By Scarlett Birge, student news writer, Office of University Communications
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – “Virtual clinical excursions allow the students to participate in clinical learning without being in a clinical setting,” Dr. Michele Dickens, interim dean and associate professor of nursing at Campbellsville University, said on the new teaching tools being used within the Campbellsville University School of Nursing.
The virtual excursions are provided by Publishing Companies and allow for an interactive style of learning as it relates to patient care in a hospital setting.
“The publishers have provided the instructors access to almost all online resources. They have been extremely beneficial for the students trying to learn in a different mode,” Dickens said.
With the ability to see the students during the online teaching sessions through Skype, an app that enables video chat between users, the practice of teaching has been able to remain steady.
Open discussions in the online environment allow for easy communication with any issues or concerns Dickens said. Through question and answer style sessions, teachers are able to answer the students’ questions and discuss unclear concepts.
In addition to Skype calls, the virtual access codes students have with their textbooks allow them to utilize extra practice questions and quizzes online to ensure their knowledge and ability within the courses.
Newly sanctioned is the updated practice of testing. Students are now able to proctor from their own personal devices at home to continue in their education.
Taking the information they now have available to them through online PowerPoints and video lectures, students are uploading their work onto various platforms such as Moodle, a course management system utilized by Campbellsville University.
All students are enrolled in the Resource Room for the School of Nursing. “Using this resource rooms allow me to share up-to-date information in real time,” Dickens said.
Though the workload for students has not changed, the atmosphere of the course has. However, the adjustment of moving fully online has opened up new opportunities and possibilities of teaching and learning tools.
“I like hearing the positive feedback from students about the virtual clinical experiences,” Dickens said.
Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 11,900 students offering over 100 programs of study including Ph.D., master, baccalaureate, associate, pre-professional and certification programs. The university has Kentucky based off-campus centers in Louisville, Harrodsburg, Somerset, Hodgenville and Liberty with instructional sites in Elizabethtown, Owensboro and Summersville. Out-of-state centers include two in California at Los Angeles and Lathrop, located in the San Francisco Bay region. The website for complete information is www.campbellsville.edu.
Campbellsville University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award certificates, associate, baccalaureate, masters and doctoral degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the status of Campbellsville University.