Students as partners: a cross institutional process of the technology enhanced learning experiences of student nurses

Students and staff as partners in teaching and learning is increasingly recognised as an important issue of concern in Higher Education, particularly as regards students being passive consumers of, rather than active... [ view full abstract ]

Students and staff as partners in teaching and learning is increasingly recognised as an important issue of concern in Higher Education, particularly as regards students being passive consumers of, rather than active participants in, their own higher education (Healey, Flint and Harrington, 2014). It is widely acknowledged that partnership is more than merely involving students in consultation about their experiences (Williamson, 2013). Consequently, our approach to partnership involved the synthesis of student voices with actively engaging students to identify areas for the enhancement of practical skills classes. Furthermore, our students not only assisted us to identify areas for enhancement, they contributed to the implementation of the identified technology enhanced learning within the undergraduate nursing programmes.

Here, we report on the partnership process between academic and programme support staff and students in two Institutes of Technology as part of the Technology Enhanced Assessment Methods (TEAM) in Science and Health Practical Settings, a 2-year Irish multi-institution enhancement project funded by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. This project aims to (i) develop a framework for applying the principles of good assessment and feedback to practical assessment, (ii) use digital technologies to enhance practical assessment and (iii) facilitate dialogue among stakeholders about what it is we want student to learn in practical classes and how our assessment can facilitate this. Twenty three nursing students from Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) and Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT) took part in focus groups to explore their experiences of preparation for practical skills classes.  The outcomes are discussed with respect to the context and the wider implications of embracing a teaching and learning pedagogy that enhances digital technologies in preparation for clinical skill development.