This presentation will explore how the Discipline of Nursing is integrating an Open Educational Resource (OER) into nursing programs, taking an innovative whole-of-course approach to curriculum design aligned to the SC Model.?
The OER includes case studies of five families from a variety of backgrounds in local and regional QLD and NSW. Case studies have been popular in nursing, to help students bring their learning to life and enhance critical thinking (Li, Ye & Chen, 2019). They serve a purpose in teaching or assessing an individual’s symptoms and nursing management, for example, a patient with asthma. However, traditionally students are only exposed to the patient and their circumstances once as applicable to an individual unit. With this new holistic approach, families are introduced in year 1 with case scenarios that are scaffolded as students’ progress through their course.
Taking a transformational, place-based approach, the OER case studies are set within local and regional areas so learning is contextual and relatable. Through the introduction of the OER in year 1, students are able to ‘get to know’ families who live in the region and follow their stories throughout their program. The families experience a variety of political and socio-economic circumstances which helps students to learn about different healthcare contexts, build knowledge and understanding about the families’ circumstances from a holistic, person-centred, interprofessional perspective, and engage at a deeper level.?
Each family case study is integrated into multiple units across the program, building in complexity, which encourages students to learn through the lens of the unit they are studying, while drawing on information learnt in previous units. Each OER chapter contains opportunities for students to engage with the material using branching scenarios, videos and other interactive experiences. Case studies can be used in units through self-access, face-to-face content and assessment. Students develop skills in critical thinking, reflection and discourse as well as the development of clinical skills. This supports the SCM by linking self-access material with assessments, promoting successful completion. We envision that with the inclusion of this OER in the curriculum, students will develop a broad spectrum of knowledge, skills and professionalism and will be able to transfer these to a variety of healthcare contexts as they build their professional identity as registered nurses.
Li, S., Ye, X., & Chen, W. (2019). Practice and effectiveness of “nursing case-based learning” course on nursing student’s critical thinking ability: A comparative study. Nurse Education in Practice, 36, 91-96.