Teaching bioscience to nursing students-What works?

Mobile applications in nursing science education: A scoping review with snowballing method

OBJECTIVES

To review the available evidence on the use and effectiveness of mobile applications to assist nursing students in comprehending, utilising, and applying specialised language and knowledge terminologies when learning the language of biosciences.

DESIGN

A scoping review.

DATA SOURCES

The databases CINAHL Complete, ERIC, EMCare, MEDLINE, PubMed, the OVID scholarly interface and the web search engine Google Scholar were searched.

REVIEW METHODS

Peer-reviewed literature published in English during the period 2010-2023 was reviewed. Snowballing methods saw the reference lists of all included articles searched, and a secondary search of the Scopus ranked top ten nursing journals. Articles were included if they reported on any app or digital resource used when teaching undergraduate nursing students biosciences/science language skills, concepts, or terminology. Studies were excluded if the participants were non-nursing student cohorts or content did not meet the inclusion criteria.

RESULTS

Mobile applications generally contribute positively to nursing students' education. These applications are deemed valuable tools, offering structured content in easily digestible formats. Some applications also foster teamwork and collaboration during clinical placements, promoting peer learning, and a sense of community. User internet access and preparation for learning were the only noted barriers. A range of science-based concepts were taught using applications, including diabetes mellitus, medical terminology, asthma, and cardiac conditions. Despite the promise shown by using mobile applications to teach nurse sciences, few are dedicated to bioscience language and scientific terminology. Recognising the challenging nature of teaching these concepts, developing specialised applications could substantially improve the educational experience for nursing students.

CONCLUSION

Nurse educators are encouraged to teach with applications given their reported effectiveness in knowledge gains for students learning science concepts. Rigorous interventional study designs are warranted to extend suggestions that using applications enhances student understanding of challenging scientific concepts and support quality in clinical learning.

Perspectives on self-directed learning in bioscience in nurse education - An integrative review

OBJECTIVES

There is a lack of synthesized knowledge on nursing students self-directed learning in bioscience and how to best support students' learning in this subject. The purpose of this integrative review is to synthesize current literature on perspectives on self-directed learning among nursing students studying bioscience to guide further research aiming to support students' learning more effectively.

METHODS

An integrative review in line with Whittemore & Knafl's modified framework containing five stages: problem identification, literature search, data evaluation, data analysis and presentation. A structured literature search was undertaken in the Web of Science, ERIC, Medline and CINAHL databases from November 2022 to January 2023. The inclusion criteria were nursing students enrolled in a bachelor programme, research addressing activities intended for learning bioscience, in addition to formal taught lectures and perspectives on self-directed learning in natural science subjects within nurse education such as views, actions, activities, habits and attitudes. Exclusion criteria were students in other education programs, research in formal learning contexts, and self-directed learning in other subjects than natural science subjects. Rigour of each included source was assessed using Whittemore & Knafl's suggested 2-point scale (high or low). A constant comparison method was used to synthesize results.

RESULTS

Of the initial 1143 sources, 12 articles were included after abstract and full-text screening: one pilot study for randomized controlled trial, one qualitative study, two mixed methods studies and eight quantitative studies. The sample size was from 23 to 563 participants.

DISCUSSION

This review identifies self-directed learning in bioscience understood as a continuum of teacher-directedness and self-directedness rather than as distinguished orientations. There seem to be no consistent definition of self-directed learning in bioscience, yet descriptions commonly imply metacognitive learning approaches. Nursing students value digital learning resources, yet technology might be secondary to the skill of self-directed learning.

Effects of blended learning on undergraduate nursing students' knowledge, skills, critical thinking ability and mental health: A systematic review and meta-analysis

AIM

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of blended learning on nursing students. The primary outcomes include knowledge and skills, and the secondary outcomes include critical thinking ability, mental health, blended learning design, and nursing students' attitudes toward blended learning.

BACKGROUND

Blended learning combines the advantages of online learning and traditional face-to-face learning, and makes up for the disadvantages of simple online learning or traditional learning. The effects of blended learning on the knowledge, skills, critical thinking ability, and mental health of nursing students were unknown.

DESIGN

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS

The present systematic review and meta-analysis was applied according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. Publications were searched in PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, ERIC, CINAHL and the Cochrane's Library before February 2023. Two researchers independently retrieved articles and evaluated quality. The meta-analysis was performed using Stata 12.0 software according to PRISMA guidelines. The risk of bias in the selected studies was evaluated using the Revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials. Heterogeneity was assessed by I2 and P statistics. Standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used as effective indicators.

RESULTS

A total of 26 studies involving 2823 nursing students were included in the present study. The results showed that blended learning courses were designed based on learning theory. Blended learning was more effective on the knowledge (SMD = 0.73, 95%CI [0.37, 1.09]) and skills (SMD = 0.86, 95% CI [0.35, 1.37]) compared with non-blended learning for nursing students. Critical thinking ability improved significantly through BL (SMD = 2.23, 95% CI [0.85, 3.61]). In addition, blended learning had a positive impact on nursing students' mental health. Nursing students were very satisfied with blended learning.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study indicated that blended learning had a positive impact on nursing students. In the future, the optimal ratio of online to offline learning in blended learning should also be explored.

Active learning methodology, associated to formative assessment, improved cardiac physiology knowledge and decreased pre-test stress and anxiety

Stress and anxiety caused by assessments are often related to the student's insecurity regarding the knowledge to be evaluated, while teaching strategies that increase effective learning can assist in reducing it. The aim of this study was to evaluate the hypothesis that the use of an active methodology, associated to formative assessment, could reduce students' anxiety and stress, when compared to the traditional method, by promoting greater learning. New students enrolled in the same discipline of a Dentistry course were invited to participate in the study and were divided into two groups: traditional method and active methodology. The traditional method group received two lectures, delivered orally. The active methodology group received a lecture about cardiac cells and the autonomic control of cardiac function, with home study of the cardiac cycle using a textbook. In the second class, an individual formative assessment was applied. Afterwards, a group activity was performed with an educational game about the cardiac cycle, followed by a group formative assessment. After applying the traditional or active methodology, test 1 was carried out. Immediately before this test, saliva samples were collected for determination of the concentrations of the stress biomarkers cortisol and α-amylase. The students also answered the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory questionnaire, used for anxiety level determination. The score obtained in the test 1 was significantly higher for the active methodology group, compared to the traditional method group. No significant differences between the groups were observed for baseline cortisol and salivary α-amylase concentrations, or for anxiety scores. Before test 1, traditional method group presented higher concentrations of salivary cortisol and α-amylase, compared to the respective baseline values, while the active methodology group showed no difference between the baseline and test 1 levels. Before test 1, there were increases in anxiety levels, relative to the respective baseline values, regardless of the teaching methodology used, but this increase was greater for the traditional method group, compared to the active methodology group. These results showed that the active methodology, associated to formative assessment, decreased test stress and anxiety, with improved student performance in comparison to traditional lectures.

Summary of Year-One Effort of the RCMI Consortium to Enhance Research Capacity and Diversity with Data Science

Despite being disproportionately impacted by health disparities, Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, and other underrepresented populations account for a significant minority of graduates in biomedical data science-related disciplines. Given their commitment to educating underrepresented students and trainees, minority serving institutions (MSIs) can play a significant role in enhancing diversity in the biomedical data science workforce. Little has been published about the reach, curricular breadth, and best practices for delivering these data science training programs. The purpose of this paper is to summarize six Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMIs) awarded funding from the National Institute of Minority Health Disparities (NIMHD) to develop new data science training programs. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to better understand the demographics of learners served, curricular topics covered, methods of instruction and assessment, challenges, and recommendations by program directors. Programs demonstrated overall success in reach and curricular diversity, serving a broad range of students and faculty, while also covering a broad range of topics. The main challenges highlighted were a lack of resources and infrastructure and teaching learners with varying levels of experience and knowledge. Further investments in MSIs are needed to sustain training efforts and develop pathways for diversifying the biomedical data science workforce.

Development and validation of a script concordance test to assess biosciences clinical reasoning skills: A cross-sectional study of 1st year undergraduate nursing students

BACKGROUND

Developing evaluative measures that assess clinical reasoning remains a major challenge for nursing education. A thorough understanding of biosciences underpins much of nursing practice and is essential to allow nurses to reason effectively. A gap in clinical reasoning can lead to unintended harm. The Script Concordance test holds promise as a measure of clinical reasoning in the context of uncertainty, situations common in nursing practice. The aim of this study is to develop and validate a test for first year undergraduate nursing students that will evaluate how bioscience knowledge is used to clinically reason.

METHODS

An international team, teaching biosciences to undergraduate nurses constructed a test integrating common clinical cases with a series of related test items: diagnostic, investigative and treatment. An expert panel (n = 10) took the test and commented on authenticity/ambiguities/omissions etc. This step is crucial for validity and for scoring of the student test. The test was administered to 47 first year undergraduate nursing students from the author sites. Students rated educational aspects of the tool both quantitatively and qualitatively. Statistical and content analyses inform the findings.

FINDINGS

Results indicate that the test is reliable and valid, differentiating between experts and students. Students demonstrated an ability to identify relevant data, link this to their bioscience content and predict outcomes (mean score = 50.78 ± 8.89). However, they lacked confidence in their answers when the scenarios appeared incomplete to them.

CONCLUSION

Nursing practice is dependent on a thorough understanding of biosciences and the ability to clinically reason. Script concordance tests can be used to promote both competencies. This method of evaluation goes further than probing factual knowledge. It also explores capacities of data interpretation, critical analysis, and clinical reasoning. Evaluating bioscience knowledge and real-world situations encountered in practice is a unique strength of this test.

Horizontal integration of bioscience and nursing in first-year nursing curricula: A systematic review

OBJECTIVES

To systematically identify, appraise and summarise available evidence related to the horizontal integration of bioscience and nursing in first-year nursing curricula; to examine students', nurses' and academics' perceptions of the integration and provide recommendations for future curriculum development, practice and research priorities.

DESIGN

A systematic review.

DATA SOURCES

An online search of Ovid Medline, Ovid Emcare, CINAHL, Embase Classic + and Embase, ERIC, A+Education, Scopus (Elsevier) and Google Scholar was conducted between July and September 2021. A manual search of the reference list of included articles was also undertaken.

REVIEW METHODS

This systematic review followed The PRISMA Statement. The study selection process was managed using the Covidence software platform and quality was assessed using JBI Critical appraisal tools and Mixed Methods Appraisal tools. A narrative synthesis of included studies was undertaken.

RESULTS

Six articles were identified which met the inclusion criteria. The study population included students, academics and registered nurses. Four studies used clinical scenarios as a method of horizontally integrating bioscience and nursing content. The integration outcomes were measured by student understanding and learning, satisfaction and motivation. Students', nurses' and academics' perceptions of integration challenges were: i) depth of bioscience content; ii) structure of bioscience content; and iii) knowledge and experience.

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic review did not identify a wide range of methods to integrate bioscience in first year nursing curricula. The use of clinical scenarios increased student understanding and learning. However, teaching academics needed to be cognizant of both nursing and bioscience to achieve the required depth of bioscience content and demonstrate integration of bioscience in nursing practice. There is a need for further investigations of methods of horizontal integration of bioscience and nursing in the first-year nursing curricula.