nursing students assigned to the intervention group (n = 53) and the control group (n = 56). Whereas the intervention group participated in the course on technology use in nursing, the control group participated in health assessment course. Data were collected with the Student Information Form, the Readiness of Self-directed Learning Scale, and Technology Attitudes Survey between March and May 2024. There was a statistically significant difference between the self-directed learning readiness and attitudes toward technology scores of the intervention and control groups ( P < .05). It was found that both the self-directed learning readiness and positive attitudes toward technology scores of the students in the intervention group were significantly higher than the control group ( P < .05). The study's results indicated that course on technology use in nursing improved students' self-directed learning readiness and positive attitudes toward technology. The integration of technology-based interventions into nursing curriculum is recommended.

Purpose – There are two conditions that threaten to derail the American education system as we know it: the poor state of the US economy in America and the less than effective structure of the American education system. Researchers and practitioners are searching to identify tools and strategies that can help to restore confidence in the soundness of the US education system. One such strategy is blended learning delivery formats. The purpose of this paper is to examine implications of and recommend blended learning strategies. Design/methodology/approach – This writing presents a description of the problem, an abridged review of related literature, a discussion of the possibilities for blended learning in academic organizations, and the associated transformational change implications. It is presented as a decision-making tool for administrators to consider including blended learning formats in their strategies to address the effects of the questionable outlook of the US economy and the outdated structure of the US education system. Findings – The writing concludes with recommendations for leading the change to blended learning formats in learning organizations. Originality/value – The information in the paper is presented as a decision-making tool for educational administrators in considering blended learning strategies for their organizations.

Trauma-informed care: Insights from a Q-methodology study of advanced practice registered nursing students

Despite certification in basic life support, nursing students may not be proficient in performing critical assessments and interventions for unresponsive patients. Thus, a new simulation module comprising four unresponsive patient scenarios was introduced into a second-year nursing health assessment course. This cross-sectional study describes nursing student experience, knowledge, confidence, and performance of assessments and interventions for the unresponsive patient across 3 years of an undergraduate nursing program. Overall knowledge, confidence, and performance scores were similar between second-, third-, and fourth-year students (N = 239); however, performance times for many critical assessments and interventions were poor. Second-year nursing students' knowledge increased significantly following the new simulation module (p = 0.002). Findings suggest a need for more repetition of basic unresponsive patient scenarios to provide mastery. It is anticipated that addition of unresponsive patient scenarios into the second year will enhance performance by the final year of the program.

BackgroundHigher education institutions (HEIs) shifted from in-person attendance to blended and online learning due to the COVID-19 lockdowns. ObjectiveThis study investigated the students' perception of satisfaction, convenience, engagement, and learning towards blended and online courses conducted before, during, and after the COVID-19 lockdowns. MethodsA longitudinal study design was adopted to examine the students' perception of online and blended learning courses before, during, and after the COVID-19 lockdowns. The subjects consist of Health science students (N = 130) belonging to two different colleges of a public university and the study period includes three academic years (i.e., six semesters) (2018–2021). A survey tool was developed to collect data from students studying the computer fundamentals course through blended and online learning modes from 2018 to 2021. ResultsOver 95% of students have been satisfied with the course offered through various blended learning formats since 2018. The blended 0.50-course format is the most preferred one for the students; however, the Blended 0.75-course format is highly rated by the students regarding their satisfaction and engagement than other learning formats during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Following adaption after COVID-19, the students reported a high perception of learning towards the course when delivered through 100% online learning mode. ConclusionStudents' achievement is significantly associated with the learning modes, exam modes, and various student batches. The blended 0.75-course format group shows a higher achievement than the other three-course format groups. Likewise, those students who appeared in their exams online showed higher achievement than those who appeared physically. Further, the students felt equally convenient with Blended 0.75 and 100% online learning course formats. These findings would also help HEIs choose appropriate learning and examination modes while designing courses.

Introduction: Blended learning is defined as the combined use of in-person and online learning, through interactive multimedia and face-to-face engagement with curriculum content. Recently, higher education institutions have experienced major inevitable changes in teaching and learning approaches, sparking interest in the exploration of these approaches- including blended learning. Aim: To explore undergraduate health sciences students’ experiences of blended learning. Method: A rapid review of articles published in English was conducted between 18th-22nd February 2022 using the following databases: Pubmed, Ebscohost, Web of Science, Scopus, Africawide Information and CINAHL. Articles found were exported to Endnote, version 20.2.1. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis flow chart was used to document the search. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme was used to appraise the articles, which were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings: Eight quantitative articles were analysed and categorised on the hierarchy of evidence. Three themes emerged: 1. Student engagement and perceptions of blended learning, 2. Student academic performance, and 3. Challenges of blended learning. Conclusion: Positive experiences of blended learning were reported, including: significant improvement of student academic performance, higher levels of satisfaction and an increased student engagement. Ineffective online learning platforms and/or technological devices resulted in students experiencing anxiety and frustration. Implications for practice Blended learning may be a feasible option to maintain and enhance students learning experience. Students’ academic performance could improve with blended learning Blended learning could increase students’ engagement within the andragogical field.

Blended Learning Design: A Shared Experience