Using clickers for clinical reasoning and problem solving.

This project explored how an audience response system (clickers), combined with case-based questions, resulted in increased student engagement, attention, and participation in an introductory clinical nursing course. Clicker questions and ensuing discussion were designed to enable students to practice reasoning through patient situations before entering the clinical setting. Findings suggest that nuanced discussion of all possible answers encouraged students to think more deeply about their initial answers and opened them up to new reasoning processes.

Non-science majors gain valuable insight studying clinical trials literature: an evidence-based medicine library assignment.

When faced with a diagnosis, it is empowering to be able to assess the evidence of treatment effectiveness and safety. To teach this skill to non-science majors, we assigned the "Responsible Patienthood Project" (RPP). For the RPP, students studied an array of disease and treatment literature: the final product of their work was a poster presentation, in which they did an in-depth analysis of one primary article, thus encouraging critical evaluation of experimental design, methods, and conclusions. Post-RPP, there was a 35% decrease in the student perception that they would unquestioningly accept a recommended treatment for a hypothetical diagnosis, and a 40% increase in the perception that they would consult a combination of resources, including primary articles. We recommend this project based on our results that suggest 1) non-science majors are able to successfully access and assess primary scientific literature, 2) students felt empowered by the RPP, and 3) skills in information gathering, via library instruction, may serve as a particularly helpful lifelong learning tool.