Author: Lara Flaute

Survey Says…Games in the Classroom Keep Students Engaged

Note: We have covered Gamification in another recent blog post about Kahoot! Feel free to stop over there first to learn about why instructors are choosing to spend class time playing games like Kahoot!, Family Feud, Jeopardy, and Cash Cab.

As our previous post explained, gamification is one way that instructors here at the College of Nursing and across the globe attempt to battle the monotony that can reign over class time.  It is a particularly useful approach to breaking up long stretches of class time when student attention may begin to drift. PowerPoint templates are available that allow instructors to easily create assessments from existing lecture content.  The games that result are an interactive way to assess student learning on the day of the lecture or in anticipation of a quiz or test.  Lifewire.com has free PowerPoint templates to get you started (Note: Always use caution when clicking on links to free resources to avoid downloading malware).

Recently, the graduate family nurse practitioner students led by Dr. Kelly Casler tried their hand at a game of Family Feud based on recent lecture content. Check out the video below which shows how our graduate school lecturers are using Gamification in their classroom:

If you would like assistance with identifying the right game template for your instructional purpose, contact the College of Nursing IT Department. We’ll be happy to help!

Letter from Kerry Dhakal, Research and Education Librarian

Dear College of Nursing faculty and staff members,

Good afternoon.  I’m writing to let you know that I will be out of the office/library, February 4th – April 12th to focus time and effort on my research endeavors.  If you or your students have questions for a librarian, please refer to the Ask-A-Librarian webpage from the Educational Services section of the Health Sciences Library homepage.  This webpage provides information about how to contact the library or a librarian, via phone, email or by completing the Ask-A-Librarian contact form.

If you would like to request an instruction session about library resources, services or literature searching as a workshop or for a class that you are teaching, please use the Instruction Request Form

By completing requests using these forms, your email will be forwarded to the appropriate librarian or library staff member for response.

Other resources that you and your students may find helpful during this time include:

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) LibGuide

This guide is intended for students, faculty, staff, and clinicians across the health sciences who would like to learn more about Evidence-Based Practice.  After viewing this guide, if you have questions please contact the HSL Librarians using the Email Me link on the left-hand side of the screen.

Nursing LibGuide

This guide is intended for Nursing students, faculty, researchers, and clinicians and provides background information about evidence-based practice and recommends appropriate databases and sources.

Systematic Review LibGuide

This guide is intended to provide guidance and resources for researchers, clinicians, faculty, and students across the health sciences interested in conducting a systematic review, including a page and quiz to help you determine how to choose the right type of review for your project or class assignment.

Measuring Scholarly Impact LibGuide

This guide is intended for faculty and staff to provide guidance in documenting and analyzing the impact of scholarly work.

If you would like to see the full list of HSL LibGuides, you can do so by clicking Subject Guides in the Top Resources list on the HSL homepage or use the following link: HSL LibGuides

Thank you,

Kerry Dhakal

Need Some Spice in Your Classroom? Try Kahoot!

For nursing educators who like their students awake and engaged in class, the challenge of finding activities that are both relevant and exhilarating remains a tough nut to crack.  Some teachers in the College of Nursing and elsewhere have incorporated games into their classrooms to add competition, motivate students to stay engaged with material, and help students remember a lesson long after it ends.  Enter Kahoot!, an online interactive quiz platform that allows the classroom to turn its energy toward the age-old goal of winning a game.

Gamification has gained popularity in recent years as a tool for engaging people in tasks that might otherwise be un-stimulating to the point of boredom (think exercise apps, shoppers rewards programs, and even investing apps that create a prize system to keep users interested.) Several examples of gamification in the nursing education world already exist, such as this study which used Kahoot! to help drive pharmacology lessons home for nursing students.

Kahoot! allows instructors to ask questions with a countdown timer and lets students play against each other, alone or in teams.  You can add a song or video clip to questions as well.  Learn more about Kahoot! on their website, and watch videos that highlight the capabilities of this platform.

Wondering where you can get started using Kahoot! in your classroom? Check out this blog post on using Kahoot! in the college setting.  Next, watch this video on how to get started.  Have you used Kahoot! in your nursing classroom or in other professional development? Please comment below with your experiences!

Addendum (by Joni Tornwall)

Since this article was posted, some frequently asked questions from faculty have come to light:

How do I sign up for a Kahoot account?

The College of Nursing does not currently have a paid account with Kahoot.  Sign up for a free account at kahoot.com.

How do I use Kahoot?

The video Lara references above (1:35) is a good visual demonstration that will help you get started in Kahoot.

How do I launch my first Kahoot quiz in my classroom?

Ask your students to open a browser and go to kahoot.it on their laptop, tablet, or phone. Then, ask them to enter the Game PIN, which you will see on your Kahoot interface after you launch your game at kahoot.com.

Can I use Kahoot to take attendance?

You can see how many students have joined your game, but they may enter a name that is not their own.  If you need to know specifically who is attending your class on any given day, contact the CON IT department to learn about other applications that can easily do this electronically for you, like Top Hat.

References:

Check out NLN TEQ Blog

The National League for Nursing (NLN) TEQ Blog is a resource for nurse educators and faculty who want to stay up to date with innovations in simulation, e-learning, telehealth, and informatics.  It is managed by the NLN Center for Innovation in Simulation and Technology.  Their latest post, Ace.P Unfolding Case – Thomas Sykes, presents a pediatric case study focused on a community approach and provides free resources for download. Another post discusses findings from a national survey on tech growth in nursing education.  Check out the wealth of resources for nurse faculty on this site at nlnteq.org.

Upcoming Qualtrics Changes

If you use Qualtrics for research or administrative purposes, you may be affected by upcoming changes to the system.  You can learn more about the changes and take further steps based on the information below:

 

Health Sciences Library Seeking Focus Group Participants

The following information comes to us from Kerry Dhakal, Assistant Professor and Research and Education Librarian at the Health Sciences Library:

As significant transformations to campus health sciences spaces get underway, the Health Sciences Library is taking a look at its own spaces and services, looking for ways to best meet our customers’ needs in this changing landscape. To that end, we are reaching out to the populations that we serve, inviting students, faculty, and staff in the health sciences, to participate in informal focus group sessions throughout the month of November. Sessions are planned as follows.
  • Nov. 27, 5-6 pm: Students
  • Nov. 28, noon to 1 pm: Basic science faculty
  • Nov. 28, 5 -6 pm: Clinical faculty and staff

We’d like to learn more about your workflows, barriers to your success, and how library spaces play or could play a role in overcoming those barriers. Help us improve library spaces and services by registering for one of our three group sessions. All sessions will be held in Prior Hall room 200. Refreshments will be provided.

Space is limited to 10 participants per session and RSVP is required. Register at https://osu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3qFUD0rLpazxFPf. If you’d like to provide comments on the topic of library space but are not able to participate in a focus group, please use the registration form and follow the prompts for not being able to attend. Any questions may be directed to Stephanie Schulte, Stephanie.schulte@osumc.edu, Head, Research and Education Services, Health Sciences Library.

Would you like to comment on librarian assistance? Use our quick survey: http://go.osu.edu/HSL_LibrarianImpact.

Adobe Spark for Presentations

We have an exciting new presentation tool available for you and your students to use at OSU:  Adobe Spark!  As of July 1, you can log in to Adobe Spark Premium with your OSU credentials to create beautiful presentations with video, images, and buttons that take you to web sites. Find out how to get started (it’s easy!) and learn more about using Spark at Adobe.com, or email us at con-it@osu.edu (students please email con-s-help@osu.edu) and we’ll be happy to assist.

How can I use it?

Adobe Spark presentations can be used for student assignments, conference presentations, and everything in between! Check out the presentation below to see what a Spark Presentation can be:
Exploring GBD
View additional example presentations from education in the Adobe Spark gallery.

Choose the Best Answer:  (a) Multiple Choice Quizzes or (b) Specification Grading

If you’ve ever felt the tension between multiple-choice tests and more complex assessments of learning, you are not alone.  Read this EdSurge article on specification grading and its potential advantages over multiple choice exams for student assessment.

The grading tools in CarmenCanvas might make specification grading an efficient approach to engaging your students and finding out more about the course content they have learned and can apply to problems.  The article also makes a case for the right time and way to use multiple choice tests.  If you would like to explore CarmenCanvas tools (rubrics, SpeedGrader, etc.) for specification grading, please contact the mailto:con-it@osu.edu for more information.