May 15, 2020
The academic world is still reeling from the mass migration from the lecture hall into the virtual classroom. Whether instructors have previously embraced or shunned it, all are being asked to change to an online delivery format. At the vanguard, a few of our intrepid UBC Nursing educators, Cheryl Segaric, Elisabeth Bailey, and Sabrina Wong, share their insights on how they are navigating these waters. This session was first in a series hosted by the Elizabeth Kenny McCann Scholar Elsie Tan, who is a Professor of Teaching and Associate Director (Undergraduate Programs) in the UBC School of Nursing.
Relational practice is a cornerstone of Nursing. So, losing the immediacy of the audience response is foremost for many expert educators. These nursing educators find themselves relying on the foundations of careful lesson planning and expanded speaking notes – all firmly anchored to learning objectives. Deploying teaching assistants to monitor chatboxes and breakout room discussions is one way to extend instructor engagement with students. Likewise, inviting students to formulate questions during strategic breaks encourages more thoughtful participation.
Just like in a classroom, architecture shapes the educational experience. In the online environment, issues such as operating system and browser compatibility mean that practice sessions are important for minimizing technical glitches. Some educators are finding platforms like Zoom to be nimbler than the institutional standbys like Blackboard Collaborate. The ability to view many video feeds simultaneously without crashing the platform is a valuable feature.
Regardless of the technology, the faculty all prioritize reducing anxiety for learners and instructors. Providing plenty of pre-exam instructions, practice tests, and real-time troubleshooting is helping to familiarize students with online testing. An unexpected perk is that students will be more accustomed to sitting similar style NCLEX exams. Also, the online metrics available through many of the platforms provide valuable feedback on time spent per question to help inform future testing design.
Nursing educators are committed to balancing exam security with appropriate and transparent elements of surveillance. Ensuring that students understand the implications of misconduct, what it looks like, and what they are committing to with an Academic Integrity Pledge, is part of the learning process.
These skilled educators are leveraging their subject area expertise to balance synchronous and asynchronous elements of a curriculum. Nursing student demand for quality online educational offerings is likely to continue beyond the current pandemic contexts. So, while advice to choose the simplest tools and processes wherever possible continues to inform lesson design, online educational dexterity fostered during this period of widespread social distancing will have ongoing utility in the future.
A FEW TIPS:
- REDUCING TEST ANXIETY
- Develop a practice exam
- Post instructions prior to exam
- Clear expectations re: academic integrity
- Clear instructions re: how to communicate in the event of technical difficulties
- Be available online and by phone/text
- Empathy re: transition experience
- Flexible response to ‘glitches’ balanced with exam security and student equity
- STRATEGIES FOR INTERACTION
- Clear discussion questions and roles for breakout rooms
- Schedule breaks to invite more contemplative student responses
- Don’t go too long with asynchronous learning without check-ins
- Post clear expectations for discussion boards (eg. if/how they will be graded)
- Use video strategically to maximize engagement without “zoom” fatigue
- BRIDGING STUDENT AND TEACHING THROUGH TECHNOLOGY
- Find the platform that works best for your class
- Utilize Teaching Assistants to support chat monitoring
- Practice with platforms to identify any troubleshooting and compatibility issues
- Recording sessions is valuable for both instructors and learners
