Learner Inquiry Project

Description

Inquiry-based learning (IBL) is an educational method that promotes autonomous learning. Learners are encouraged to explore topics and concepts based on internal motivation and curiosity. While the traditional didactic setting involves highly structured content-based instructing, IBL involves open-ended exploration. This project presents ideas about how to incorporate IBL in Nursing Education, and is designed for Associate’s Degree nursing students in their first semester of Medical-Surgical Nursing.

Students work in small groups of five or six during class to create their own unfolding case studies. Students will be assigned content material ahead of time, and given a survey to assess their primary topics of interest within the vascular disease unit. Groups will be created based on student interest in each topic. This insures students have the opportunity to explore a topic they are interested in. Students will be instructed to create a detailed case study portraying a patient with vascular disease. The learners in this setting have been exposed to many case studies, and are familiar with the typical layout. Resources will be provided to guide students on construction of a case study. The case study should be presented in three separate “scenes.” Students will be provided a set amount of time to complete case study construction.

Students will then swap case studies between groups. From here, the goal will be for each group to work through the “scenes” and design a nursing plan of care for the patient in their newly assigned case study. The students will be broadly prompted with the question: “How might we incorporate holistic care for patients with vascular disease?” This allows them autonomy for how they will plan the care, and challenges them to think about many aspects of care that need to be considered to provide holistic care. This question will give them inspiration when creating case studies, to insure they create patients that have multiple needs that require a holistic approach. When students create these complex patient scenarios, their peers will be challenged to plan a holistic and multidimensional approach to care. Students will choose a platform on which to document their planned care, and present it to their peers.

Discussion

The inquiry question for this project, as mentioned above, is “how might we incorporate holistic care in patients with vascular disease?” This project is designed as a guided IBL experience. Open inquiry is promoted when students are creating their case studies. Although each group is assigned a specific vascular disorder, the groups are created based on student interest in each topic. This insures students are curious about exploring the topic they are assigned. In order to create a detailed case study, students will be challenged to explore the clinical manifestations of their disease, risk factors of the disease, treatments of the disease, and education elements for patients with that disease. Since each group of students will have a different case study (created by their peers), the care plans that each group will design are likely to be vastly different. Students have complete autonomy in how they choose to prioritize and plan care for their patient, and in how they choose to present their case.

Learning Objectives

Student learning objectives for this topic include:
– Outline three risk factors and the etiology/pathophysiology of peripheral artery disease (PAD).
– Outline three key nursing interventions for a patient with aortic aneurysm.
– Differentiate between the patient with superficial vein thrombosis and VTE .
– Prioritize three key aspects of nursing management of patient with anticoagulation therapy.
These objectives are per the course syllabus, and are quite specific. Due to the specific nature of these objectives, this IBL experience is guided instead of completely open-ended. By providing students with assigned topics to explore, the intent is to insure these objectives are met. Using this guided IBL project, the course outcomes that are met include: Patient Centered Care, Teamwork and Collaboration, Evidence-Based Practice, Information Technology, Leadership, and Geriatrics. This project is incredibly inclusive of course objectives compared to a traditional didactic lecture approach. These course outcomes are aligned with the Nursing Program Student Learning Outcomes, which are derived from both the Maine Core Nurse Competencies and the QSEN competencies.

Reflection

This project encourages a real-world, collaborative, learner-centered experience. Unfolding case studies represent real-world patient situations, and require students to think like a nurse. They must utilize the nursing process and critically think to plan and prioritize care for the patient in each case. This project focuses on collaboration, as this is a key concept in nursing, and also a course/program outcome. Students must work with their peers to create a detailed case study for other groups, and also to devise an evidenced-based plan of care. This project focuses on the learner and what each individual wishes to get out of the experience. Students are given the opportunity to explore a topic of their own interest, and given total autonomy in how they want to present their project to their peers.

I think the biggest challenge with this project will be potential time constraint. The curriculum in our program is highly condensed, and there is little wiggle-room for spending more time on certain topics. I don’t want the students to feel rushed in this project. I want them to feel like they have time to thoroughly explore and understand their topics. When implementing this project in the future, it would be wise to adjust the course plan to allow more time, or to implement it with a different topic that is already allotted more time.

What excites me most about this project is allowing my students the opportunity to explore. I want them to be able to take time to investigate the topics they’re most interested in. I don’t want them to feel like I’m making them learn the content. I think they will be excited to create their own challenging case studies for their peers. I am excited to see what kind of projects they will come up with when they are allowed the autonomy to create whatever they want.