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Why blending is the way to go

Nurse Leader Weekly, September 28, 2007

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Classroom lectures allow for face-to-face interaction between learner and educator. E-learning brings great schedule flexibility. And the clinical practice setting is conducive to hands-on learning. So which method is right for teaching at your facility? According to the experts, the best move is toward a combination of methods.

"Adults like to learn from a variety of ways," says Janet Phillips, PhDc, RN, nursing professor at the Indiana University School of Nursing (IUSN) in Indianapolis. "We're finding that there's improved learning when we blend."

The fact that blended learning makes it easier to incorporate simulation training is a huge plus, says Phillips.

"The neat thing about simulation is that students who are learning very complex situations for a patient can practice it safely in a lab," she says. The same principle applies to both experienced nurses and students, as simulation allows nurses to practice a new technique in a safe, controlled manner conducive to experimentation.

Phillips has witnessed the growth of Web-based learning among her fellow teachers. But she feels that the face-to-face component of blended learning is what makes it so effective, allowing teachers to keep that much-needed communal aspect alive.

Editor's Note: This excerpt was adapted from the article, "A little bit of this, a little bit of that: How to effectively combine teaching methods to obtain maximum results" featured in the Reading Room on HCPro's new online resource center, www.StrategiesForNurseManagers.com!

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