Debbie Ward

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Debbie Ward
School of Nursing
University of Washington, Seattle Campus

Opening Channels of Communication

Daunted by the idea of teaching with technology? Consider the task of Nursing professors Debbie Ward and Carole Schroeder, who not only teach with technology, but teach about technology.

"The students are much more engaged with hands-on rather than watching us on a screen use the technology."

These women tackled the wilds of computer hardware, software, and the Internet, and crafted a class that integrates conceptual learning with hands-on experience.

Practicing What is Preached

The class, Methods of Research in Nursing, meets in the Collaboratory, a computer classroom in the Odegaard Undergraduate Library. Every student works at a computer terminal and applies course concepts to their own projects, developing practical skills as they learn about research methods.

Ward and Schroeder ask for several types of feedback from their students through their course home page. They use it to fine-tune their teaching strategies to meet student needs.

Background Check

Early in the quarter, Ward and Schroeder assess their students' level of comfort with computers through an online survey. Using an early version of Catalyst's WebQ tool, they create and post the survey on the Web, where students fill out the form and submit their responses electronically. These responses are immediately tallied and available for analysis and review.

A Student Perspective

"I found the technological aspects of the course useful and easily managed. When I took this course, I had little experience working on the World Wide Web, but was able to move easily about within a couple of class periods... The instructors were up front about their prior experiences with technology, and stressed the importance of relaxing and enjoying what we were doing, which seemed to put me at ease. The enthusiasm that these women demonstrated for the subject matter, teaching and learning, caught on to the rest of the class... The class also solidifies skills required to work in small groups using a variety of technologies... I left with a larger repertoire of skills to use in gathering background information for future research projects."

Cheryl Cooke, Nursing student, University of Washington, November, 1998

by Molly Vogt, February 1999