The effect of the Cornell method on the quality of grade production and learning performance of nursing students

Abstract

<b>Introduction.</b> <i>Note-taking</i> is a learning strategy that requires tremendous importance in the teaching/learning process. It therefore allows for better information processing and deeper encoding (long-term memory) of information. Its adoption and mastery can improve students’ learning performance. Nevertheless, it has been poorly explored in the academic environment, particularly at the higher institutes of nursing professions and health techniques in Morocco. The present research aims to determine the effect of the Cornell method on the quality of note production and learning performance among second-semester students of the Higher Institute of Nursing and Technical Health Agadir-Annex of Guelmim.<br /> <b>Methods.</b> This is a research project consisting of two primary studies. The first is related to a descriptive cross-sectional study exploring the practice of note-taking among students based on a self-administered questionnaire. The second is a two-group quasi-experimental study divided into two parts. The first part is devoted to determining the effect of the Cornell method on grade production quality, and the second is related to the effect on learning performance. This is based on a grid for analyzing the quality of mark production and a QUIZ for assessing students’ knowledge, respectively. The study was conducted with a sample of 128 students divided into an intervention group (n=62), which received note-taking using the Cornell method, and a control group (n=66), which did not receive this training.<br /> <b>Results</b>. Most of the students participating in the study reported the adoption of note-taking as a learning strategy. On the other hand, more than half of them do not master it. In addition, a quarter of the students revise notes taken in the raw during exams and use this learning strategy to feel secure. The Cornell training had a positive effect on the quality of note production as well as on the student’s learning performance.<br /> <b>Conclusions.</b> The Cornell note-taking method is recommended to be integrated into the preparation cycle of studies for the benefit of students in the first semester of Higher Institute of Nursing and Technical Health Agadir-Annex of Guelmim.