The transition to problem-based learning:  Nurse educators' experiences in a collaborative BScN program in Ontario.
Published: 2004
Language: eng
Number of pages: 216
Subjects: Nurses -- Training of -- Ontario; Nursing -- Study and teaching -- Ontario.; Educational change -- Ontario.
Description: Beginning January 1, 2005, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) degree becomes the minimal requirement for nursing practice in Ontario, Canada. In response to this legislation, a Collaborative BScN Program was established between McMaster University and Mohawk and Conestoga Colleges. Nurse educators teaching in behaviourist college programs were required to make the transition to a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum.A life history approach was employed to understand the experiences of seven nurse educators making the transition to PBL. Individual and contextual influences on the transition experiences were explored over the course of the educators' careers. Transition experiences were significantly influenced by the educators' evolving conceptions of teaching and the context within which they were teaching.As nursing education reorients towards more student-centered teaching and the BScN as entry to practice, the transition needs of nurse educators cannot be ignored. Faculty development and mentoring opportunities facilitate the transition process, however, only through the creation of a culture in which individuals, teaching and learning are highly valued will an ongoing process of personal growth and learning occur.The college context facilitated the educators' initial teaching experiences, but became a "culture of isolation" over the course of their careers. Educators made a conscious effort to recreate a supportive environment within the college BScN teams. While some educators described supportive and empowering transition experiences, others experienced hierarchical relationships, devaluing communication, and a "fragile" working environment. In looking to the future, educators identified a need for a collaborative identity and increased program ownership.Although educators described a shift from teacher to student-centered conceptions of teaching, this transformation occurred through a self-directed process prior to the formation of the Collaborative BScN Program. Teaching in PBL was described as a "coming home" in which educators' conceptions of teaching were finally consistent with their practice. Faculty development and mentoring opportunities were essential in developing an understanding of PBL, gaining the skills of effective tutors and reinforcing educators' confidence in assuming the tutor role. Although supportive of PBL, educators expressed the need for a jointly developed curriculum integrating the clinical strengths of the college partners.
Notes: Adviser:  J. Gary Knowles.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of Toronto, 2004.

Electronic version licensed for access by U. of T. users.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 65-05, Section: B, page: 2321.