Objectives have been used for decades in nursing education to set the stage for what is expected of students and to guide faculty in planning teaching and assessment. However, nursing education is evolving and the timeworn practices used to write objectives must evolve as well. This chapter focuses on how to write broad behavioral objectives to support learning in a constructivist, learner-centered online environment to guide teaching and learning that are in step with today’s innovations in education and that follow the call for radical transformation in nursing education. Objectives focused on the desired learning outcomes or intended behavior changes, termed performance. The psychomotor domain is the skills domain in the narrow sense of the word, in that this domain provides a means of identifying outcomes that involve fine, manual, and gross motor movements.

The creation of the online course in the learning management system (LMS) requires a certain comfort with technology, but more important, consideration of interface design, or the computer-user interface with the goal of making the interface as user-friendly or intuitive as possible. Success in this endeavor depends on understanding the relationship of the syllabus and organization of the LMS. This chapter focuses on expanding on that information to create consistent navigation in the LMS week after week, taking advantage of the efficiencies available in most LMSs, and basic interface design principles. Interface design is also referred to as the computer-user interface. The LMS design should be intuitive and easily navigated so that students can focus on learning and not spend an undue amount of time locating information. In a constructivist, learner-centered teaching paradigm, the lecture as the primary means of teaching has fallen out of favor, especially when teaching online.

This chapter examines pre- and postconference expectations and activities, explores forms to be used by the professor and the students, suggests care plans and patient assignments, and describes sample concept maps and a math skills assessment. A student with no experience in health care may be shy or sheepish when it comes to hands-on care. It may be of benefit for the students to be paired in the first few weeks of clinical classes. The care plan forms can help guide the student through the nursing process. Medication forms will help the student learn about various medications. Nursing education has adopted the use of concepts maps to assist students in gathering patient information. Patient safety is the number one priority for all health care professionals. Dose calculations are a daily activity for nurses.

This chapter discusses basic review of the admission process, and describes an admission assessment exercise that allows students to assume the roles of both patient and nurse. It also describes the role of nurse in which the student learns to collect patient data and record data appropriately, and also explains the role of the electronic medication administration record (eMAR). Preconference begins with a review of the skills previously mastered: hand washing, obtaining vital signs, and performing those daily nursing activities such as taking assessments and collecting data on patients. The student is responsible for making copies of the nursing notes for the required clinical assignments. With the admission assessment exercise, the clinical instructor can discuss the correlation of the vital signs, medications, past medical history, and familial history. New designs in technology have facilitated new medication administration practices that will reduce the number of medication errors in health care facilities.

In a method-limited research program, the researchers keep choosing the trodden path, the beaten path that keeps that path a sacred groove. The current state of knowledge on the research topic and the findings from the researcher’s most recently completed project help determine whether the next step in the program of research will lead down a quantitative path, a qualitative path, or perhaps a mixed methods path. Once that is decided, the specific type of quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods research design is the next decision to be made. The ideal point of entry for a program of research is during doctoral studies. This chapter shows some types of minds a successful researcher needs to achieve one’s goals. The synthesizing mind is also needed for nurse researchers throughout a trajectory of research. With a creative mind, a person can break new ground and consider new ideas and ways of thinking.

The learning landscape continues to evolve as new technological tools enable teachers to deliver robust learning experiences. It is important to help teachers, administrators, and students know where to begin so that the transition to virtual learning is smooth, without educational loss. This chapter consists of two sections: current trends and issues in technology integration and technological pedagogical content knowledge. The first section briefly reviews the trends in instructional or educational technologies that are causing administrators, teachers, and students to reflect on and modify their thinking about learning and educational content delivery. The second section explores constructivism, the scientific underpinnings of nursing informatics, and ethics. Nurse educators must also address the ethical challenges brought about by this evolving learning landscape. After reading this chapter, one can understand current trends and issues, as well as the influence of nursing informatics and ways to approach new ethical dilemmas.

Healthcare is in a state of rapid change. Although practice environments have become more complex, educational delivery methods have remained stagnant. Innovative technologies provide opportunities to enhance nursing student learning and help nursing programs become more responsive to changes in the practice environment; however, obstacles may hinder successful implementation. With the increasing complexity of today’s health care environment, innovations in nursing curricula are necessary. This chapter explores some of the general challenges associated with the integration of innovative educational technologies, as well as some challenges unique to virtual simulation. It helps the reader to analyze the challenges of integrating educational technologies into nursing education associated with faculty, administrators, and students. It also helps the reader to examine practical and philosophical barriers related to technology integration and explores challenges unique to the adoption of virtual simulation.

Simulation has many advantages for nursing education, some of which include creating safe learning environments for students and reinforcing information learned in the classroom; it also has the advantage of being available in inclement weather as well as 24 hours a day for student access. Simulation in nursing is one of many methods used for teaching students. Teaching and learning in a virtual learning environment has many advantages for administrators, faculty, and students. One of the advantages includes the use of other disciplines to help create or participate in a virtual world learning experience. The virtual learning environment can be created to look similar to real communities, disaster areas, or homes, with avatars populating that environment. The advantage to using virtual reality, rather than a real-life experience, is that in real life, students could be immersed in an environment that could cause them harm.

Certification and accreditation offer assurances to the public that an individual or institution provides accurate and reliable simulation instruction and evaluation. Achieving certification suggests that the individual is able to perform at a predetermined level of expertise, in order to provide simulation experiences or services in a consistent and accurate manner within the scope of simulation knowledge and competencies. The determination to obtain new knowledge may be daunting. Understanding the myriad options available to novice simulation users is important. Clarifying the differences among certification, fellowship, and certificate of attendance especially aids understanding. The process of certification sets rigorous and high standards for planning, implementing, and evaluating simulation experiences. Knowledge of the key aspects of simulation is essential for the certification of health care simulation professionals. Participant reflection enhances clinical judgment as part of the learning experience and is facilitated during the debriefing exercises that follow an instructional simulation.

Students are able to “experience” rare and complex clinical situations before entering into practice so that the first time they care for these types of patients is not in a crisis situation. The scenario presented in this chapter demonstrates the use of simulation in increasingly complex situations and will be applicable to senior- level undergraduate and entry-level advanced practice students (master’s and doctoral preparation). This chapter focuses on the assessment, differential diagnosis, and initial management of the patient who presents to the emergency department (ED) with complaints of crushing sub-sternal chest pain. The student is required to conduct a rapid history and physical; develop an initial diagnosis; initiate lifesaving therapy; and use effective communication techniques with the patient, family, and members of the interdisciplinary health care team in order to successfully meet the objectives of the scenario.