Murdoch University Discipline of Nursing has integrated PebblePad throughout the Bachelor of Nursing course. The curriculum design has allowed academics to adopt a blended learning approach to the teaching of practical clinical skills by incorporating digital technology (in the form of PebblePad) with low fidelity manikins in a simulated environment, replicating real-world nursing care. To apply a blended learning pedagogical approach at the patient bedside, the use of eportfolio had to be reimagined to form the construct of the students’ learning through incorporating digital media resources. It could then become a tool to facilitate students’ understanding of holistic patient care through providing a foundation for evidenced based practice, enhancing critical thinking skills and encouraging reflective and reflexive practices. Through PebblePad, students are provided with case studies that include a patient scenario, diagnostic tests and imaging, patient notes, and referrals. PebblePad has been used to replicate the move towards digital healthcare resources such as e-health records and online databases for clinical policies and practice standards. Students are able to retrieve this information without leaving the simulated patients’ bedside. This provides students with a learning experience similar to that of a hospital clinical placement, whilst in the safety of the university setting where they can explore all aspects of patient care at their own pace. Using PebblePad allows for students to learn at their own pace whilst focusing on the clinical components of the case in detail at the bedside, fostering a new approach to student centred learning.
The above case study is just one of twenty-five brilliant examples from our 2020 'Charting new courses in learning and teaching' conference. With case studies spanning degree apprenticeships, clinical assessment, interprofessional education, showcase portfolios, and many other contexts and disciplines, they are real stories of trailblazing innovation. If you'd like to download all 25 exemplars of pedagogical goodness, click the link below.
