The next time you’re in a coffee shop, a library, or a park, and you see a nursing student with a laptop watching a video, he or she may be using flexible learning to prepare for their next lab or class.

Flexible learning strategies are designed to encourage more effective improvements in learning and allow for students to have more choice in when, and how they learn. UBC has made a significant commitment to flexible learning, and, thanks to a recent grant from the Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund, the School of Nursing has introduced some strategies in the undergraduate curriculum.

For example, during a recent public health class at the School of Nursing, a public health expert was invited to give a presentation on dental care. That presentation was videotaped, and made available to all students via Connect, the UBC online learning system. That way, even students who weren’t able to be present for the speaker have access to the information.

Students are then given targeted guiding questions related to the topic, and asked to watch the video on their own before class. When the class meets in person, students form groups and work on the questions in a group setting where they can discuss together, compare responses, and exchange ideas.

“The benefit to the students is that they get immediate, formative feedback – from their fellow students and the instructor – in a group setting,” said Marc Legacy, who recently joined UBC Nursing as a Curriculum Associate. “It also allows the instructor to see where the students stand in terms of comprehension of the material, and if there is a knowledge gap to be addressed.” In addition, students come to class with a higher level of critical thinking; they have absorbed the information, they bring questions and tie it to their past experiences. This enriches the learning overall.

Another benefit is more efficient use of time for both students and instructors. Time that students spend doing independent activity such as reviewing a video with guided questions, will be banked and given back to students at a later time when they may need it most (e.g. to prepare for an exam, or finish a paper) during a particularly busy period. This is negotiated between the instructor and the class.

Other tactics include completing a new template for video capture that the School of Nursing can give to a guest speaker to produce a presentation from their own location. The presentation would then be available to students via Connect, along with a set of targeted questions related to the material. The flexible learning team is made up of Bernie Garrett, Cathryn Jackson, and Maura Macphee. They’re assisted by Marc Legacy. They will be getting feedback from students and faculty on the flexible learning strategies that are being piloted in the School. This feedback will help with future decisions about how and when to use flexible learning in nursing courses.