Strategy for teaching evaluation research in psychiatric/mental health nursing

The evaluation research course presented in this paper is one strategy for introducing needed evaluation research content at the graduate level in nursing. The course was developed for students who were in their final semester of completing requirements for an MSN degree with a major in psychiatric/mental health nursing. To provide for active involvement in the evaluation research process, students evaluated a psychotherapy group in which they were therapists. The theoretical framework for both class content and the evaluation research project was based on Bloch's extension of Donabedian's approach to evaluation. Using the theoretical framework as a guide, students investigated both process and outcome as well as the relationship between process and outcome. Students reported that the knowledge and skills gained were valuable to their clinical practice. On the other hand, students found the course to be very demanding and difficult to complete in a 15 week period. One unexpected benefit, however, was that the course helped students to understand group process better.     

Structuring Doctor of Nursing Practice project courses to facilitate success and ensure rigor

There is currently a lack of consensus on the best format for Doctor of Nursing Practice project deliverables. In this article the project course history, current format, and evaluation methods are described for a Doctor of Nursing Practice program during the transition from a sole post-master's option to one that also admitted post-baccalaureate students. The project course format shifted focus from one in which students independently implemented multiple types of projects under the direction of a chairperson and committee to one in which students carried out projects utilizing quality improvement methods and tools under the mentorship of a project faculty advisor and clinical site representative. The integration of quality improvement models is exemplified through course objectives and assignments. Lessons learned through this transition are provided in the hope that the work may benefit other nursing schools with similar programs.     

Teaching strategies: a microteaching project for nurses in Virginia

A microteaching project, designed to increase the teaching effectiveness of nurses in Virginia, is described. The vehicle for the project is Teaching Strategies, a graduate credit course offered at the University of Virginia School of Nursing and in other state locations through the university's regional centers. The course uses microteaching techniques and videotape recordings of student teaching performances. The teaching behavior of 57 students who attended the course was rated using the project's rating scales. All students showed significant positive increases in teaching behavior on pre-, mid-, and postcourse measures in lecture discussion and group discussion teaching modes. Additional measures of students' teaching indicate retention of the learned behaviors six months after course completion.     

Initiation into qualitative data analysis

Qualitative data analysis may be daunting to nursing graduate students and other novice qualitative researchers. This article describes a qualitative research project required in a graduate nursing research course that was desired to guide students through their first qualitative data analysis. Common pitfalls novice researchers may encounter, such as data shuffling, premature closure, and overly delayed closure, also are discussed. The project reported in this article not only decreased students' anxiety concerning qualitative data analysis but also helped students gain respect for the amount of time, effort, and creativity this process entails.     

An undergraduate nursing course in palliative care

An undergraduate nursing course in palliative care was initiated in 1977 after a major curriculum revision. The course runs over two academic terms and involves students in giving direct care to patients and families. The process by which the course was developed and implemented is outlined. Some teaching strategies found to be effective are described, as are critical incidents that occurred during the teaching process.

A longitudinal evaluation of the program is underway through a funded research project. The death anxiety and attitudes to care of the dying patient among students receiving the course are being measured before and after the course, as well as one year after graduation. Three nonequivalent control groups, including another group of university nursing students and a group of diploma nursing students, are receiving the same measurements. This evluation will provide comparative data to determine the effectiveness of various educational approaches in preparing nurses to care for the dying.     

Lowering stress while teaching research: a creative arts intervention in the classroom

Undergraduate students often request "hands-on" research experience but seldom have the time and opportunity during a one-semester introductory course to participate in such a project. The purposes of this educational approach, implemented during a beginning research class for baccalaureate nursing students, were to provide an opportunity for students to participate in an experimental research study, and test the effect of a creative arts intervention on students' stress, anxiety, and emotions. Students designed, participated in, and analyzed the results of the project. The intervention significantly reduced stress and anxiety and increased positive emotions in this student population, while providing a creative research experience. For future use, the intervention may be helpful with a variety of vulnerable groups.     

Collaborative learning: a focused partnership

This paper describes a collaborative project that joins academic perspectives and clinical practice perspectives in a focused clinical experience. This activity involves 3rd quarter associate degree nursing students in a medical–surgical course. Instructors identified the need to provide an activity to develop intravenous therapy skills and provide increased opportunities, thus increasing technical skill and assessment skills. This led to the development of the focused clinical experience. During this clinical rotation, the students rotate through either a Same Day Surgery unit or an endoscopy unit for one of their clinical days. The primary objective of this clinical day is to provide intravenous therapy. The duration of this project was a 10-week quarter of the curriculum and involved 38 students in the 2002 class and 30 in the 2003 class. Results indicate a very positive learning experience for the student, as well as a collaborative and contributing effort by the students for the staff. The staff, on the other hand, assists in providing a mentoring role in shared expertise. Collaborative partnerships between academia and practice can help bridge the gap by providing opportunities to share perceptions, creating an environment for shared knowledge, and networking opportunities, leading to further enabling preparation for potentially future staff.     

Including information technology project management in the nursing informatics curriculum

Project management is a critical skill for nurse informaticists who are in prominent roles developing and implementing clinical information systems. It should be included in the nursing informatics curriculum, as evidenced by its inclusion in informatics competencies and surveys of important skills for informaticists. The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing includes project management in two of the four courses in the master's level informatics minor. Course content includes the phases of the project management process; the iterative unified process methodology; and related systems analysis and project management skills. During the introductory course, students learn about the project plan, requirements development, project feasibility, and executive summary documents. In the capstone course, students apply the system development life cycle and project management skills during precepted informatics projects. During this in situ experience, students learn, the preceptors benefit, and the institution better prepares its students for the real world.     

问题-讨论-指导式教学法在《护理科研》教学中的应用

目的探讨问题-讨论-指导式教学法（problem-discuss—guidance,PDG）在护理专业本科生《护理科研》教学中的可行性,为今后教学改革提供依据。方法选择2004级护理本科生58名作为实验组,运用PDG教学法;2003级护理本科生41名作为对照组,采用传统教学法。自行设计调查问卷评价教学效果,比较两组学生理论考试成绩、小组开题报告成绩。结果实验组理论考试成绩和小组开题报告成绩均高于对照组（P〈0．05）。结论PDG教学法提高学生对所学知识的理解．记忆和运用,激发学生学习的主观能动性,培养其创薪性思维能力和自主学习的能力,学生的知识和能力提高的同时,教师的教学水平也得到了完善和提高。     

项目教学法在儿科护理学教学中的应用

目的了解项目教学法在儿科护理学教学中的应用效果。方法在儿科护理学教学中，对本校2005级173名护理本科生采取项目教学法，内容包括教师给出任务，学生自学相关章节后完成调查的内容及进行调查，制作健康宣教幻灯片，最后师生共评等。并采用反馈调查表了鳃学生对项目教学法的反馈情况；采用教学评分表对项目教学活动效果进行评价。结果50％以上学生认为项目教学法能调动学习的积极性、开拓思维、提高自学能力和协调能力、增强竞争意识。老师对学生项目活动评价平均得分（85．79±5．80）分，学生评价平均得分（75．47±6．01）分，二者比较，t=7．7，P〈0．05，差异有统计学意义。结论项目学习法提高了学生的综合能力，在项目活动中使用统一评价标准能使老师和学生在相同的标准下进行评分，有利于教学评价的公平与公正。     

An interprofessional course in bioethics: Training for real-world dilemmas

Future health professionals are often educated with other students of their same discipline when, in practice, they will be working with professionals from other backgrounds to provide care for the patient. Complex issues of ethical concern are common to health professionals due to modern technology. This paper describes the evolution of an interprofessional bioethics course that had a unique combination of students and faculty. Innovative teaching methods were utilized and continuously refined based on student evaluations. Students commonly cited the interprofessional interactions as the most enjoyable part of the learning experience. Establishing a patient-centered focus and an appreciation of the contributions of other disciplines, students learned how to apply ethical decision-making to real cases. At the conclusion of the course, students reported improved attitudes toward interprofessional teamwork. This course format and teaching techniques may be applied at other universities looking for linkages to encourage consistent interprofessional collaboration across disciplines.     

Evaluation of a model of collaboration: academic and clinician partnership in the development and implementation of undergraduate teaching

The difficulty nursing students experience in making the transition from the university to clinical context is attributed to the gap between theory and practice, and education and service. Collaboration between academics and clinicians in the provision of undergraduate education is considered to be a strategy for overcoming these problems. A project team consisting of four academics and six clinicians collaboratively developed and implemented an acute care topic, in the third year of a pre-registration nursing course at the School of Nursing, Flinders University. A review of the literature did not provide examples of collaborative models relevant to undergraduate teaching. The subsequent model, devised by the project team, focused on technical, cultural and interpersonal aspects of collaborative teaching. The model was evaluated by illuminative research methods. Participants in the project included academics (n = 4), clinicians (n = 6) and students (n = 104). Student questionnaires and academic and clinician interviews were used to inform evaluation procedures. The qualitative data was coded and analysed based upon the definitions and characteristics of collaboration described by Henneman et al (1995). Study findings demonstrated that the model was effective in facilitating collaborative relationships necessary for the successful development and implementation of reality-based learning for students.     

Collaborative student-faculty research to support PhD research education

This paper describes a three-semester hour applied research course taught over three semesters in a revamped PhD research curriculum at a Midwestern high research activity (R2) university-based nursing program. Faculty developed this strategy to help students become adequately prepared nurse scientists. Students and faculty engaged in a collaborative research project to provide students with opportunities to develop, integrate, and apply research knowledge, skills, and attitudes while concurrently advancing through the related research courses. A summary of these experiences and what was learned is organized within a knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSA) framework. The collaboration between faculty and student peers was essential to students' success in the course. Student and faculty perspectives were used to describe what was learned during the first year this course was taught, together with future recommendations.     

Building Psychological Capital,Grit, and Well-Being in a Baccalaureate Nursing Program: A Pilot Study

Psychological capital constructs of hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism can be developed to promote students’ academic and professional success. Grit, consisting of passion and the capacity to persevere over time despite challenges, can also be developed and measured. This pilot project aims to study the implementation of evidence-based interventions within course concepts to improve psychological capital, grit, and wellbeing. A 24-question PsyCap Questionnaire-24 (PCQ-24) and 8-question Grit-8 survey were deployed to 2 cohorts of baccalaureate nursing students fall semester to provide preintervention baseline data. Repeat surveys will be given spring semester. These data will provide formative feedback on interventions.     

Student evaluations of teaching (SET): Guidelines for their use

Student evaluations of teaching (SET) provide a structured way of collecting feedback from students about the course and teacher's effectiveness. We reviewed literature describing use of SET across a broad range of disciplines in undergraduate and graduate education to provide guidelines for faculty in using SET in a nursing or other health professions program. On SET tools, students typically rate their satisfaction with a course and perceptions about the quality of the teaching. It is important to evaluate SET tools prior to their use including pilot testing tools with students because studies show students may not interpret items or questions on a SET tool as faculty intended. Common uses of the evaluation data from SET include improvement of courses and teaching, and for personnel decisions.     

Sex education. An experience in elementary and middle schools

Two nurses at a Primary Health Care Center started up a "Sexual Education Project" in schools in an urban Basic Health Zone. Over the course of the five years this project has been in operation, classes in Sexual Education have been taught in two Middle Schools and six Elementary Schools. During this time, some 4500 questions and doubts have been received and processed. The teaching staffs have shown tremendous interest in this project; furthermore, no school placed any impediments for the development of this program. The types of questions asked did not vary substantially according to the different ages of students taught. The program instructors became aware of the need to provide sexual education information to adults beyond school age. The program directors discovered that it was necessary to establish coordination among the schools and health centers as well as to enlarge this kind of program to other areas of the general public. This experience demonstrated that teaching activities employing nursing personnel as educators in sexuality provides very satisfactory results.     

A triad of research roles: experiential learning in an undergraduate research course

This article describes an innovative approach to teaching undergraduate research content directly involving students in a faculty research study, and a student research project undertaken in a nursing research course. Junior-level students participated as research subjects in a faculty study focusing on the health perceptions of baccalaureate nursing students, became data collectors in a related student project on the health perceptions of lay people, and became consumers of the research by analyzing the findings and clinical relevance of these studies. This strategy for teaching research assisted students to master undergraduate research content by participatory involvement in several distinct phases of the research process. The project generated considerable interest and served to foster positive attitudes toward nursing research while concurrently increasing students' comfort level with the total process.