Students' Approach to learning over time

This research study was conducted with one undergraduate nursing cohort at a mid-sized Midwestern university in the USA. The goal of this quantitative research study was to measure students' approach to learning to determine if they realized changes from the start to the finish of their program. Students were asked to complete the Approaches to Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST) on entry into the undergraduate program (ASSIST-1). Two years later, during their final semester, students completed the inventory again (ASSIST-2). Results showed students' top approach to learning was strategic learning, followed by deep learning and lastly surface learning. Students experienced no significant changes in their approach to learning during the two-year period. Suggestions are discussed on how to design classes to encourage deeper learning approaches and the impact of using strategic approaches.