SCAFFOLDING INNOVATION IN UNDERGRADUATE NURSE EDUCATION: A SYMPOSIUM
- To enhance engagement and diversity of adult learning through the introduction of student centered innovation in undergraduate nurse education.
- To scaffold and structure active learning methodologies that safely support student development from introductory thinking towards complex critical thought.
Rationale/Background
In undergraduate nursing education, there is a common purpose: the creation of registered nurses able to perform in a safe and competent manner. Reports, however, have suggested schools could do more to equip graduates to meet the demands of modern practice (Benner et al, 2010; IOM, 2010). A solution may be found in the crossover between our pedagogical approach and the introduction of innovation: specifically, the interaction between scaffolding new methodologies and an educational climate of ‘discovery learning’. Intentional scaffolding provides a safe, responsive and adaptable method of supporting students in educational settings. It is based on three criteria: ‘contingency’, ‘fading’ and the ‘transfer of responsibility’. At the contingency stage, competency assessment informs teaching responsiveness to individual students. Fading refers to the structured withdrawal of scaffolded support as students develop their critical thinking. Finally, students are supported through the transfer of responsibility to develop accountability as learners and registered nurses. Integral to each criterion is the principle of ‘discovery learning’ which engages each student as ‘active agents’ in their own learning and development: essential if we are to meet the diverse needs of adult learners in the diverse settings in which contemporary learning occurs.
Brief Description of Project
In a concept-based baccalaureate curriculum within one Western school, four innovative learning methodologies have been introduced:
- Clinical Awareness Model for Student Learning (CALM)
- Objective Standardized Clinical Examinations (OSCEs)
- Student Centered Adult Learning Environment with Upside Down Pedagogies (SCALE-UP)
- Interprofessional Legal Simulation
Each methodology actively engages the student and has been situated to uphold scaffolding principles throughout the curriculum: CALM addresses contingency and fading by providing a safe and structured method of starting and progressing students in the clinical environment; OSCEs afford an objective approach to the assessment of clinical competency (essential in a scaffolded curriculum); SCALE-UP, as students transfer to more self-directed learning, is a bridge towards transfer of responsibility; and the Interprofessional Legal Simulation continues this transfer of responsibility as students transition to professional accountability. This symposium outlines the content and delivery of each methodology and its contribution to scaffolded, discovery based learning.
Outcomes Achieved
The outcomes to date include: (a), the active engagement of students in the new instructional methodologies; (b), enhanced opportunity for the development and safe assessment of competency and progression to structured, self-directed learning; and (c), enhanced spiraling towards complex critical thought and professional accountability.
Conclusions/Recommendations
To date, we have completed a foundational year of project delivery. Each distinct component has contributed to a ‘whole program’ environment where the scaffolded criteria of contingency, fading and the transfer of responsibility are embedded. We are now embarking on a program of research that will strengthen the evidence base for each of the components and their overall contribution to scaffolded innovation in undergraduate nurse education.