Abstract:
Utilizing unfolding case studies as a teaching strategy has a number of potential benefits towards enhancing student understanding and transfer of knowledge. A major goal of these strategies is to enhance the competence levels of nursing students and improve patient care outcomes. Literature has suggested that utilization of knowledge to align classroom, clinical, and laboratory learning experiences will lead to nursing students who are better able to discern critical aspects to focus on within clinical situations, allowing them to render more competent care (Benner, Sutphen, Leonard, & Day, 2010). Although unfolding case studies have the potential benefits, listed above, there is little empirical research in nursing education to warrant such claims. This study begins to address this gap by examining differences in understanding and transfer between a classroom that utilized a lecture-based approach (n = 45) and a classroom that utilized unfolding case studies (n = 44). Specifically, this study tested the effects of using unfolding case studies within an oxygenation module in a Fundamentals of Nursing Course at a community college in the southeastern United States. Pre and post module tests, a final examination, a teaching rubric, and personal perceptions of achievement through survey questions were utilized to measure achievement levels and students perceptions about using unfolding case studies. Results from an analysis of variance indicate that students in the unfolding case study classroom learned at a statistically significantly greater rate and demonstrated greater understanding after the module than students in the lecture-based classroom. Further, students in the unfolding case study classroom demonstrated significantly higher transfer of understanding on the final examination. Results from the survey questions offer suggestions for educational design for nursing students by guiding pedagogical strategies for the alignment of classroom, clinical, and laboratory experiences.
