Teaching Undergraduate Nursing Research: A Comparison of Traditional and Innovative Approaches for Success with Millennial Learners

Abstract

Historically, nursing students have questioned the value of a nursing research course and have not appreciated the research-practice link. These are important concerns in light of the increasing emphasis on evidence-based nursing practice. The purpose of this study was to develop innovative strategies for teaching undergraduate nursing research that engage millennial learners and emphasize the relationship between evidence-based practice and clinical outcomes. Innovative assignments were developed that included interactive learning, group work, and practical applications preferred by these learners. Using a Likert scale, students' perceived effectiveness of innovative assignments and more traditional assignments were compared. Results indicated a preference for active learning assignments, reading quizzes, clinical nurse researcher presentations, and collaboration with clinical course assignments. By combining traditional assignments with innovative strategies and nursing practice applications, millennial learners were engaged and able to clearly articulate the value of the research-practice link vital to evidence-based nursing practice.

The use of digital badges by undergraduate nursing students: A three-year study

“…In a study by Royse and Newton (2007), the innovative approach of gamification for nursing students is an affirmed technique to enhance students' ability to retain knowledge and motivate them to learn. This finding is supported by McCurry and Martins (2010) who acknowledge that nursing academics should consider innovative approaches to teaching undergraduate nursing students in ways which appeal to millennial learners. For the purpose of this article, millennial leaners belong to the generation born between 1978and 2001(DiLullo et al, 2011.…”

Employing Active Learning Strategies to Become the Facilitator, Not the Authoritarian: A Literature Review

“…Additionally, teamwork is involved and there is a degree of excitement and entertainment. These components appeal to learners in the Generation Y age bracket (McCurry & Martins, 2010;Dempsey, Haynes, Lucassen, & Casey, 2002;Leach & Sugarman, 2006). Baid and Lambert (2010) further note that there should be adequate planning of the classroom games so that there is -cant differences in outcomes when comparing pre and posttest scores of students who learned via traditional methods versus playing an educational classroom game, i.e., Cowen andTesh (2002), Ingram, Ray, Landeen andKeane (1998).…”

“…When surveyed about their usage, 98% of the respondents reported that clickers kept them engaged during the lectures, 84% believed their usage helped them perform betusing them and were in favor of incorporating them in other classes. The clickers would appeal to those in the Generation Y age bracket because -gies (McCurry & Martins, 2010;Partridge & Hallam, 2006). Some hindrances to using clickers in the classroom would be cost, time spent on creating applicable questions, resistance to the technological aspect of the equipment and resistance to change from an educator's typical teaching environment.…”

Utilisation d’un club de lecture comme méthode pédagogique pour favoriser l’appropriation des données probantes par des étudiantes au baccalauréat en sciences infirmières

“…infirmières enseignantes ont souvent du mal à élaborer des méthodes pédagogiques engageantes et significatives du point de vue des étudiantes de premier cycle en sciences infirmières (9). Certains auteurs soutiennent que des approches novatrices pour l'enseignement de la recherche en sciences infirmières au premier cycle doivent être mises en place pour favoriser les apprentissages et l'engagement des étudiantes de la génération Y, qui constituent la plus importante proportion des étudiantes actuellement inscrites au niveau du baccalauréat en sciences infirmières au Québec.…”