Grand rounds: Inclusive pedagogy for empowering nurse practitioner education

Online education has transformed higher education, yet student engagement remains a persistent challenge, particularly in distance-based programs. A self-evaluation of an online graduate nursing program in southwest Virginia identified a gap in interactive learning and engagement. To address this gap, Grand Rounds was introduced in 2017 as an inclusive pedagogical strategy, initially within the Family Nurse Practitioner curriculum, to enhance clinical competence, foster collaborative learning, and support student engagement. Weekly Grand Rounds involved student-led case presentations, differential diagnosis discussions, and management planning, promoting active participation and peer interaction. A four-minute oral case report was delivered by assigned students, incorporating real-time diagnostic reasoning and clinical decision-making. Student feedback indicated increased engagement, and preceptor evaluations validated improvements in diagnostic reasoning, treatment planning, case presentation, and interviewing skills. These findings support Grand Rounds as an effective teaching strategy to enhance student engagement, refine clinical competencies, and foster a collaborative learning environment in online nursing education.