Mary Ann Fegan

Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing

Title: Flipping the Classroom to Enhance Class Preparation, Engagement and Learning: An Exploration Among Second Entry Undergraduate Nursing Students

Research Focus: Might ‘flipping the classroom’ help to bridge the ‘theory practice gap’ common to foundational clinical courses in undergraduate nursing education? This question fuels my focus of inquiry which is grounded in my desire to better understand how students prepare for class and how I can enhance student engagement and higher order learning in the classroom. My project will explore how structured class preparation using a flipped classroom approach influences student preparation, engagement and learning in classroom discussions and learning activities.

Study Design: During a condensed seven-week clinical nursing course, two of eleven classes will be redesigned and delivered using a flipped classroom approach. For these two classes, students will be provided with some of the more didactic aspects of foundational knowledge and learning prior to class in a short video and/or webcast during which they will be encouraged to consult their textbook to review charts or diagrams, extract relevant information related to the topic and become familiar with other resources for learning. Through additional content and various active learning activities in the classroom, students will be engaged to build upon and further develop their knowledge and understanding of their nursing practice through real-life application and analysis of class content and materials. Mid-course evaluations and post classroom learning activity surveys will provide feedback and insight into how students prepare for class and how they experienced the flipped classroom approach.

Impact: Findings from this project will inform and contribute to my future pedagogical approaches to clinical course and class design. Moreover, I anticipate the sharing of these findings to stimulate some interesting discussion among my colleagues regarding the potential use of the flipped classroom approach as a strategy to help bridge the ‘theory practice gap’ in nursing education.

SoTL Cohort Poster presented at the 2019 Teaching and Learning Symposium