A Comparison of Teaching Methods for a Baccalaureate Nursing Health Assessment Course

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Health Assessment Pedagogy
• Educational Technology Integration

Background:

• Traditional lecture methods are being supplemented by innovative teaching strategies in nursing education.
• Flipped classroom models and technology integration, such as virtual patient simulation, show promise for enhancing student engagement and knowledge application.
• A gap exists in research comparing traditional, flipped, and technology-enhanced flipped classroom methods within baccalaureate nursing health assessment courses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare learning outcomes and student satisfaction across three distinct teaching methodologies in an undergraduate nursing health assessment course.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of a traditional lecture, a flipped classroom, and a technology-enhanced interactive flipped classroom, all utilizing virtual patient simulation.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental design was employed to compare the three teaching methods.
• Learning outcomes were assessed by comparing formative and summative assignment grades.
• Student satisfaction was evaluated through course evaluations.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in mean grades were observed in 12 out of 23 assignments.
• The technology-enhanced interactive flipped classroom group demonstrated superior performance compared to both the traditional and standard flipped classroom groups on most assessments.
• No significant differences in student satisfaction were found between the groups, except for one instance.

Conclusions:

• A technology-enhanced interactive flipped classroom design positively impacts student learning in nursing health assessment.
• This pedagogical approach, integrating technology and simulation, supports enhanced academic performance.
• Longitudinal analysis of student performance is recommended for further validation.