Nursing Classroom Education: The big bang of powerpoint slavery

[guest042302019]

I have recently graduated and having a fair amount of time on my hands (jobless, thousands of applications filled out and resumes polished) I wouldn't mind giving an open, honest opinion of educators and the practices.

There was a point in my college career that I loved soaking up knowledge. I would read extra books and take more time on many subjects. I loved to learn. Particularly, I enjoyed spending time with Anatomy, Physiology, and other human sciences.

I finally get accepted to the nursing program. Suweeeet. I worked so very hard and now I'm in. I start to settle in the first semester with all the rules, regulations, unique tests, clinical, and other stuff. As I go through the first semester, I notice a chilling pattern in my instructors. I had 3 instructors teach the Nursing Fundamentals class. While each one was slightly unique in tone, and delivery, they all were teaching verbatim from the book (I'll come back to this). I have to say we were given the occasional patient story. "I remember this one time or this one patient really..." the instructors said. Most stories were interesting and insightful at the time. In our program, we were given hand-outs. Lectures consisted of power point 99.9% of the time. Most teachers had the hand-outs posted on our college website prior to the next lecture. Some didn't. No big deal.

So there I am, lecture after lecture, having this annoying monkey on my back. I kept thinking, "This is incredibly boring. I'm being read to. Everyday, I listen to a college professor point and read from a powerpoint. Oh god, I'm literally losing my mind." Where's the real world connection? Where's the excitement? This goes on and on. I finally decided to write a letter to the faculty. I'm the type of guy that is pretty open with my opinions. I try to be professional with the delivery in this case. I write a story about how I enjoyed my education at one point. The information was exciting and neat to the listen to. A sociology professor once told my class that, "I went through my master's having been read to. I don't want the same for you." She didn't. The class was engaging.

The overall point I'm trying to make is that I absolutely despise the powerpoint when used improperly. It was used improperly the entire program. It extremely difficult to stay remotely engaged to a lecture when I could stair at my desk and read it from the handouts or I could stay home, skip lecture, and teach myself. Nursing is a very hands-on profession as of you all know. This is no hands-on approach. The current nursing education approach seems to be like, "How much information can we shove down the student's throat in the shortest amount of time and bore the h*ll out of the them?" Truly, the nursing education is exraordinarily boring. Now, this is coming from a person who LOVES school. I don't find it to be a chore or an annoyance. If I feel this way, how do you think the people feel who despise or don't like school feel?

I write the letter to the faculty. There were some meager changes but as a whole, nothing. I get a big dose of nursing med-surg non-sense in the intracerebral route daily. Guess how much is retained and is actually useable. Minimal. I'm not trying to slander nurse educators. Believe me please. I'm trying to wake you all up. Of course, this may not apply to most of you. But, look at your current method of teaching. Do you rely heavily on the powerpoint like I describe. If so, there is likely some folks in your class that feel the way I do but aren't willing to fess up about it. Do you see people texting? Doodling? Not paying attention? I think each subject can be approached with enough pizazz and interest to, the bare minimum, keep people looking at you, engaged, and awake.

What happened to your love for teaching? After all, isn't that love the reason why you entered education. I hope so and not because you want to fall back on your masters or higher education. It is apparent to students if you have done so. There is no excitement, no creativity, no pizazz, or no uniqueness. We can see at the bottom of the powerpoints that are provided by the big publishers such as, "Mcgraw-Hill or Evolve." I see the convenience of using those. But, being an educator and having a "body of knowledge", I would assume one could muster up, at least, personally created powerpoints or lectures.

I don't know when THE BIG BANG OF POWERPOINT SLAVERY occurred but it's highly overrated. If powerpoints were Jesus, nurse educators seem to be the apostles following. Well, I'm Judas and narking on Jesus. Just showing point here (not trying to be sacrilegious or offensive). Tap your creativity again, brush off the dust, and attempt to keep your students excited. How often do you get students rushing in your office door saying, "Wow. Your fluids/electrolytes lecture was fascinating. Or, I've never heard it explained like that. Now I understand. Or, do you have extra books on this subject because I'd like to read more on that." Wouldn't that be awesome?! Try new and interesting methods. There is research out there saying that the current method of classroom learning and teaching is ineffective as it is. Lecturing for endless hours is on the bottom of the totem pole of effectiveness. Ineffective Airway NANDA says? Well, "Ineffective Teaching", Andrew says.

For instance, so I don't seem to talk the talk. I sat here for a couple of minutes thinking of an interesting way to keep people engaged.

How about this:

You are lecturing about CHF.

Try starting the class with a patient report you would give to a co-worker. For instance, about a basic CHF patient. Give assessment data, medical orders, daily tests and labs, etc. A real clinical situation.

Then lecture about this condition for 30 minutes and then quickly discuss the patient report after having talked about the cardiac theory.

You'd be connecting theory with a clinical setting. Practice having students hear patient reports. Exposure to medical orders. And, using the nursing process. Enhance collaboration amount students to develop a quick care plan and plan nursing management. Many Benefits.

Or....You could read S/S of CHF...pathophysiology...nursing assessments...interventions...outcomes...THEN move to next disease...S/S of cardiomyopathy....etc...etc...etc...ZZZzzz.

Just a thought. I don't though. I'm not a teacher. Overall, the point is to quit reading to us verbatim what we can read ourselves. Lecture isn't a party but it isn't a funeral. Keep us engaged. Please don't rely on powerpoint like it's the bible. Use other strategies. Please.

Again, I don't want to offend educators. I'm hoping to shake some out of their routine a bit. Try some new things. I'm not mad or resentful because I'm graduated (How could I be).

Here's an honest, broke, and jobless ex-student that has too much time on his hands, spends too much time on AN, and just wants to help out. Take care.

[sailornurse]

I taught for 9.5 years in a BSN program. Most of the textbooks if not all of them come with the PowerPoints. The idea if faculty are going to use them is that they edit them to fit the learning needs of the students. They were never meant to be used the way you all are describing. How sad! But then I know faculty that walked out of lecture if the students had not read and if no one had questions would walk out. I disagree with that. My job was to prepare a lecture. The university I worked at would give workshops so faculty could improve their teaching. One I attended was called, "DEATH BY POWERPOINT" which is why I never used powerpoints in lecture, nor movies either. I would make the powerpoints available online to students as some like to printout the handout to take notes. Sadly I don't think anyone evaluates if faculty is doing a good or bad job!!!

[JBMmom, MSN, NP]

I had the same problem the first two semesters with wanting to die of boredom with the powerpoints. I'm a second career nurse, and my first experiences with college and grad school were before the powerpoint days. What I had to start doing was pretend that the powerpoints didn't exist, and I approached class as a time to listen and take notes. I pretended they weren't reading from a slide, and I wrote what I heard- making my own connections- physically- to link the notes together. When powerpoints were in front of my I was a completely inactive learner, making that one switch helped me. Then, my review time later was spent with my notes and the powerpoints to see how closely my notes had matched what they were trying to emphasize. I was also the annoying student in class that asked questions relatively frequently when I wanted clarification of something.

I don't know about other fields but for me science and nursing were both the same- the academic learning is a basis for gaining employment, and then that's where I learned how to "be" that professional. (well, I'm still working on being a nurse- only three months into my first job)

[elkpark]

I've taught in both ADN and BSN programs (one of each). I taught in the ADN program right when PowerPoint first became available, and I never bothered to use it. I found I was able to be much more creative with plain ol' traditional "overheads" (remember those?) to illustrate my lectures, and various kinds of experiential activities in the classroom (directly related to applying and "using" the content we were studying). When I took a job teaching in BSN program years later, I found that it was an explicit expectation of the program and of the students that I would use PowerPoint. I got so much complaining from the students early on that I didn't have everything outlined on PowerPoint slides for each lecture that I finally succumbed to the peer pressure and started using PP (although I still supplemented with other kinds of A/V content and experiential activites).

My own experience was that the BSN students I had were the biggest objectors to my introducing different teaching/learning styles in the classroom, and the most insistent that I do everything just the way they were used to being "fed" material. (Ironically?, my ADN students years earlier had been not just willing but eager to go wherever I wanted to take them in the classroom and explore different ways of "playing with" the course content. :))

[Tait, MSN, RN]

While I will preface that the overall tone of this thread is negative and blaming, I do understand the frustration.

As someone finishing their MSN-Ed I have been preparing ppts for class and did a few for my practicum experience with new grads in an acute care hospital setting. Personally I LOVE preparing ppts. I love the challenge of creating something visually stimulating. However, I can not stand sitting through a lecture where someone reads from the ppt. I love nursing, learning, etc etc, but there is something mind-numbing and painful about a dry, lackluster, blue background ppt presentation.

My goal with ppt is to creating something stimulating, with bites of information to support the conversation of the topic.

Some of the things ppt can do in a classroom is:

Give students something tactile to write on.

Give students something visual to look at.

Give instructors something that moves conversation along. For example, when I get done discussing a patient scenario or if students get off track with questions, you can always advance the ppt. This draws the student attention back to the fact that there is content to be explored.

Reminds the instructor of the direction of the class.

The hard part of nursing education, as others have stated, and really with any educators is passion, ability, and skill. I have a friend who can explain complicated chemistry to anyone. That is a gift. I feel I have always been blessed with an ability to educate, which is why I am continuing my education down that path.

Nursing education has a particularly hard slant in my opinion when it comes to teaching. There is a rare integration of science and humanity in nursing that often leaves nursing students feeling like their education is worthless. "Oh I just learn rote crap" or "I want to take care of patients, not write care plans". Integrating the two does, as you stated, involve sharing patient stories in my opinion. I didn't understand CHF until I watch a patient sit tri-pod over her table, gasping for air.

Anyway, back to the point, ppts are intended to support a strong speaker and should be used accordingly, however many also use them as a crutch. While this is frustrating, nursing is about lifelong learning and being able to acquire information through class and your own power. Evaluations are intended for a reason, and even through my MSN I still gave viable feedback. LEt your instructors know, in a respectful way, the details of your frustrations. Don't just say "powerpoints are boring" say "During the med-surg lecture on CHF I felt it would be more helpful to veer away from the powerpoint and provide more patient centered examples from practice."

If you pick up Patricia Benner's book "Nursing Education: A Radical Call for Change" you will see that nursing faculty on all levels are aware that no specific program (ADN, diploma, BSN) are doing everything right. There are a lot of strengths from each program that need to be combined to bring nursing education to the level it needs to be at. Pretty soon nursing students will be in classes with students of RT, PT, and MD so that the whole process of interdisciplinary care and teamwork can be taught at the most basic of levels.

Tait

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

My first semester was exactly as you described. Starting with the second semester I enrolled as a hybrid student. I only show up on campus for tests, labs, etc. I do not attend any in class lectures because I can listen to the lecture online and follow the Power Points without having to drive all the way to class.

One reason I think the instructors follow the Power Points so closely rather than teaching from their own experience is there is a real difference in NCLEX and "real world" nursing. They are trying to teach what will be on the NCLEX.

BBM: ^^^ THAT is exactly the problem - teaching to the test as opposed to the student and their real-world needs. I foolishly signed up to be a super-user for our latest technology roll-out. The 'instructor' for our four day class was A) not a nurse and B) did not use the technology in her work. It was 'death by powerpoint'. She covered what the technogeeks THOUGHT we needed to know, but in no way was the instruction practical.

As a wannabe educator (although staff development is my 'thing') I think I understand the problem, but am not so sure of the solution.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

While I will preface that the overall tone of this thread is negative and blaming, I do understand the frustration.

As someone finishing their MSN-Ed I have been preparing ppts for class and did a few for my practicum experience with new grads in an acute care hospital setting. Personally I LOVE preparing ppts. I love the challenge of creating something visually stimulating. However, I can not stand sitting through a lecture where someone reads from the ppt. I love nursing, learning, etc etc, but there is something mind-numbing and painful about a dry, lackluster, blue background ppt presentation.

My goal with ppt is to creating something stimulating, with bites of information to support the conversation of the topic.

Some of the things ppt can do in a classroom is:

Give students something tactile to write on.

Give students something visual to look at.

Give instructors something that moves conversation along. For example, when I get done discussing a patient scenario or if students get off track with questions, you can always advance the ppt. This draws the student attention back to the fact that there is content to be explored.

Reminds the instructor of the direction of the class.

The hard part of nursing education, as others have stated, and really with any educators is passion, ability, and skill. I have a friend who can explain complicated chemistry to anyone. That is a gift. I feel I have always been blessed with an ability to educate, which is why I am continuing my education down that path.

Nursing education has a particularly hard slant in my opinion when it comes to teaching. There is a rare integration of science and humanity in nursing that often leaves nursing students feeling like their education is worthless. "Oh I just learn rote crap" or "I want to take care of patients, not write care plans". Integrating the two does, as you stated, involve sharing patient stories in my opinion. I didn't understand CHF until I watch a patient sit tri-pod over her table, gasping for air.

Anyway, back to the point, ppts are intended to support a strong speaker and should be used accordingly, however many also use them as a crutch. While this is frustrating, nursing is about lifelong learning and being able to acquire information through class and your own power. Evaluations are intended for a reason, and even through my MSN I still gave viable feedback. LEt your instructors know, in a respectful way, the details of your frustrations. Don't just say "powerpoints are boring" say "During the med-surg lecture on CHF I felt it would be more helpful to veer away from the powerpoint and provide more patient centered examples from practice."

If you pick up Patricia Benner's book "Nursing Education: A Radical Call for Change" you will see that nursing faculty on all levels are aware that no specific program (ADN, diploma, BSN) are doing everything right. There are a lot of strengths from each program that need to be combined to bring nursing education to the level it needs to be at. Pretty soon nursing students will be in classes with students of RT, PT, and MD so that the whole process of interdisciplinary care and teamwork can be taught at the most basic of levels.

Tait

^Spot ON Tait!!!

I found BOTH of my PN and BSN programs were very interactive with the student body. There were a few that could have done better in my PN class, but such is the life of the adult student.

My BSN program had more teachers that wanted to prepare for the NCLEX and the role of student nurse observing the profession we were entering. We were on the fence, so to speak, and was able to toe the line and stick our foot into the real nursing world and recognizing the NCLEX world.

[daisy78]

I am a new educator and have mostly taught clinical and just recently started doing some didactic instruction. I love to teach, but for so many reasons, I just do not know if I have didactic in me long-term. Just wanted to throw out a few points.

I find students DEMAND Power Points. If you have ever tried to lecture without a PowerPoint, they freak out. So what happens is faculty feels they have to make Power Points, even if they are not comfortable with it, or really even enjoy it as a teaching method. There were no Power Points when I went to school 15 years ago. You took a furious amount of notes and read the book!

We have to teach subjects that we are not experts on. This is difficult. We can't be experts at everything. For example: I have a strong critical care background in trauma and ICU. I am not strong in heme-onc, but if that is a requirement of the semester, I have to teach it. Schools are not able to find experts in every subject. That makes material flow less smoothly than it should.

People learn differently. Some people want traditional lectures. Some want more interactive methods. Some despise group work, while others love it. You simply cannot please everyone! The majority of my students are only focused on what will be on the test. That is the reality of it.

When I try different techniques in class, I seem to get a lot of grumbling and complaining. I blame much of the PowerPoint, spoon-feeding culture on secondary education. Unfortunately, many students are used to being taught-to-the-test and that is what they are expecting in college as well. I am already questioning my career decisions, because students might be harder to please than patients and families! I wish every nurse could try teaching at some point. I spend so many hours preparing lectures. There is so much to do, with not enough time and certainly not enough appreciation. Hmmm, sounds familiar?

[elkpark]

When I try different techniques in class, I seem to get a lot of grumbling and complaining. I blame much of the PowerPoint, spoon-feeding culture on secondary education. Unfortunately, many students are used to being taught-to-the-test and that is what they are expecting in college as well.

So true ...

[JBudd, MSN]

I use lots of ppts; they keep me on track and moving. Since my students have access to them I don't have to stop and wait for pencils to stop moving before I can move on. I don't have to spend a lot of time scribbling on the board, and my students can far more easily interact with me; not a lot of heads down writing as fast as they can.

No, I don't read them, I use them as outlines and jumping off places. I use a great many anecdotes, physical demonstrations and pictures. I could describe some of the abnormal findings we look for, but a picture of it with a verbal description really makes it come to life.

There are a lot of guidelines about writing good powerpoints, such as limits to amount of info on any given page, use of fonts both style and size, colors, backgrounds.

In short, they are a tool, and tools are only as good or bad as those that wield them.

[Tait, MSN, RN]

In short, they are a tool, and tools are only as good or bad as those that wield them.

Yep!!!!

[daisy78]

I also agree that it is a tool and I never just get up there and read off my PowerPoint!

[guest042302019, BSN, RN]

As I've read through the commencts, I've noticed some patterns among people.

First, students that commented generally agreed with me. I wonder how many others agree with this idea of powerpoints, within the classroom, that aren't willing to speak up. I know there are plenty of students out there that aren't willing jeopordize their grade. Eventhough, grades are not affected by evaluations. This is a common superstition/misunderstanding among students I've noticed.

The educators that did comment seemed to use powerpoint the way it is intended. I'm wondering, then, what about all the ones out that aren't? And, will it ever change? Especially, when I read comments from people like, "Sadly I don't think anyone evaluates if faculty is doing a good or bad job!!!" I'm get concerned. I'm accountable and report to my instructors while in school. Who do the instructors report to? Is the faculty self-governing and wouldn't change? I doubt it but a concern nonetheless.

I read a few educators mention that there would be an uproar among the students IF pp wasn't used. This is odd because I haven't seen that much. Now, there are the select few that hound the school's site looking for the exact moment the pp is posted for in-class notes. Overall, the people I went to school with, behind closed doors, have very similar complaints as I. I was only person, as far as I know, that spoke up.

I liked in particular when someone said, "Nursing is a rare integration of science and humanity." I agree with that. It's difficult to teach empathy or great listening and communication skills. However, there are many parts of nursing that could be taught with visuals, hands-on activities, crisper pp, etc. Unfortunately, though, I did not see a lot of that. The pp were more words than pictures. One instructor put pictures up in response to what I had said. However, as a whole, it was story time at my college. In addition, when I've written my letters to the faculty, I've been respectful. However, honesty from one may seem disrespectful to another. I do, at times, have a sarcastic tone. I write this way to get my point acrossed because I'm exhausted from the current state of affairs. I realize that sarcastic and super negative writing will get my letters thrown in the garbage in the professional world. Or, at least likely to.

"I think I understand the problem, but am not so sure of the solution."

Someone wrote this. I guess we've got that general feelings about pp and educator techniques discussed.

So, how does one fix this issue?