Hi Nicholas,
Trying telling your students on Day 1 what is the sole purpose of them taking the course so that they will hopefully see the benefit of the course.
Patricia Scales
The power point slides throughout the lecture affords the opportunity to tie in my life experience to the subject. The ability to put a face and an entertaining story helps bring the lesson to life. The student needs to understand that what they do or what they do not do impacts the well-being of a patient. The student has fun learning and in turn I, as the instructor, am rewarded with students who understand the nursing concepts.
The instructor can demonstrate the relevancy of course content by tying the content to practice, giving examples of application of the content to practice, and asking students to discuss how the course impacts practice.
I consider myself extremely lucky for that.
I do have a slight concern, however, with maintaining that enthusiasm; I'm going to be extending the class to a 2-week course, and I feel that, even though the extra time will be well used on detailing the process, I'll lose some of the students as a direct result of being bored or finding no connection to the material.
Hi Nicholas,
You are lucky! Once the students get to you, most of them are over flowing with excitement, and they understand how the courses are going to be utilized in their career.
Patricia Scales
Hi Toni,
I like how you make your students understand the IMPORTANCE of a surgical technologist.
Patricia Scales
Hi Chukwuka,
We have to help our students believe in themselves. It is like parenting, let mommy (teacher) do it, and then you (student) try it.
Patricia Scales
With my course, I feel I have a leg up (so to speak) in comparison to some others. I teach the sort of odd-man-out course, Sound for Picture, at an audio engineering school. It is the only course that deals exclusively with sound effects, dialogue, and sound design in the curriculum.
Additionally, by the time they get to my course, they don't have much more than a month before their graduation and immersion in the real world. I pose my course as an opportunity for them to find a niche in the industry of sound where they might find immediate work outside of music, but utilizing their skills as engineers.
Gaining their interest and showing relevance, luckily, has not posed an issue up to now.
When you show the relevancy of the course content, I believe you make the students feel important and empowered. You instill a sense of confidence within them. I mean, when you think about it, you might see Surgical Technologist as someone who passes instruments to the surgeon. But, no one stops to think how the Surgical Technologist is reponsible for sterilization of the instruments needed in the surgery how they must use and employ aseptic technique throughout the case. How, the all the equiment, perhaps over 200 pieces per surgery must be counted prior to surgery, during surgery and after surgery. The student, as they are learing about what a real Surgical Technologist does, know that it takes a special, smart and attention to detail person, to assist the surgeon in surgery!
When I take students to a clinical facility, they often feel some hesitation in performing patient care. At that point I would initiate the introduction and assessment of the patient. Once they see me do it, they would get over their hesitation and start performing patient care. At the end of the day, I will tell them that I not only teach but still practice the profession; and that is the way to provide professional service to clients.
Hi Clare,
We have to allow our students to see the ownership/investment that they have in their education so that they can understand the seriousness of it.
Patricia Scales
Hi Chukwuka,
I love teaching through the use of simulations. Learning is made real when you teach in a simulated environment.
Patricia Scales
I do believe the more the student accept the responsibility for their education the more engage they become. I think the stressors for adult learners are sometimes overwhelming when it involves issues that currently have a higher priority than their education (family, employment,etc). I think flexibility as an istructor is especially important for adult educators.
I teach a course called nursing simulation. In the simulated environment patients would come with specific diagnoses. Asthe patients are being treated for the diagnoses,condtions change. Students are then expected to recognize the change and provide the appropriate interventions. These interventions could mean supporting the patient's airway and contacting the physicians for additonal orders.
The session would end by telling the students that it could be them in a clinical facility with patients experiencing those symptoms; and they would be expected to make the patients better.
Hi Clare,
I like how you have the students play a role to determine how they can benefit from the course.
Patricia Scales
Everything teach I like to tell stories of my experiences when I worked in the field. the students always find it very interesting. I feel it sometimes breaks the monotony of the lecture. I can see their eyes all on me from their note taking. I always tell them of my mistakes and my successes. When I teach a certain procedure I tell them how often they will probably do it in the field and the importance of the procedure to the patient they will be working on.
Having a guest speaker is one way of showing relevancy of the course content in one's future career. It could be a graduate who returns to relate how the material covered has benefitted them. Also, I believe it is important for the students to do their own research on how they might use the course material currently and in the future. Certain topics are of more interest to students than others. I would assign groups of students to present different parts of the course material and how it is relevant.
Hi Daniel,
You are right! On the first day the instructor needs to address how the course will help them in their career.
Patricia Scales
It is important to discuss the relevancy of the course material to help get the students to buy into the course. This is less of a problem if you are teaching material that is part of the core course material, but if the student is taking general education courses, some students feel that studying math or science is not relevant to their future careers. It is up to the instructor to help the students understand why the material is important and how it can help them in their futures.
Hi Lanette,
Yes, we have to make sure to help our students keep their eyes on the prize.
Patricia Scales
