Teaching strategies: a microteaching project for nurses in Virginia

A microteaching project, designed to increase the teaching effectiveness of nurses in Virginia, is described. The vehicle for the project is Teaching Strategies, a graduate credit course offered at the University of Virginia School of Nursing and in other state locations through the university's regional centers. The course uses microteaching techniques and videotape recordings of student teaching performances. The teaching behavior of 57 students who attended the course was rated using the project's rating scales. All students showed significant positive increases in teaching behavior on pre-, mid-, and postcourse measures in lecture discussion and group discussion teaching modes. Additional measures of students' teaching indicate retention of the learned behaviors six months after course completion.