Adapting to Virtual Classrooms
In order to best prepare students for the NCLEX® and build the confidence they need to successfully pass, HESI Compass draws from a range of learning science principles and evidence-based practices. Extensive research and ongoing testing have shaped HESI Compass to effectively personalize student learning all the way up to test day. The instructional model for HESI Compass pulls from a number of key research foundations known to improve student learning. The following resources are a great way to explore how the science of learning can help have a huge impact on student success.
- KATTS: A Framework for Maximizing NCLEX-RN Performance McDowell, Betsy. Journal of Nursing Education. 2008;47(4): 183-186.
In this quick read, Dr. Betsy McDowell discusses the success of NCLEX preparation programs that combines academic factors, like GPA, and nonacademic factors, like test anxiety, self-esteem, and fatigue. Addressing both influences can help successfully prepare all students for the NCLEX exam. Her development of the KATTS framework, focused on knowledge base, anxiety control, and test-taking skills, optimizes NCLEX performance.
2. Using Logistic Regression to Investigate Self-Efficacy and the Predictors for National Council Licensure Examination Success for Baccalaureate Nursing Students Silvestri, Linda A., Clark, Michelle C., Moonie, Sheniz A. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice. 2013;3(6), 21.
Nursing programs with a focus on students’ confidence can provide a supportive environment and ensures their prepared for success. In this study, Dr. Linda Silvestri suggests that self-efficacy—the belief we have in our own abilities—plays a critical role in influencing students’ NCLEX success.
3. Preparing Future Nurse Educators to Teach in the Online Environment Matthias, A. D., Gazza, E. A., & Triplett, A. (2019). Journal of Nursing Education, 58(8), 488-491.
Through instructional scaffolding, multiple teaching strategies are connected to form student support systems that help guide their learning journey. This is critical for nurse educators—and our HESI Compass coaches—to successfully teach and engage students in online environments. Effective use of scaffolding in nursing course design and coaching approaches enables student progression towards higher-level thinking and gradually encourages independence as they become NCLEX ready.
4. The ABCs of How We Learn: 26 Scientifically Proven Approaches, How They Work, and When to Use Them Schwartz, D. L., Tsang, J. M., & Blair, K. P. (2016). New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
The The ABCs of How We Learn translates research on how students learn into practical applications that nursing educators can incorporate into their classrooms. The chapters provide accessible descriptions of learning mechanisms that demonstrate well established theories, from behaviourism (R is for Reward) to cognitive psychology (S is for Self-Explanation). The book also covers easy-to-implement examples and common mistakes to avoid.
5. Recent Research on Human Learning Challenges Conventional Instructional Strategies Rohrer, Doug, Pashler, Harold. Educational Researcher. 2010; 39(5): 406-412.
Learning strategies such as interleaving, spaced practice, and testing have clearly demonstrated educational benefits, like improving students’ long-term recall of information and transfer of knowledge to new situations. This paper reviews recent experimental results that challenge some of the most commonly used study practices, including the testing effect. Even simple self-testing methods, such as quizzing students or asking them to draw what they know, can be more effective than widely used practices such as rereading material.
