"If the learning that students are asked to undertake seems to have no purpose or connection to their own interests and concerns, they'll probably resist it." (Brookfield, 2015, p. 221).

One way we can help students strengthen their commitment to a course is to have them think about the course content and learning outcomes, and identify how the course contributes to their academic development and future career.

Here's one way to start students thinking along these lines: I send an email to all students enrolled in my course (psychosocial nursing) two weeks before the semester begins. I ask them to post on the Learning Management System (LMS) Discussion Board their response to the following question: Why is a psychosocial nursing course included in the BSN curriculum? After students post their response, they can view others' responses. Postings are limited to no more than 200 words and are to be submitted prior to the first class session.

Students are told that the posts will be projected on screen for several minutes at the beginning of the first class. The responses serve as catalysts to speak about the course content, learning outcomes, assignments, and their relevance to nursing practice.

Alternatively, students can spend the first ten minutes of the initial class meeting responding to this question on paper, followed by a class discussion.

I have included this assignment for five semesters and find that it sets the tone for encouraging students to think about content. Students can then revisit their posts at the end of the semester and reflect on how their thoughts have changed as their knowledge increased.

Resources:

• Brookfield, S. (2015). The skillful teacher. San Francisco: Jossey:Bass.

To follow up on any of these ideas, please contact me at fglazer@nyit.edu. This Weekly Teaching Note was adapted from a contribution to the Teaching and Learning Writing Consortium hosted at Western Kentucky University and organized by Seneca College and New York Institute of Technology.

Contributor:
Anne Tumbarello, Ed.D., RN, NPP
Director, Faculty Professional Center
Associate Professor, Division of Nursing
Molloy College
atumbarello@molloy.edu