Translating Neuroscience: When is the use of Clickers Effective for Student Learning?

Abstract

Objective: Teaching large content heavy classes presents a challenge to faculty in any discipline. In nursing education, particularly pharmacotherapeutics, student learning is critical to patient safety. Therefore, effective teaching practices are a must. But, there is a lack of education literature that connects the neuroscience of why a specific method such as using the technology of personal response systems (PRS) contributes to student learning. This study discusses the use of action research to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of personal response systems (PRS) or in an undergraduate nursing pharmacology course, using knowledge of neuroscience to interpret the results. Methods: Action research was used to apply Neuro-semantic Language Learning Theory to the use of clickers in a nursing pharmatherapeutics course. Action research design allowed for the continuity of assessment and reflection by the faculty. Results: Outcomes were measures quantitatively using ATI (Assessment Technologies Institute) test scores preand postintervention. A TI scores improved with the use of clickers. Qualitative student comments indicated satisfaction with the use of clickers to improve learning. Neuroscience and learning theory are used to explain the results of the study. Conclusion: Clickers by themselves do not necessarily create better learning, but thoughtful, purposeful integration of the technology, using techniques based on neuroscience elicit higher order thinking and provides deeper conceptual learning. Keywords-clickers; Neuro-semantic Language Learning Theory; nursing pharmacology; nursing education Teaching large classes of complex content presents a challenge to faculty in any discipline. In nursing education, particularly pharmacotherapeutics, teaching presents not only the usual problems but student learning is critical to patient safety. In this study, the authors used personal response systems (PRS) or as a deliberate strategy to create better learning opportunities for students. This study shows how the knowledge from the neuroscience about learning can inform the use of clickers in a nursing pharmacotherapeutics course. Annual Worldwide Nursing Conference (WNC 2013) Copyright© GSTF 2013 ISSN: 2315-4330 doi: 10.5176/2315-4330_WNC13.52 I. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Nursing pharmacotherapeutics is historically a difficult course for students, with many drug classes and individual medications to learn, all critical to patient safety. With a looming nursing shortage in the United States, class sizes have grown due to the need to increase enrollment combined with a shortage of nursing faculty. Faced with the challenge of teaching a large undergraduate nursing pharmacotherapeutics class of 60 or more students per semester, and students who historically scored low on a nationallynormed pharmacotherapeutics content exam, the researchers sought methods to improve student learning. Knowledge about learning theory along with clickers were implemented in the pharmacotherapeutics course to determine if student learning could be enhanced. II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Clickers, also known as personal response systems (PRS) are a method of teaching. However, methods of teaching do not inform how students learn. The literature shows that clickers result in inconsistent learning. The analysis of the literature suggests that it is how and when clickers are used in the classroom that influences the learning outcomes. A. Clicker Technology Clickers are handheld electronic devices that allow students to anonymously select responses to questions that are posed to the whole class, typically on a power point slide. Most of the clicker devices are limited to student responses of true/false or multiple choice type answers. Students' responses are sensed by a receiver attached to a faculty computer in the classroom in order for the students to click their answers on the keypad. A software program in the faculty's computer electronically collects the answers of the whole class and quickly displays the student responses in a histogram on the screen so that the whole class can see the results. Some of these software programs offer the faculty the ability to track student responses overtime or conduct graded quizzes or