Spring Break

Tested!

Woman wearing safety mask

In just two short weeks, IUSON BL transitioned our courses & clinicals into a new virtual reality.

March 15, 2020. When our students left for Spring Break, little did they know that, because of COVID-19, IU would extend their time off by an extra week. During that time, our IUSON BL faculty worked hard to ensure that, when our students returned, all classes could be taught online. This meant that our faculty had only two short weeks in which to transfer all of our highly-demanding classes – including our complex clinicals – into a virtual environment.

There are so many heroes in the combined effort to provide our students with a safe, socially-distanced learning environment. The creativity, drive, and determination of our faculty, staff, and administration were tested on many fronts. We’re proud to say we passed the test – successfully guiding our students’ transition to online environments and, most notably, graduating our seniors on time! 

The following vignettes illustrate the exceptional efforts we made – and continue to make – as we adjust to a new virtual reality.

The first order of business. And a silver lining.

For Clinical Assistant Professors Britney Arce and Erin Wyatt, the first order of business during Spring Break was to transition their labs and clinicals (the “hands-on, in-the-field” part of nursing school) to online environments – an especially difficult assignment, says Erin, because “these courses are normally taught face-to-face to assess a student’s skills.”

Students enrolled in Britney’s clinical courses, for example, still had their 12-hour clinical to complete. “Since we couldn't be in-person with patients, I had to get creative,” she says. NurseTim® and Swift River virtual clinicals helped students complete the required hours, with Inter-professional Simulation Center (SIM) Coordinator Sally Gindling sharing a previously-recorded simulation. Britney patiently guided her students through the simulation via Zoom, pausing at times for discussion.  “We also debriefed as a group,” she says.

Erin Wyatt

I am so grateful to have such dedicated colleagues. I feel it was easier for us to overcome the many challenges that all faculty faced because the IUSON BL faculty are so tightly-knit and cohesive.

- Assistant Clinical Professor Erin Wyatt

Erin faced a similar challenge when converting her B260 skills lab to an online course. Working on short notice, Erin, her B260 faculty colleagues, B260 course leader Dr. Abby Berg, and Nursing Learning Resource Center (NLRC) Manager & Lecturer Hanna Raber quickly collaborated on a plan for teaching B260 virtually. “We did miss out on a face-to-face simulation day,” says Erin but, here again, Sally Gindling stepped to the fore by providing a recorded simulation from a previous semester.

Despite working in a new environment, Erin says there was an interesting – and unexpected – silver lining afforded by teaching B260 online: her students were far franker and more open when critiquing the care provided in the recorded simulation, something they had difficulty doing in-person with their classmates. As a result, the debriefing sessions were far more robust. In converting B260 to an online format, Erin says: “I am so grateful to have such dedicated colleagues,” she says. “I feel it was easier for us to overcome the many challenges that all faculty faced because the IUSON BL faculty are so tightly-knit and cohesive.”

Video conferencing also became essential to class delivery.  

For example, in addition to her 12-hour clinical, Britney was teaching a lecture course – in collaboration with Associate Professor Dr. Amy Hagedorn Wonder – with a combined enrollment of nearly 100 students. She and Amy began by uploading a narrated PowerPoint with course material and assignments to the class's Canvas course site. Then, the real work began.

Britney and Amy were in constant contact with their students throughout the remainder of the semester, sending them reminders twice a week about upcoming assignments and deadlines. “We felt these reminders were extremely important because we knew that students were experiencing more stress than usual and, at times, were overwhelmed with all the changes,” says Britney. They were also in continuous communication with one another “to make sure our students had a similar experience for the course, even though they had different professors,” she says.

Collage of online meeting screens

Screen Time:  As with the rest of our faculty, Associate Professor Amy Wonder (top right) and Lecturer Dena Klineline (bottom right) successfully transitioned their classes to a virtual environment.  Amy and Dena are shown here instructing Honors Program students Lauren Goldman & Sarah McAlister, Jenna McSwain, Nathalie Bone, and Abigail Keith online.

In addition, work groups were made flexible, ranging from all 40 students at once, to groups of 5 at a time, and even 1:1 Zoom consultations. Britney also worked to extend deadlines when, despite her best efforts, some students tested positive for COVID-19 or displayed symptoms.

The result was a successful semester, along with some learnings that Britney and Amy could carry forward into the new semester and that they had in common with other IUSON BL faculty members. For the fall, a key takeaway for Britney is to give her students a clearer picture of what the online experience is like. “A lot of my students had never taken an online course. I had some students tell me how hard it was to stay organized and motivated. I talked them through it but, going forward, I want to set expectations, so they don’t have to struggle,” she says.

'Chelle Filippelli

As the spring semester progressed, the process of advising prospective students also went digital.

Student Services Coordinator ‘Chelle Filippelli began hosting two virtual sessions each week. As with the rest of our IUSON BL virtual world, advising students online has taken some getting used to – offering both positives and negatives.

The advantage, says ‘Chelle, is that technology still allows us to connect with prospective students through the Office of Admission’s virtual tours of the campus and ‘Chelle’s own advising sessions via Zoom. “I answer their questions as fully as I can,” she says, “and provide answers and insights, especially for those students who seem a little intimidated by the admission process.”

“The downside,” she continues, “is that it is harder to get students to participate (even to the point of turning on their cameras) and, most importantly, to ask questions. Most are very shy about the ZOOM sessions. The challenge is getting them excited because they sometimes seem overwhelmed. I think everything going online has been challenging for so many students.”

Student studying using a laptop

As we begin the fall semester, IUSON BL is proud to say we are at full enrollment.

And we continue to build on what we learned last spring to begin teaching our students in a hybrid world consisting of both online classes and in-person clinicals.

As you read this newsletter, initial Town Halls via Zoom have been conducted with each of our classes to answer any questions they might have. Plans have also been finalized to conduct New Student Orientation – and new “skills checkoff” refresher courses for returning students – in virtual environments. 

And, although moving to an online format, the agenda for our traditional August Boot Camp for new students is especially ambitious. Boot Camp’s webinar format includes a welcome by Dr. Davis-Ajami, an overview of 1st year courses by their instructors, NLRC processes, a student panel, and a Diversity Panel featuring recognized experts on diversity issues. Our new students will also take the nursing student pledge. 

To cover topics that won't fit into the time allotted for the live webinar, a Canvas site has been created where new students can engage in an ice breaker to meet others, view pre-recorded introductions from our faculty and staff, and review important information on topics such as study habits, ethics, program outcomes, IPE, the Sim Lab, Math exams and more.