Systematic methods to enhance diversity knowledge gained: a proposed path to professional richness.

Abstract: Faculty members in nursing schools have the responsibility to provide learning experiences for students that have the potential to solidly link indicators of professional richness, knowledge gained about diversity, enhanced critical thinking skills, ethical reasoning and decision-making. The challenge then is for faculty members to implement systematic methods to ensure that students are exposed to in-and out- of classroom experiences that result in measurable outcomes indicating a strong association between what a student is expected to learn and the diversity knowledge gained. The purpose of this study is to describe the effect of a target intervention derived from synthesizing multiple theories (social, cognitive, moral and ethical) and learning experiences on students' perception of global diversity. Two independent cohorts of senior nursing students, (control group, N = 65 and experimental group, N = 55) were taught a required undergraduate course: Societal Health Issues (SHI) with the same objectives over two consecutive years. Drastic and remarkable differences were demonstrated using separate multiple regression analyses of the experimental group (adjusted R2 change of 47% (F = 11.123, (dfl = 4; df2 = 47), p= .000) and control group (adjusted R2 change of 1% (F=1.36, (df1 4; df2 = 52), p = .259). This study suggests preliminary empirical support for exploring how conceptual frameworks may guide faculty to consider pushing beyond traditional teaching methods to develop and organize systematic methods for using diversity to content in courses. Keywords: Diversity Theory; Nursing Education; Measurement Designing and implementing teaching and learning experiences are extremely challen ng for nursing faculty members. The goal is for faculty members to design programs that result in the student's possessing professional richness required to provide competent nursing care. Professional richness is a personal philosophy that can be used as a mindset to promote activities pertaining to professional development for enhancing potential for competence. These activities could include gaining knowledge, enhancing critical thinking skills and facing personal bias and stereotypes that harm other people. This term is used here solely to dissipate fear that some faculty members experience when assigned to teach a course in which there is an expectation to teach about "diversity" or similarities and differences in people who comprise our population. Striving for professional richness is important because it can provide a basis for addressing concerns inherent in planning the delivery of a course that is designed to help students gain knowledge about diversity and it's importance to societal health issues. However, this is easier said than done, and requires facing the first concern of how to organize teaching and learning experiences in order to enhance students' gaining diversity knowledge and relating this knowledge to societal health issues. The second concern is how to assess and evaluate the effect of the magnitude and relationship of teaching methods or a targeted intervention on expected learning outcomes. In other words, how to identify and implement salient features of traditional theories identified in the higher education literature to maximize the effects of selected teaching methods on students' learning about important interactions among health and social issues. In health care, societal issues are associated with the influences of age, race/ethnic similarities/differences, lifestyle preferences, socio-economic status, gender role ideology and religious affiliation. The concerns about what and how to teach social issues and the role of diversity factors fosters major issues around what is quality instruction and if the teaching of diversity can be assessed and evaluated. Having testable models available is needed by faculty members for understanding how to design and evaluate classroom learning experiences to positively effect students' perceptions on global diversity issues that may influence societal health issues. …