Why Do Nursing Instructors Rely So Heavily On PowerPoints To Teach?

CuriousMe · Dec 19, 2010

LOL, I had to go look up "Millennial Learners" because I didn't know what that was. "may not sufficiently motivate students or inspire enthusiasm or intellectual curiosity": Oh, cry me a river. If you are not already arriving at class inspired and intellectually curious, then please drop out and leave a seat for someone who is!
"ineffective in the teaching/learning process": Well, could it be instead that these students are ineffective learners? Seriously. We're not at the movies. It's not a TV show.
"use of clickers": If anyone tries to clicker-train me, I assure you that an ambulance and the police will have to be called.
I'll take the opposite tack, and say that the students had better stop listening passively. Listening passively should not be happening. They should also stop expecting to be entertained, stop expecting to be spoon-fed, and had better learn how to read a book ahead of the lecture, re-read it as many times as it takes to sink in, and get really good at teaching themselves. If you have read and studied the course material ahead of time, you are not just listening passively while you are in that class. You are listening (and watching that PowerPoint) alertly to try to pick up anything that you missed in your self-teaching, or that you misunderstood when you read that material yourself.
I don't think it's a prof's job to inspire intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm at the post-secondary level. When students finish HS and go on to vocational training and/or college, they should be bringing their own enthusiasm and intellectual curiosity. Otherwise, why pay all that money and spend all that time in classes?
They may have been catered to in HS
One other thing that I wonder about is how do these students who are bored with Powerpoints cope with distance learning or online learning? Distance learning is even more gruntwork than taking the class in the classroom, because you have to essentially do it all yourself, usually without much contact with the prof and the "classmates."
As an older student with more than one degree, who is transitioning to nursing, here's my advice:
Get darned used to the idea that school = work, not entertainment. Get really good at teaching yourself, and taking online classes, and at reading and studying ahead of the classroom lectures. Stop expecting postsecondary educators to cater to you like the high school did, because it is not going to happen. If you want your money's worth out of college or vocational school, the rule of thumb is YOU do 3-4 hours of work outside the classroom for every credit hour of classroom, and A&P and some of the nursing courses will be even more than that. And you go to the lecture prepared. If you already understand the material that the instructor is talking about, it's more interesting to listen to him or her talk.

Hallelujah and AMEN!! Thank you for your post!!

Streamline2010 · Dec 19, 2010

I really am NOT being catty. RN is degree #3 for me. In my first career, my job description changed 4-5 times while I was still in the same job. And the name of my employer changed 4 times, too. And then I totally lost that career due to outsourcing. It's a mean old world out there, and the more you can dig out of the book , the 'Net, and wherever, for yourself, and by yourself, the better off you will be.

Learn how to learn, so that you survive.

CuriousMe · Dec 19, 2010

I am well aware of the fact that school is hard work. I have a bachelors and a doctorate and am adding nursing into the mix. After 11-12 years of college, I know how to study and prepare for class. Never would I expect to be entertained by an instructor or have one cater to me. I have spent many years teaching myself. Even when I am prepared for lecture, having an instructor read at me is not inspiring, it's a waste of time.

Of course being read to is a poor substitute for a Prof giving a lecture and I don't think anyone in this thread is saying that is what should happen. I think Streamline is more speaking about all those other ways of presenting information in a didactic course (skits, videos, games, etc). Truthfully, I couldn't agree with her/him more. I don't need a Professor to "motivate me to learn" or "inspire intellectual curiosity" with games and skits. Being prepared and motivated to learn is my responsibility, I just need them to teach.

CuriousMe · Dec 19, 2010

You say this, but have you ever experienced a lecture like this done well? My prof in peds never used power points except to provide diagrams. We did case studies. She did guide and moderate--First, she'd provide necessary info on the condition being studied (S/sx, labs/diagnostics, treatments, prevention if possible), then we'd get to the questions, where participation was encouraged. However, if we answered wrong or were going down the wrong track, she would explain why that was incorrect. She never let the discussions meander too far off track, and thus we got a lot of workable information each period, without being exactly spoon fed.

As there's no objective measure on "well done." What you consider to be a "well done" presentation, may still leave me cold (and finding the information I need in other places).

We do plenty of case studies. But the investigatory process that you describe, is something we do at home...which gives me time to actually research the information I need to complete the case (as in we're not just given all the information about that condition just before we do the case, we need to find it in our notes, readings, and via other reference sources available to us). I don't see a benefit in having to wait for the rest of the class to find that information as well. I don't need to have my hand held as I go through cases. I have to back up every decision, and intervention with a rationale (cited). If I'm completely on the wrong track, then I expect to get it wrong, receive a poor grade and feedback from my Prof on why it's wrong. Much more instructive for me.

ImThatGuy, BSN, RN · Dec 19, 2010

If anyone tries to clicker-train me, I assure you that an ambulance and the police will have to be called.

Kudos x 1,000,000,000. That would **** me off royally.

decembergrad2011, BSN, RN · Dec 19, 2010

My professors must be awesome. Every single one of them has used PowerPoint for lecture. Sometimes they would have supplemental activities, such as "turn to the person to your left and have a one minute discussion about blank," but those topics were almost always an ethical dilemma related to the disease/situation, not a discussion of clearly right vs. wrong medical information. I can't imagine not having things presented out for me clearly. If this is the first time I'm learning (not just reading, there is a difference) about a disease from a reliable source (my professor and maker of my exams!) then I want the cut and dry information first. If there is time left over in lecture to supplement the cut and dry information with some case studies, videos, skits, group discussions - I am down. Just please, please, please don't prioritize fun and entertaining over the information we really need to pass your class and NCLEX.

Personally, I hate listening to a group discussion about lecture material in class. It sucks so much. I have no idea whether the instructor is signing off on what people say or not, and it's confusing. It's like when someone asks a question in class for "clarification" and starts a 5 minute debate with the professor. Regardless of whether the instructor is correcting students or not, it can greatly skew the information.

And I'm laughing my butt off at all the comments about not just wanting to know what is on the exam. I suppose I have jumped off that high horse since entering nursing school! Sure I am there to learn so I can be a fantastic nurse once I'm done, but come on people, grades matter and so does the knowledge of testable material.

coast2coast · Dec 20, 2010

The majority of students report that they love actively participating, but a small but vocal minority gets quite furious if I don't present it in a small, easily spoonfed bundle.

Why would you assume that I'm not the one speaking? I am the one who guides and moderates any discussions. And as I mentioned, the huge majority of my students give this format extremely high rankings. It is all about tailoring the class so that the majority of the students love the learning experience.

AOx1, it is interesting to hear a faculty perspective on this. I have to admit that I would be one of the students who hated your class. Discussions and skits teach to the slowest students, and, as someone else has pointed out - I'm not there to hear my classmates uninformed opinions about nursing practice. I actually want to learn something, in an efficient and independent manner.

Another "vibe" I'm getting from this thread - which is common with young professors - is the willingness to change class format to make students happy. Well guess what. They are happy not thinking, talking away the lecture hour, and not listening. Part of the job of a good instructor is to practice tough love. You shouldn't always accede to their demands ... as with small children, often the things they want are not in their best interest.

mvrunner07 · Dec 22, 2010

This is an interesting phenomenon which I believe will go the way of the dodo within the next few years. I just completed my MSN teaching practicum, and yes I did use ppt in my lectures. However, at the beginning of the classes I would state to students "I presume you have all read the assigned material". I believe in teaching from a learner centered perspective which stresses student responsibility. My ppt were tailored to inform, add, and entertain. Additionally, I would tell students directly if a particular slide contained information which was 'important' - code for study this material for the test because I am going to develop a question about this. It seemed that students responded well to this strategy. I did have 'readers' when I was a nursing student, and resolved not to be that way if/when I ever became a teacher. If resources allowed (time allotted for didactic classes in particular) I would probably cut back on ppt by at least 50% so that other types of learners can be reached with better outcomes.

KnitWitch, ASN, RN · Dec 22, 2010

I did my first degree in the days when Powerpoint was just coming to prominence; that is, I had seen it used, but mostly my lectures were occupied with several fillings and erasings of the blackboard.

I have to say, I love my instructors' Powerpoint lectures. They make up the slides themselves and print handouts for us with handy little note-taking lines next to each slide. This way I don't need to focus on copying down the slide, only on making notes with regard to each particular slide, including examples, application and clarification of content.

I didn't do very well in college the first time, where I mostly tuned out my instructors so I could focus on copying the notes they wrote on the blackboard. I am now an A student in nursing school who does much better being able to listen to the instructor and make notes on each slide. I'm fortunate though, in that my instructors don't just read the slides but explain them, offer examples and give us information not included in the bullet points.

To be fair, I have sat through lectures that have consisted SOLELY of reading off of Powerpoints and I agree that they are useless and a waste of the gas money it cost me to drive to campus. In light of that I'd say that it depends very much on the instructor and their familiarity/commitment to the material, and that blame cannot be assigned to Powerpoint alone.

CiscoNurse · Dec 22, 2010

I improved a letter grade by not attending lectures and rereading assigned chapters instead. The PP's were a waste of time and money for me.

BirdieRN · Dec 22, 2010

You are exactly right. When used correctly PPs can give outline summaries, graphic examples, and even humor to sometimes vast amounts of information For those nursing instructors that know how to use them. THose that don't summairly read drone on endlessly. I would be willing to be the teachers who do this are not at the top of their game, and just trying to get by. One of the inspirations to those up and coming in the field is to keep your perspective fresh along with your techniques.

jc3015 · Dec 22, 2010

I had a few instructors that lectured from the Powerpoints, claiming that all their test material would come from them, claiming their intention was that students would spend less time copying what they said and could pay attention to the lecture. BUT, they were afraid that it would promote absenteeism, so they would delete words, phrases, or even entire sentences from the Powerpoint outlines. Problem... some omitted sentences were so lengthy that everyone was scrambling to copy down the material, causing the instructor to stop or return to previous slides that it really wasn't an efficient use of time.