Validating the learning process

Hi Class:

Our Unit 3 module in our course deals with validating the learning process, making sure that students are actually learning what we teach. Im my honest opinion, the old standbys of written examination is still the best choice when it comes to validating and showing that learning has actually taken place. I recently had a big challenge at my place of employment regarding this.

I decided to make a 10 question quiz concerning our hand hygiene policy, and then make it a requirement that each direct care staff be instructed that they must take the quiz daily until they were able to make score of 100%. I had virtually no one score 100% unless they actually sat down and took the necessary time to read and digest our policy on the hand hygiene.

I am happy to report that by and large, most of our facility was brought up to speed on our hand hygiene policies, and what they said. Now, even the least versed individual has been scoring well on the short quiz. It has been a rewarding experience, and the quiz has done well in weeding out those that actually know the policy from those that don't.

Best regards,

Robin Martin

Converting Classroom Content to Distance Learning Format

This week included a very interesting assignment, namely, what we would do to convert a classroom teaching project to an online distance learning course. There are number of important differences between classroom and online distance learning settings. A glaring deficit of online learning is a great empty canyon of communication between instructor and student, that is plentiful in the classroom but sorely lacking in nearly all distance learning environments.

I once took an online course (different college) that was so poorly put together, with instructions so misleading, confusing, and in some cases just downright incorrect; I had to complain to the dean of the college after the instructor of the course also proved to be completely absent and impossible to even contact or find.

The end of that conversation lead to everyone in the course passing and the instructor being reprimanded (several of the students were previously failing, and I in fact was normally their resource of choice). It was a statistics course that is generally a pretty difficult course even in the classroom. That bad experience has made me a little wary of online courses ever since, and I am generally pretty vocal and prompt about pointing out mistakes or confusing content online.

I am happy to say that the quality and responsiveness of our UTB instructors in our distance learning has been so far above the mediocre attempt at online learning from the other college in the statistics course. Still, improvements can be made to further elevate the quality of our distance learning experience. Such improvements do not come without extra time, attention, and a certain amount of creativity and technical prowess from instructors, but recent advances in software, computers, and technology make it possible to virtually eliminate all online learning disadvantages, while retaining all of the unique advantages of this learning platform.

Best regards,

Robin Martin

Africa Here We Come!!!

Just a short note of something interesting and wonderful that happened to me just today!! The safety syringe I invented? The one that I had often described to my friends as a large ship dead in the water in the middle of the ocean without any fuel (and no wind or sails)?  Guess what???

It's now on its way to Africa!! Hallelujah! Thank you Jesus. With God's help it may finally do some good for healthcare workers doing the Lord's work.

I just had to mention it! I'm so excited. Finally after all these years.

Best regards,

Robin Martin, RN, BSN, LNCC, (MSN student)
P.S. NURS 6464 Unit 1 blog posting is just below this one. 

Teaching Role for Nursing Faculty - Posting for Unit 1

Well, here we are again with another interesting semester and project. It took me a while to dig out the old assignments, but thank goodness I still have the same computer, and the hard drive has not crashed! I managed to find how to get back onto my blog, and enjoyed sprucing it up a bit.

I am so much looking forward to the class project, as I would like to teach a short course in nurse/patient interactions on a mental health unit, primarily focusing on how to maintain safety of both the staff and the patient. Such a course is sorely needed in mental healthcare, and I have yet to see one with 11 years in this specialty field.

Since the class project is only supposed to take a maximum of 45 minutes, I had to change it up a bit from the outline I had produced in the earlier course, and plan to do a condensed version. Next I need to figure out how to send a link again to get back here. Hopefully I can do that successfully in the next few minutes, as it is getting late.

Well, that is all for now. We are getting closer to the goal of graduation, and I'm enthusiastic about finishing. Thank you for reading my blog, and have a great evening...

Best regards,

Robin Martin RN, BSN, LNCC

Reflection...reflection

Think about the act of reflection and your semester experience in incorporating reflection in your practice and on your blog.


This semester has been a learning experience like no other. In this course, I have spent time reflecting and pondering many interesting subjects. I have always been an analytical thinker, and so reflection is no stranger to me. I enjoy reflecting on many things, and find that upon reflection and pondering, I often am able to make better and wiser decisions than without such mental exercise. 


The nursing position I am in currently also requires a lot of thinking and planning. I am glad that this course has engaged in such practice. It is often the great thinkers of this world that help bring innovative and better ways of doing things to the forefront of society. This course has been a great and enjoyable learning experience, that has met the objectives and assisted me in expanding my nursing knowledge base. 


Best regards,


Robin Martin 

Reflection on Nursing Aspirations

Hello Class:

The role I would aspire to would be that of Nurse Educator, which is also my current job title, along with Infection Control Preventionist, or ICP.  However, lately I have also thought that I would like to cross over into the role of a Nursing Instructor. I don't think there is a better way for me to pass on my Nursing years of experience, and higher education, than by being an instructor.

This unique position in our society allows us to influence, for better or worse, upcoming generations of Nursing professionals. I believe I have valuable experience to relate and to offer, and that I would be able to perform well in this role. For now of course, I seek to do my best and to do well in the current Master's program. Once this program is accomplished though, I would really like to delve into a Nursing Instructor role. I think my current practice interfaces very well with this career path, and is aimed in the right direction.

Best regards,

Robin Martin

My Philosophy regarding Nursing Education

This has certainly been a stimulating assignment and learning module. Identifying my own personal philosophy in nursing education was challenging. As I began to organize my thoughts, I realized that my beliefs on this subject are actually quite well formed. Nursing education, as well as all education, should be treated and guided using principles which I will outline below.

In a nutshell, I believe the first step to improving all education in this country is to treat it as the diamond that it is, not something simmering on the back burner of our social priorities. Other countries are passing us up in education because they are giving education its proper priority of being first place, of being all important. When education becomes funded like we fund our military, we will likely see vast improvements in the quality of college graduates we are turning out, including nursing graduates.

Secondly, from kindergarten on up, there must be a balance of structure, discipline, and reflective thinking, or "rationality" as Immanuel Kent called it. Currently discipline has largely been stripped from our schools in the name of not abusing the children, but the pendulum has swung too far; now it is the teachers being abused, and the students run wild. This MUST stop, and a reasonable balance obtained in order to regain control of our classrooms, and the quality of our public education. Smaller class sizes, increased teacher salaries, and more personal one on one dialogues which encourage rationality and reflective thinking between students and teachers will also go far to improve our educational system.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, teachers and educators must show through human interaction that they are genuinely interested in, and caring of our upcoming student generations. All educators, not just nursing educators, must instill confidence, positive energy, mutual respect, encouragement, empowerment, and most of all love to our students. Think of the teacher that most influenced you growing up. Didn't they impart to you these qualities? Did you feel important, confident, encouraged, valued, worthwhile, loved and respected after interacting with them? Sure you did, that is why you remember them. We need to copy that!!

I'm excited about this educational journey I have embarked on. I'll see you at the top!

Best regards to all.

Robin Martin