Using a flipped teaching strategy in undergraduate nursing education: students' perceptions and performance.

BACKGROUND: Flipped teaching is an interactive learning strategy that actively engages students in the learning process. Students have an active role in flipped teaching as they independently prepare for the class. Class time is dedicated to discussion and learning activities. Thus, it is believed that flipped teaching promotes students' critical thinking, communication, application of knowledge in real-life situations, and becoming lifelong learners. The aim of this study was to describe the students' perception of flipped teaching as an innovative learning strategy. And to assess if there was a difference in students' academic performance between those who participated in a traditional teaching strategy compared to those who participated in flipped teaching intervention. METHOD: A quasi-experimental design with intervention and control groups. A purposive sampling technique of undergraduate nursing students was used. RESULTS: A total of 355 students participated in both groups, and 70 out of 182 students in the intervention group completed the survey. The students perceived a moderate level of effectiveness of the flipped teaching classroom as a teaching strategy. The result revealed that there is a statistically significant difference in the mean students' scores for the intervention group (M = 83.34, SD = 9.81) and control group (M = 75.57, SD = 9.82). CONCLUSION: Flipped teaching proves its effectiveness in improving students' learning experience and academic performance. Also, students had a positive perception about flipped teaching as it allowed them to develop essential nursing competencies. Future studies must consider measuring the influence of flipped teaching on students' ability to acquire nursing competencies, such as critical thinking and clinical reasoning.

Desarrollo de habilidades motrices básicas en niños con trastorno por déficit de atención e hiperactividad, en Educación Física

Se estudia el desarrollo de habilidades motrices básicas en niños con trastorno por déficit de atención e hiperactividad y se planteó como objetivo diseñar y validar una estrategia didáctica inclusiva en una unidad educativa del Ecuador, con el empleo de una metodología mixta y pre experimental. Se utilizó un muestreo no probabilístico, intencional y estratificado, con criterio de inclusión, la muestra la conformaron cinco niños con trastorno por déficit de atención e hiperactividad, en su grupo, clase, y su docente de Educación Física. La medición de las variables inclusión-atención del trastorno con enfoque educativo y el desarrollo de habilidades motrices básicas, se realizó mediante ocho indicadores, con el empleo de una guía de observación, el análisis documental, y apoyada en la técnica de tarjado simple para agrupar los datos observados. Como resultado se expone una estrategia didáctica inclusiva para el desarrollo de las habilidades motrices básicas, en niños con trastorno por déficit de atención e hiperactividad, durante las clases de Educación Física, diseñada a través del enfoque sistémico estructural y funcional que mostró su efectividad en la práctica educativa, al comparar los resultados del pre- y postest, por medio de la prueba no paramétrica de los signos.

Estuda-se o desenvolvimento de habilidades motoras básicas em crianças com transtorno de déficit de atenção e hiperatividade e o objetivo foi desenhar e validar uma estratégia de ensino inclusiva em uma unidade educacional no Equador, utilizando uma metodologia mista e pré-experimental. Foi utilizada uma amostragem não probabilística, intencional e estratificada, com critérios de inclusão, a amostra foi composta por cinco crianças com transtorno de déficit de atenção e hiperatividade, em seu grupo, turma, e seu professor de Educação Física. A mensuração das variáveis ​​inclusão-atenção do transtorno com abordagem educativa e desenvolvimento de habilidades motoras básicas foi realizada por meio de oito indicadores, com uso de guia de observação, análise documental e apoiado na técnica de pontuação simples para agrupar os dados observados. Como resultado, apresenta-se uma estratégia didática inclusiva para o desenvolvimento de habilidades motoras básicas, em crianças com transtorno de déficit de atenção e hiperatividade, durante as aulas de Educação Física, desenhada através da abordagem sistêmica estrutural e funcional que mostrou sua eficácia na prática educativa, ao comparar os resultados do pré e pós-teste, por meio do teste não paramétrico de sinais.

The development of basic motor skills in children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder is studied and the objective was to design and validate an inclusive teaching strategy in an educational unit in Ecuador, using a mixed and pre-experimental methodology. An intentional and stratified non-probabilistic sampling was used, with inclusion criteria, the sample was made up of five children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, in their class group, and their Physical Education teacher. The measurement of the inclusion-attention variables of the disorder with an educational approach and the development of basic motor skills was carried out using eight indicators, with the use of an observation guide, documentary analysis, and supported by the simple scoring technique to group the observed data. As a result, an inclusive didactic strategy is presented for the development of basic motor skills in children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder during Physical Education classes, designed through the structural and functional systemic approach that showed its effectiveness in the educational practice, when comparing the results of the pre- and post-test, through the non-parametric test of signs.

Image analysis and teaching strategy optimization of folk dance training based on the deep neural network.

To improve the recognition effect of the folk dance image recognition model and put forward new suggestions for teachers' teaching strategies, this study introduces a Deep Neural Network (DNN) to optimize the folk dance training image recognition model. Moreover, a corresponding teaching strategy optimization scheme is proposed according to the experimental results. Firstly, the image preprocessing and feature extraction of DNN are optimized. Secondly, classification and target detection models are established to analyze the folk dance training images, and the C-dance dataset is used for experiments. Finally, the results are compared with those of the Naive Bayes classifier, K-nearest neighbor, decision tree classifier, support vector machine, and logistic regression models. The results of this study provide new suggestions for teaching strategies. The research results indicate that the optimized classification model shows a significant improvement in classification accuracy across various aspects such as action complexity, dance types, movement speed, dance styles, body dynamics, and rhythm. The accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 scores have increased by approximately 14.7, 11.8, 13.2, and 17.4%, respectively. In the study of factors such as different training images, changes in perspective, lighting conditions, and noise interference, the optimized model demonstrates a substantial enhancement in recognition accuracy and robustness. These findings suggest that, compared to traditional models, the optimized model performs better in identifying various dances and movements, enhancing the accuracy and stability of classification. Based on the experimental results, strategies for optimizing the real-time feedback and assessment mechanism in folk dance teaching, as well as the design of personalized learning paths, are proposed. Therefore, this study holds the potential to be applied in the field of folk dance, promoting the development and innovation of folk dance education.

Integrating wellness into curricula using the ten dimensions of wellness as a framework.

Burnout is a public health crisis that persists at the expense of clinician well-being, the healthcare workforce, and the quality of care provided. Clinician well-being is a professional imperative, yet nursing students still report higher levels of burnout than non-nursing students. Cultivating an academic learning environment that supports the development of resiliency, well-being, and improved student mental health requires a coordinated and sustained effort from nurse educators and academic leaders. This article aims to inspire nurse educators to take the first or next steps toward integrating wellness into nursing curricula. The ten dimensions of wellness provide a framework for wellness programming. Practical strategies aligned with each dimension are offered. As an exemplar, the Banding Together for Wellness program is summarized, including innovative incentives for student participation. Over the past five years, 426 (approximately 54 %) undergraduate nursing students voluntarily completed the program. While best practices may vary by institution, the strategies and resources offered herein can support nurse educators in the classroom, lab, and clinical setting as we all work to foster personal and professional well-being in nursing students. Nurse educators can be instrumental in cultivating the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required for life-long self-care, well-being, and nursing practice.

Effect of concept mapping model on critical thinking skills of family medicine residents: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The cognitive process of critical thinking (CT) involves the examination of the existing reasons and an analysis of the information to draw conclusions and make decisions. The goal of the study was to determine how concept mapping (CM) technique affects family medicine residents' capacity for critical thought. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a randomized controlled trial among family medicine residents aged between 26 and 28 years. A total of 100 residents were involved; over the course of 3 months, 50 residents were exposed to the conventional teaching model and 50 residents to the CM model. Data was collected using California CT skills test (CCTST) modified Arabic version and a self-administered questionnaire. The primary intervention was teaching method, experimental group received CM lessons while control group had conventional lessons. First session was carried out at baseline and second session one week after baseline, whereas 3rd, 4th, and 5th sessions conducted at end of 1st, 2nd, 3rd months, respectively. Both groups were assessed at baseline and at end of 3rd month. Both groups were reassessed at end of three months. Quantitative data was presented as mean and SD, whereas frequencies and percentages used for qualitative data. Pre- and post-intervention CT scores for study groups were compared using t-test or Mann-Whitney U test, as appropriate. Groups were compared on pre- and post-intervention CT grades using Chi-square test. RESULTS: Vast majority (98%) of participants were females, nearly half were 27 year old, and belonged primarily to urban areas (76%). There was no difference in the CT scores between the groups at baseline. The post-intervention CT scores for study group were statistically significantly higher (18.36±2.68) compared to control group (15.94±1.94) (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: The CM approach was superior to the conventional teaching approach in terms of improving CT.

Values Clarification Exercises to Prepare Nursing Students for Artificial Intelligence Integration.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly revolutionizing health care and education globally, including nursing practice and education. The responsible utilization of AI in a nursing context requires thoughtful consideration of its alignment with nursing values such as compassionate and patient-centered care provision, and respect for diverse perspectives. Values clarification, a vital teaching strategy in nursing education, can reinforce the foundational values and beliefs that guide nursing practice, thereby facilitating nurses' critical evaluation of the ethical implications of AI implementation. The early introduction of values clarification into nursing education (a) provides students with a framework to prioritize and reflect on the impact of nursing values on their practice, (b) enables educators to make informed decisions and enhance teaching strategies, (c) contributes to the continual improvement of nursing education programs, and (d) fosters an ethical and values-driven approach to the integration of AI into nursing education and practice. This article examines the integration of values clarification into nursing education, offers strategies for nurse educators to integrate AI into their teaching toolkit effectively and ethically, and addresses concerns regarding potential misuses of AI.

Utilization of humor and application of learning theory: Perspective of nursing students.

BACKGROUND: Humor is one of the teaching strategies that is least utilized by the Nursing teaching faculty that involve the students in active learning with fun and fruitful learning. There are different ways of utilization of humor in the classroom like jokes, cartoons, amusing stories, comedy, and the use of animated pictures. OBJECTIVE: To explore the perceptions of nursing students regarding the use of humor as a teaching strategy in the classroom. And, to what extent the cognitive and affective theories are related to the humor strategy. STUDY DESIGN: Qualitative explorative design. SETTING OF THE STUDY: The study was conducted in a private college of nursing in Islamabad, Pakistan. PARTICIPANTS OF THE STUDY: The participants of the study were students of Bachelor of Science nursing. METHODOLOGY: Through purposive sampling, eight participants were interviewed until the data saturation. Each interview was of 20 to 35 min duration. Conventional content analysis was used for data analysis. RESULT: The four main categories that emerged from this study include: Experiences of different types of humor, Cognitive impacts of humorous activities, Affective impact of humorous activities, and suggestions for faculty to use Humor as a Strategy. CONCLUSION: It is clear that the usage of humor as a teaching strategy enhances the cognitive and affective level of complexity that enables students to be more relaxed, developed interest, and paid more attention in class to create a positive atmosphere.

Instructors' perceptions and use of first language in EFL classes in Afghanistan.

The study examined instructors' arguments for and against the use of L1 in EFL classes. It explored the frequency use and functions of L1. It also investigated the impact of the participants' gender, education level and years of teaching experience on their responses. A survey questionnaire and classroom observations were used to collect data from 189 and 5 EFL instructors, respectively. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. The results showed that EFL instructors had mixed perceptions about L1 use in EFL classes. They believed that L1 had both facilitative roles (e.g. helping students build up their lexicon) and negative consequences (e.g., interfering in students' learning). Furthermore, the instructors utilized L1 for various language, classroom management and social purposes to varying extent. L1 was more frequently used to explain difficult grammatical points, new vocabulary and difficult concepts. Instructors favored and used L1 more frequently in low-level classes than higher levels. The study also revealed that there were statistically significant differences between participants' responses by their gender, education and years of teaching experience. The study recommends EFL instructors to revisit their use of L1 in EFL classes and use it judiciously and systematically to optimize students' English learning and prevent negative consequences of the overuse of L1 (e.g., learners' dependence on L1).

Application effect of immersive experiential teaching strategies in the teaching of clinical anesthesiology for undergraduates / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Objective:To explore the application effect of immersive experiential teaching strategies in the teaching of clinical anesthesiology for undergraduates.Methods:Undergraduates majoring in 5-year clinical medicine in Air Force Medical University from January 2022 to May 2022 were enrolled as the research objects. Students were randomly divided into the immersive teaching group and the traditional teaching group, with 35 students in each. Students in the immersive teaching group underwent immersive experiential teaching strategies and the traditional teaching group received lecture-based teaching strategies. After classes, all students in these two groups took the same theoretical and operational examination, and conducted a teaching satisfaction survey and a comprehensive ability evaluation. The results were analyzed by t-test and Chi-square test using SPSS 22.0 software. Results:Students in the immersive teaching group were more satisfied with teaching (88.32±7.28 vs.70.15±7.11) ( P=0.001), and had higher scores of theorical examination (86.34±7.42 vs. 77.31±5.32) ( P=0.020) and operational examination (92.23±5.33 vs. 81.21±4.98) ( P=0.022) than those in the traditional teaching group. In addition, the scores of communication ability ( P=0.026), response ability ( P<0.001) adaptability ( P=0.007), and critical thinking ( P<0.001) in the immersive teaching group were higher than those in the traditional teaching group. Conclusion:The immersive experiential teaching strategies can effectively improve the theoretical and practical operational ability of undergraduates after completing courses of clinical anesthesiology, and can effectively stimulate the enthusiasm of students. It is worthy to be popularized in subsequent teaching abilities.

Research on the role of the cognitive conflict theory combined with knowledge internalization teaching strategy in improving the core competence of nursing interns in the department of internal medicine / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Objective:To explore the role of the cognitive conflict theory combined with knowledge internalization teaching strategy in improving the core competence of nursing interns in the department of internal medicine.Methods:A total of 100 nursing interns in our department were randomly selected and divided into control group (provided with traditional teaching) and study group (provided with the cognitive conflict theory combined with knowledge internalization teaching strategy) according to the teaching methods. After one month of teaching, two groups were compared for the comprehensive competence, learning engagement, and assessment results. The t-test, chi-square test, or rank sum test was performed using SPSS 26.0. Results:The teaching quality score and degree of satisfaction with teaching in the study group were significantly higher than those in the control group [(18.38±0.71) vs. (17.95±0.84), P<0.05]; the comprehensive competence, core competence score, and learning engagement subitem scores in the study group were significantly higher than those in the control group ( P<0.05); the theory score and skill score in the study group were significantly higher than those in the control group ( P<0.05). Conclusion:The cognitive conflict theory combined with knowledge internalization teaching strategy can effectively improve the quality of nursing teaching, effectively enhance the learning engagement of nursing interns, help improve the comprehensive competence and core competence of nursing interns, enable them to better acquire clinical nursing knowledge, and improve their satisfaction with clinical teaching.

Multidimensional evaluation of teaching strategies adopted in the COVID-19 pandemic.

This paper proposes a multidimensional social open model to evaluate the teaching strategies adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic by assessing the decisions made by teachers by a group of teachers acting as evaluators. Based on the analysis of previous studies on teaching, this study aims to propose a formal model for the evaluation of teaching strategies in four dimensions: sustainability, usability, accessibility, and creativity. The use of information technologies to measure teaching strategies can bring decisive advantages. This work has been inspired by social rating systems of social networks to propose a measurement system in which a potential large number of evaluators with different levels assess the strategies. In addition, the proposal also includes the evaluation of the evaluators' own work, assigning confidence levels that are based on their experience but also on their evaluations. In this way, we have a social measurement system, in the sense that participation is open to a large number of evaluators. A large community of teacher evaluators will increase the objectivity of the measurement. The outcome of the system will be a characterization of the teaching strategies that will allow to decide in the future which ones should be adopted according to the needs of each one.

Structure-preserved meta-learning uniting network for improving low-dose CT quality.

Objective.Deep neural network (DNN) based methods have shown promising performances for low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) imaging. However, most of the DNN-based methods are trained on simulated labeled datasets, and the low-dose simulation algorithms are usually designed based on simple statistical models which deviate from the real clinical scenarios, which could lead to issues of overfitting, instability and poor robustness. To address these issues, in this work, we present a structure-preserved meta-learning uniting network (shorten as 'SMU-Net') to suppress noise-induced artifacts and preserve structure details in the unlabeled LDCT imaging task in real scenarios.Approach.Specifically, the presented SMU-Net contains two networks, i.e., teacher network and student network. The teacher network is trained on simulated labeled dataset and then helps the student network train with the unlabeled LDCT images via the meta-learning strategy. The student network is trained on real LDCT dataset with the pseudo-labels generated by the teacher network. Moreover, the student network adopts the Co-teaching strategy to improve the robustness of the presented SMU-Net.Main results.We validate the proposed SMU-Net method on three public datasets and one real low-dose dataset. The visual image results indicate that the proposed SMU-Net has superior performance on reducing noise-induced artifacts and preserving structure details. And the quantitative results exhibit that the presented SMU-Net method generally obtains the highest signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), the highest structural similarity index measurement (SSIM), and the lowest root-mean-square error (RMSE) values or the lowest natural image quality evaluator (NIQE) scores.Significance.We propose a meta learning strategy to obtain high-quality CT images in the LDCT imaging task, which is designed to take advantage of unlabeled CT images to promote the reconstruction performance in the LDCT environments.

The effect of a multidimensional teaching strategy on the self-efficacy and critical thinking dispositions of nursing students: A quasi-experimental study.

BACKGROUND: Internships in pediatric nursing often reveal that nursing students lack critical thinking dispositions and self-confidence, which are important and necessary for nursing practice. Therefore, preparing nursing students to engage in critical thinking is an important goal for educators. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to explore whether a teaching model combining the 5E learning model and self-efficacy would be effective in enhancing participants' self-efficacy and critical thinking dispositions in a course on child-friendly care. DESIGN: The quasi-experimental method was single-blind, as the study was conducted with two parallel and unequal groups to address the research questions. SETTING: Two campuses of a university located in Northern and Southern Taiwan. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-eight participants completed this study. METHODS: Participants completed the pre-test questionnaire in Week 1, after which participants in the experimental group learned via the teaching strategy that combined the 5E learning model and self-efficacy, while participants in the control group were taught the same course via conventional teaching methods. A post-test questionnaire was completed in Week 18. An independent sample t-test was used to determine any mean differences of outcome variables between groups over time. RESULTS: Significant improvements were found in self-efficacy, t (56) = 3.93, p < 0.01, but non-significant results for the outcome of critical thinking disposition t (56) = 0.88, p > 0.05. A t-test was also performed on the four subscales of critical thinking disposition for the two groups, showing that the only difference for overall reflective thinking was statistically significant, t (56) = 2.09, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The multidimensional teaching strategy introduced in this study is more effective than conventional teaching strategies in improving students' self-efficacy and the overall reflective thinking aspect of critical thinking disposition.

The effect of high-fidelity simulation technology on the competency of nursing students in managing chemotherapy extravasation in patients with cancer.

BACKGROUND: Nursing education suffers from a lack of high-quality clinical experiences for students, especially among medical specialty groups such as cancer patients, in Saudi Arabia. A paucity of empirical evidence is supporting simulation in education and the transfer of psychomotor skills to patient care. In particular, although generally recognized as an essential oncology nursing skill, effective strategies for teaching the management of chemotherapy extravasation to students have not been investigated. PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of high-fidelity simulation (HFS) technology on the competency of nursing students in the management of chemotherapy extravasation and the transfer of this skill from traditional learning labs to clinical settings. METHODS: A quasi-experimental study comprising a two-group pretest-posttest with repeated measures was used. The intervention was a scenario-based, HFS. Third-year students (n = 68) from a nursing program were randomly allocated to either intervention or control groups. Competency was measured in both groups using the same standardized assessment checklist. RESULTS: Competency scores were lower in the control group compared to the intervention group at both posttesting times. These results, however, were not statistically significant. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups regarding skill transfer. CONCLUSIONS: Nursing faculty can use either HFS or traditional learning methods to effectively teach students how to manage chemotherapy extravasation and transfer this skill to clinical settings.

Students' adaptive deep learning path and teaching strategy of contemporary ceramic art under the background of Internet.

With the rapid expansion of Internet technology, this research aims to explore the teaching strategies of ceramic art for contemporary students. Based on deep learning (DL), an automatic question answering (QA) system is established, new teaching strategies are analyzed, and the Internet is combined with the automatic QA system to help students solve problems encountered in the process of learning. Firstly, the related theories of DL and personalized learning are analyzed. Among DL-related theories, Back Propagation Neural Network (BPNN), Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), and Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) are compared to implement a single model and a mixed model. Secondly, the collected student questions are selected and processed, and experimental parameters in different models are set for comparative experiments. Experiments reveal that the average accuracy and Mean Reciprocal Rank (MRR) of traditional retrieval methods can only reach about 0.5. In the basic neural network, the average accuracy of LSTM and GRU structural models is about 0.81, which can achieve better results. Finally, the accuracy of the hybrid model can reach about 0.82, and the accuracy and MRR of the Bidirectional Gated Recurrent Unit Network-Attention (BiGRU-Attention) model are 0.87 and 0.89, respectively, achieving the best results. The established DL model meets the requirements of the online automatic QA system, improves the teaching system, and helps students better understand and solve problems in the ceramic art courses.

Bachelor nursing students´ and their educators´ experiences of teaching strategies targeting critical thinking: A scoping review.

AIM: The objective of this scoping review was to review the published literature on existing teaching strategies targeting bachelor nursing students' critical thinking and explore how these strategies are described by students and educators. The research questions were: (i) Which teaching strategies are described in the literature targeting critical thinking among nursing students? and (ii) How are these teaching strategies described and experienced by students and/or nurse educators? BACKGROUND: Critical thinking is integrated in the many clinical assignments and responsibilities with which registered nurses are faced. Therefore, it is important that nurse educators implement teaching strategies supporting bachelor nursing students' development of critical thinking to prepare them for their professional responsibilities. DESIGN: Scoping review, Open Science Framework (OSF) registries DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/D89SB. METHODS: The scoping review followed the six steps of Arksey and O'Malley (2005). Systematic searches were conducted using the databases PubMed, CINAHL, ERIC, ERC and PsycINFO. Eligible studies were quality assessed and text excerpts answering the research questions were analysed by a thematic analysis. RESULTS: Our findings represent 19 published studies and can be understood according to two themes: the importance of the educational conditions and the impact of implemented teaching strategies. The first theme reflected not only the descriptions of important traits in the educational milieu facilitating the development of critical thinking but also the importance of how the content targeting such skills were delivered and organised. The second theme mirrored descriptions of how the students, through the teaching strategies, realized the need for collaboration to facilitate critical thinking. Further, it showed how the teaching strategies fostered professional growth and learning adaptation, by encouraging the students to question their knowledge and facilitating their development of clinical knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: The strategies used in the facilitation of critical thinking need to incorporate collaboration and student-centredness, creating a relaxed climate where the educators can assist through guidance and support. This calls for the implementation of teaching strategies whereby both educators and students are active in facilitating the learning environment.

Novel medication safety training module.

PURPOSE: Escape rooms are effective educational tools for engaging learners and may serve as a strategy for medication safety training to increase perceived learned safety measures and knowledge retention. Escape rooms are lifelike environments in which participants work together to solve a succession of puzzles to escape a locked room in the allotted time. Novel medication safety training modules such as a pharmacy escape room allow medical errors to be simulated in a team-based, controlled environment focusing on system improvement to establish a culture of safety. This project was conducted to improve medication safety knowledge using a novel pharmacy escape room training module piloted within a large, integrated pharmacy department. SUMMARY: Several pilot groups of 2 or more pharmacy employees took part in a virtual medication safety escape room as part of a training module at Advocate Aurora Health between January and March 2021. Participants included pharmacists and pharmacy technicians employed at Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center, Aurora Sinai Medical Center, and Pharmacy Integrated Clinical Services. Assessments were administered before and after completion of the escape room module to evaluate medication safety knowledge and perceived learned safety measures by comparing scores. A total of 101 employees participated in the pharmacy escape room, with an average escape time of 42 minutes. Overall assessment scores before completion of the escape room module ranged from 20% to 86.6%, while those afterwards ranged from 33.3% to 93.3%. Participant feedback was positive, with reports that the novel escape room training module was more engaging and interactive than the alternative online self-paced learning modules. CONCLUSION: Virtual escape rooms can be used as a novel medication safety training module to increase medication safety knowledge and allow medical errors to be simulated in a controlled environment. Incorporating high-reliability tools and tactics into development of the escape room can promote safe medication practices and reinforce principles of high-reliability organizations.

Population health assessment project: An innovative strategy for teaching principles of epidemiology.

Public health nurses (PHNs) use principles of epidemiology in their work with communities; however, teaching these concepts at the baccalaureate level can be challenging. To reinforce the epidemiologic concepts taught in the classroom, two nursing faculty in our baccalaureate nursing program developed a population health project that allows students to explore concepts of epidemiology within the context of a population health concern. This article describes how the project provides students with a realistic opportunity to research the health issue. As a part of the project, students collect and analyze data about the health concern at the county, state, and national level. The project also requires students to identify local agencies who provide services for people who are impacted by the health issue and describe their role and function within the community. Furthermore, students discuss the roles and responsibilities of nurses in managing the population health concern under investigation. In doing so, students recognize how epidemiology informs population level nursing care. If nursing students understand epidemiological concepts, they will be better prepared to educate the communities they serve after graduation when a population health crisis, such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic, occurs.

Reflection - an effective strategy for outcome-based learning in basic medical sciences.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the role of guided reflection for improved learning outcomes in students of basic dental sciences. METHODS: The quasi-experimental comparative educational study was conducted at the Islamic International Dental College, Islamabad, Pakistan, from May to September 2019, and comprised second-year undergraduate students in the Basic Medical Sciences curriculum for Microbiology. The subjects were arbitrarily divided into Group-1, which was exposed to guided reflection, and Group-2, which was not asked to reflect on the lectures. Post-intervention, a test of 30 multiple choice questions on the selected topics was conducted to compare the level of learning between the groups. After three weeks, the same activity was repeated with the same groups, but with different topics of lectures. Data was analysed using SPSS 21. RESULTS: Of the total 75 students, there were 28 female and 9 male students in Group-1 (Reflectors), 29 female and 9 male students in Group-2 (Non-Reflectors). Overall, there were 18 male and 57 female students. The overall 20.4±0.83 years. The difference between the groups after the first session was not significant (p>0.05). After session 2, Group-1 score was significantly better than that of Group-2 (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Reflective practices on teaching sessions at the end of lectures proved to be an effective strategy to achieve outcome-based learning.

Voices from undergraduate students and faculty members regarding the status and challenges of baccalaureate nursing education in Myanmar: A qualitative study.

OBJECTIVES: To clarify the present status and challenges of nursing education in a baccalaureate degree program in Myanmar. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive design using focus group interviews. PARTICIPANTS: Undergraduate nursing students and faculty members from the University of Nursing in Myanmar. METHODS: Focus group interviews were separately conducted for each group of undergraduate students, and junior and senior faculty members. The interview guide for the students was about their perceptions and requests regarding their nursing education. For the faculty members, the interview guide was about their current perceptions and challenges regarding nursing education. Each group interview took about 60 min. RESULTS: Eight undergraduate students, eight junior faculty members, and six senior faculty members were eligible to participate. The undergraduate students voiced their requests for improvement in teaching methods. They described their struggles and learning process from their clinical placement experiences, as well as their distress under the present educational environment. The faculty members described their perceptions and challenges regarding inventiveness in teaching methods, challenges in conducting clinical placements, lack of educational devices and facilities, and innovation requirements in the faculty organization and system. CONCLUSION: The present status of nursing education in a baccalaureate degree program in Myanmar reflects ongoing serious challenges in undergraduate nursing education as expressed by both undergraduate students and faculty members. Their voices echo a pressing need to implement alternative methods of nursing education for better academic outcome. Moreover, continuing education is realized as crucial for capacity building and professional development of faculty members.