Innovation and contemporary practice & development in teaching and learning Introduction

Innovation and contemporary practice & development in teaching and learning Introduction

Innovation and contemporary practice & development in teaching and learning
Introduction
Nursing especially for educators and clinical students is a time consuming and resource
intensive programme. It is therefore imperative to conduct a review of current clinical
experiences and their contribution to student learning and readiness to provide healthcare.
Educators of clinical practitioners need to be conversant with the current educational
interventions and what currently occurs during clinical experiences for nurses especially in times
of emergency like the current Covid-19 pandemic. For clinical students, research shows that
focusing on task completion always overshadows learning nursing practice.

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Changing healthcare standards demand that undergraduate nursing programs equip
learners with skills and attitudes that suit current healthcare demands (Ironside, et al., 2014) .
Interventions like Problem-Based Learning and digital learning in teaching have shaped how
students gain knowledge in the classroom. Preparing students for the practical experiences of
different workplace environments has proven useful in equipping nurses with critical thinking
skills (Martyn, et al., 2014) . The inadequate utilization of tutor-counselor relationship,
disconnect between available learning materials and current practice also undermine learning
outcomes. Learning and teaching feels fragmented and confusion and a feeling of being stuck in
learning. Change is constant and nurses need to critique their value throughout their careers.
Current developments in teaching and learning in nursing education
a) Problem-Based Learning
As a philosophy and teaching method, Problem-Based Learning has always been a pillar
in acquiring or equipping clinical knowledge for more than 30 years (Baker, 2000) . Through this
method, nurses and midwives become self-reliant and efficient professionals capable of
becoming researchers and problem solvers, a vital resource for nursing educators. Learning
experiences based on principles modelled from Problem-Based Learning show that
educationalists in the nursing profession are responsible for encouraging and developing new and
creative ways to respond to the growing needs of more demanding healthcare consumers. (Glen
& Wilkie, 2000)
Despite its challenges and pitfalls, Problem-Based Learning has a potential of spurring
new applications in nursing and midwifery education. It also depends heavily on different
educators’ learning outcomes and these different approaches takes hard work and commitment
from both learners and educators. It emphasizes evidence based practice and teamwork from all

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healthcare providers to work effectively and this also requires developing a competent staff of
educators and gathering a huge amount of human and material resources. Moreover, the structure
of Problem-Based learning needs to be manageable structurally and financially for results to be
feasible. Examining the current real-world requirements like changing work-patterns of clinical
practice should be mirrored in the classroom. It also apparent that Problem-Based learning only
works well with students as teams rather than groups. For individual educators and students
alike, the position they take within the team affects their learning and interactional stance.
b) Enquiry-Based Learning
Enquiry-Based Learning as a model identifies the career motivations of undergraduate
nursing students during registration. It fosters the need to pursue learning in individual students
and the drive to seek out modern nursing techniques relevant to their career development. The
Winterton Report for instance showed how a close working relationship between educators and
midwives produced competent and confident graduates capable of professional service delivery.
In a more globalized society, the adoption of distance learning has come out as a flexible
solution that provides new learning opportunities, an integral feature of adult education for
nurses. Combining Problem-based learning and distance learning enriches the learning
experience of nurses and midwives in the workplace.
Educators are the impetus to preparing nurses for their essential role in care of citizens in
the regions they serve. Nurses who can respond to the rapidly changing healthcare environment
of the 21 st century now plagued by disasters and pandemics, should be taught how to seek
knowledge and do research throughout their professional lives.
c) Simulation Learning in Nursing

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Simulation integrates principles of social cognitive theory (SC