Research Online at MacEwan :: Browsing by Author "Nelson, Jody"

Browsing by Author "Nelson, Jody"

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Access to mental healthcare services for Black women during perinatal period – a scoping review
(2024) Kemei, Janet; Asirifi, Mary; Nelson, Jody; Khalema, Emily M.; Adekoya, Augustina T.; Satimehin, Oluwaseun O.
Black women in Canada are at higher risk of poor mental health outcomes; this is associated with disparities such as poor access to healthcare and aggravated by racial discrimination and poor living conditions. This study aims to investigate the extent and nature of literature on access to mental healthcare services for Black women during the perinatal period in regions outside of Africa and the Caribbean.
Activate your Learners! Active learning strategies for fostering participant engagement in information literacy sessions
(2013) Shamchuk, Lisa; Plouffe, Leah; Nelson, Jody
MacEwan University Librarians have revamped introductory information literacy programming to incorporate active learning activities. Our session will discuss the value of active learning, share the chart used to match activities with learning objectives, and allow participants to experience active learning activities that could be adapted for programming in all types of libraries.
Authentic assessment/assessment-for-learning: early findings from a large scale information literacy assessment program
(2013) Shamchuk, Lisa; Nelson, Jody; Plouffe, Leah; Knoch, Jessica; Morrison, Joan
How does one systematically evaluate a large-scale information literacy program and make the assessment both authentic and meaningful for learners? This was the problem faced by an instruction team at MacEwan University Library in Edmonton, AB. This poster outlines the development of an assessment program, highlighting early results and the impact of these results on curriculum and pedagogy.
Blended learning versus face-to-face learning in an undergraduate nursing health assessment course: a quasi-experimental study
(2021) Berga, Keri-Ann; Vadnais, Elisha; Nelson, Jody; Johnston, Sharon; Buro, Karen; Hu, Rui
Background: Blended learning, which integrates face-to-face and online instruction, is increasingly being adopted. A gap remains in the literature related to blended learning, self-efficacy, knowledge and perceptions in undergraduate nursing. Objectives: To investigate outcomes of self-efficacy, knowledge and perceptions related to the implementation of a newly blended course. Design: This was a quasi-experimental pre-post test design. Setting: This study was conducted at an undergraduate university in Alberta, Canada. Participants: A total of 217 second-year undergraduate nursing students participated and 187 participants completed all study components. Methods: A convenience sampling method was used. Data were collected at the start and end of the semesters. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics using R(3.4.3) and R-Studio(1.1.423). Results: There were no significant differences in self-efficacy scores between groups or in the pre-post surveys (p > 0.100) over time. There was no significant difference in knowledge between the blended online and face-to-face groups (p > 0.100). For students in the blended course, perceptions of the online learning environment were positive. Conclusion: Blended learning has the potential to foster innovative and flexible learning opportunities. This study supports continued use and evaluation of blended learning as a pedagogical approach.
Choose-your-own learning: using Google Forms to improve asynchronous learning
(2021) Foster, Alison; Nelson, Jody; Pitcher, Alison; Stieglitz, Tara
This session consists of sharing experiences of online lesson creation with Google Forms, exploring challenges, sharing workarounds for those challenges, and discussing further use and reflections.
Collaborative research for personal growth: illustrative stories of the transformative impacts of multidisciplinary SoTL
(2025) Nelson, Jody; McKendrick-Calder, Lisa; Carlson, Susan; Shamchuk, Lisa
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) inquiry is a type of research that educators can undertake for any or all of the four main categories of research intention identified by Stubb et al. (2014): research as a job, a mechanism to gain qualification, a personal journey, and a way to make a difference. SoTL, historically, was conceptualized with less focus upon the traditional goal of scholarly output to inform others, and instead is described as “practices that engage teachers in looking closely and critically at student learning in order to improve their own courses and programs” (Hutchings et al., 2011, p. xix). SoTL scholars commonly investigate areas of curiosity within their personal context. They seek to uncover insights and generate knowledge to inform their pedagogical practices. Thus, SoTL aligns well with Stubb’s notions of research as a personal journey and a way to make a difference in student learning. When SoTL is undertaken collaboratively across diverse disciplines, it can promote a deeper understanding of effective teaching and learning strategies, and can have a broader impact. It can also cultivate curiosity by aiding researchers to uncover and (re)consider assumptions, explore new research methodologies, and adapt evidence-based practices in their teaching. The reflective process involved can enhance professional identity, build cross-disciplinary connections, and support continuous learning. Additionally, collaboration can foster the development of shared pedagogical knowledge, leading to more innovative and inclusive teaching strategies that benefit students and educators alike. This panel presentation will highlight aspects of each presenters’ personal SoTL journey, sharing their reflections and selected SoTL findings. They will emphasize how multidisciplinary SoTL has contributed to their professional growth while enhancing their personal teaching practices. Their stories will support the potential of utilizing SoTL on a personal journey towards enhanced teaching and learning potential.
Collective consciousness: wading into the discomfort of systemic discrimination
(2022) Foster-Boucher, Caroline; Maykut, Colleen; Bremner, Sydney; Nelson, Jody
Background: Racism in nursing towards Indigenous peoples has been evident and well documented (Allen, & Smylie, 2015; Browne, 2005; Vukic et al., 2012). Canadian schools of nursing have been called upon to incorporate teaching of colonial history and address systemic discrimination against Indigenous peoples in response to Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) findings (Baker, 2019; Blanchet Garneau et al., 2017, 2021; Truth and Reconciliation Commission [TRC], 2015). Methods: Our faculty of nursing has charged a team with forging a path forward in addressing the TRC Calls to Action. Our collective approach in pursuit of transformative nursing education for reconciliation aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (2015): Quality education. Results: Learning and pivoting to meet the needs of the professional development for faculty and staff is an iterative process. This team has discovered the transformative potential of collective learning in moving towards systemic change (Jakubec & Bourque Bearskin, 2020; TRC, 2015) to inform curricular decisions. Conclusion: As a team seeking ways to decolonize pedagogies and practice, we are collectively engaged in the learning necessary to confront and unsettle our own thinking. In doing this difficult yet vital work together, we hold one another accountable and support each other; we are developing a collective, anti-oppressive consciousness as we solidify our commitment to this ongoing work. By wading into collective discomfort as a group of learners and educators, we can foster true disruptive change (Blanchet Garneau et al., 2021; Kenney, 2008).
Dangled carrots and measuring sticks: motivating online learners in self-enroll library instruction
(2016) Morrison, Joan; Nelson, Jody; Whitson, Lindsey
Beginning in Spring 2014, our undergraduate university library adopted a new self-enroll model for our flagship first-year English online information literacy (IL) tutorial. Now, with robust data covering three semesters and five subject areas, a range of promotional strategies, and a variety of experiences, we can share our successes and challenges with this self-enroll approach to effective online IL tutorials. We will discuss what we have learned about the significant role that instructional faculty endorsement plays in motivating students, not only in providing external incentives, but also in fostering student motivation through affirmative messaging tying online IL courses to student success. In addition to presenting on the effectiveness of a range of motivators that can be used to improve student enrollment and completion rates for online tutorials, attendees will go away with practical strategies for securing instructional faculty engagement for promoting and incentivizing self-enroll tutorial opportunities.
Engaging, embedded and mobile! The evolution of an online IL instruction program at MacEwan University
(2013) Nelson, Jody; Stieglitz, Tara; Morrison, Joan
For the past 10 years the MacEwan University library has used our online SearchPath tutorial as the foundation of our information literacy (IL) program. Over the years SearchPath has evolved dramatically, from a flash-based video file to a modular series of engaging learning objects in HTML5, changing formats as technology and the needs of our students have changed. In the new context of mobile learning and 24-7 demand for access to information and point-of-need support, we are seeking to reinforce in the virtual what is possible in face-to-face instruction, developing a sustainable, embedded, engaging, and mobile IL program. In this interactive session, participants will have a chance to try out our mobile learning modules and answer some of the skill-testing questions developed for MacEwan students.
Have you changed your mind?: a class-based SoTL investigation of senior nursing student perceptions and learning experiences regarding health misinformation and science skepticism
(2025) Nelson, Jody; McKendrick Calder, Lisa; Su, Wanhua
The growing prevalence of online health misinformation and accompanying increase in negative ideological predispositions towards science are contributing to societal mistrust in health authorities with detrimental consequences to public health. Nursing graduates must be prepared to practice within this rapidly evolving health information context, armed with the knowledge, self-awareness, and evaluative strategies to identify health misinformation, practice healthy science skepticism, and intervene when confronted with misinformation that impacts patient and public health. Yet, digital health literacy rates among post-secondary nursing students are low and our traditional information literacy teaching strategies, with the focus on internal measures of source quality and reliability, do not translate well in the unregulated online information environment. New teaching approaches are needed to equip nursing students with an understanding of online information ecosystem functioning and the influence of ideological beliefs, and fact-checking strategies for assessing health information found online. Winter 2025 semester, the nursing course instructor and librarian collaborated to teach a senior nursing elective class on online health misinformation, disinformation, and science beliefs. Taking a systems-thinking-approach, students engage in learning through readings, self-reflection, group discussion, and hands-on practice with different tools and models. Our collaborative Scholarship of Teaching and Learning project employs a pre-class survey to first establish a baseline understanding of student-perceived online health literacy, beliefs about science, and misinformation practices through a pre-class survey. The post-class survey will explore resulting changes in student knowledge and perceptions in these areas, and asks students about their experiences with the classroom learning.
The importance of being uncomfortable and unfinished
(2022) Foster-Boucher, Caroline; Nelson, Jody; Bremner, Sydney; Maykut, Colleen
Our initial intention was to outline the structure of an entity, the Bear Healing Lodge, within the Faculty of Nursing at MacEwan. This structure was created out of the Truth and Reconciliation’s Calls to Action. However, as we engaged in critical discussions we realized that who we were becoming as persons, as we unpacked out privilege and power, was invaluable and informative to prepare us for authentic allyship and partnership. We realized that outcomes and endings were not the end goals, but being uncomfortable and unfinished were necessary for the creation of an ethical space for members to engage in decolonization of self. Authentic allyship and partnership must fundamentally be relational, create a brave space for vulnerability, and stimulate a shift in paradigms for multiple perspectives. We have humbly offered learning intentions, as solution-oriented perspectives, for others to learn which may lead to positive change.
Instructional diversity: a blended model for sustainable IL programming
(2014) Nelson, Jody; Morrison, Joan
This session shares the details of a pilot project to create a more sustainable Information Literacy (IL) instruction program for first-year undergraduates. Our goal was to develop an instruction model that could be managed by our Library instruction team, reduce duplication of content and effort, incorporate both online and in-person instruction and promote self-directed student learning opportunities. Our blended instruction model incorporates: timely face-to-face classroom visits, online learning modules, hands-on critical thinking activities and student-directed drop-in research workshops.
Iterative design principles for learner-centred tutorial development
(2015) Stieglitz, Tara; Whitson, Lindsey; Nelson, Jody
Creating information literacy tutorials has been a longstanding trend in academic libraries, beginning with static web-based tutorials and moving more recently to video-based tutorials. There is recognition in the academic library community that these tutorials need to follow the guidelines and best practices for usability (Bury & Oud, 2005; Lund & Ole Pors, 2012; Mestre, 2012). Focusing on the user has become critical to the design and development of online tutorials at MacEwan University Library. Borrowing from the world of software development (Brhel, Meth, Maedche, & Werder, 2015), we have adopted an iterative design process with near-constant usability testing. This has transformed how we provide online learning to our users beyond the out-of-the-box experience offered through tutorial building software. Since 2010, the library has been building interactive online tutorials using Adobe Captivate. Although we adhered to best practices, usability testing often fell by the wayside in favour of quick production. In autumn 2014, the experience and findings of more extensive user testing of our tutorials in the mobile environment led us to revolutionise our subsequent approach to interactive tutorial building. When redesigning our online tutorials for mobile compatibility, we conducted considerable usability testing. While it was clear that we had done many things right, we were disconcerted by the number of user challenges that emerged. Watching our users struggle with frustrating tutorial interactions revealed some serious limitations of our tutorial design, particularly our reliance on the built-in options for interactions. Inspired by the difficulties we witnessed, we adopted a more iterative process of tutorial production, resulting in us conducting more frequent user testing with smaller groups of students, with the ideal being a mix of new and returning testers. This process also involved greater experimentation with the capabilities of the software to develop a more user-friendly experience on all platforms. While tutorial development has become more time consuming, it has ultimately resulted in a more engaging, responsive experience that reflects changing user needs and demands. In our presentation, we will discuss and share concrete examples of how our iterative approach of routine user experience testing and frequent updates is leading the way to more effective tutorial design at MacEwan University Library.
Journal Club: An innovative teaching practice to foster peer connection & enhance information literacy
(2022) Croxen, Hanneke; Nelson, Jody; McKendrick-Calder, Lisa
Information literacy (IL) involves a set of abilities essential for higher education learners, such as the ability to identify, critically evaluate, understand, and apply scholarly literature (ACRL, 2013, http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/nursing), yet studies often demonstrate that these IL skills are lacking and need further development (Bury, 2016; Saunders, 2012). Traditional methods of addressing this need center around stand-alone librarian-led IL sessions, which cannot provide the time or space needed to develop critical reading and reflection practices. Within our context of nursing this is a common challenge, one study found that 40% of second year nursing students have difficulty reading journal articles (Chaudoir et al., 2016), this despite IL being an essential skill for nursing practice (Mitchell & Pereira-Edwards, 2022). In an attempt to address learner needs a course instructor and librarian teamed up. Journal clubs, used in practice settings to maintain currency and promote EBP behavior (Wilson et al., 2015), have been used successfully in other health education contexts (Steenbeek, et al., 2009; Szucs, et al., 2017; Thompson, 2006). This application is referred to as evidence based practice (EBP), and is an essential component of nursing practice. Having activities for undergraduate nursing students that instill EBP aims to ensure that it will be incorporated into practice after graduation (Mitchell & Pereira-Edwards, 2022). Instead of the traditional librarian-led IL sessions, a first year nursing course was redesigned to utilize a guided journal club approach with an aim of enhancing the ability to seek, read, and interpret journal literature. Journal club activities took place over 8 weeks, alternating guided activities with brief IL lessons, and culminating in a group journal club assignment. Students were placed in small groups based on an area of practice they wanted to learn more about. Activities were scaffolded starting with introducing a research database and basic literature searching strategies. As students progressed through the journal club activities throughout the term, they were asked to find articles related to specific topics aligned with the course and their area of practice, critique and present their article to their group members, and then how to apply their interpretations. A survey was used to measure the impact of journal club on student IL self-efficacy, as measured through the validated Information Literacy Self-Efficacy Scale (ILSES) developed by Kurbanoglu et al. (2006). Initial findings support journal club as an effective modality to enhance students self-efficacy in specific areas of IL. Additionally, other valuable outcomes of this strategy were discovered, for example, students reported becoming more comfortable collaborating with peers and anecdotal reports showed students developed friendships with peers. This scaffolded journal club approach to discipline-specific IL learning would translate well to other contexts, particularly those which require a significant grounding in reading and understanding disciplinary research. The journal club activities are available at: https://tinyurl.com/JournalClubPosterISSOTL2022
Journal club: an innovative teaching practice to foster peer connection and enhance information literacy skills
(2023) Croxen, Hanneke; Nelson, Jody; McKendrick-Calder, Lisa
This project aimed to better understand the impact and student experience of an innovative teaching strategy focused on information literacy (IL) for first-year undergraduate nursing students. Information literacy (IL) involves the development of a set of abilities essential for higher education learners, such as the ability to identify, critically evaluate, understand, and apply scholarly literature (ACRL 2013), yet studies often demonstrate that these IL skills are lacking and need further development (Bury 2016; Saunders 2012). Traditional methods of addressing this need center around stand-alone librarian-led IL sessions, which cannot provide the time or space needed to develop critical reading and reflection practices. Within our context of nursing, this is a common challenge; one study found that 40% of second-year nursing students have difficulty reading journal articles (Chaudoir et al. 2016), despite IL being an essential skill for nursing practice (Mitchell and Pereira-Edwards 2022). In an attempt to address learner needs, a course instructor and librarian teamed up. Journal clubs, used in practice settings to maintain currency and promote EBP behavior (Wilson et al. 2015), have been used successfully in other health education contexts (Steenbeek et al. 2009; Szucs et al. 2017; Thompson 2006). This application is referred to as evidence-based practice (EBP) and is an essential component of nursing practice. Having activities for undergraduate nursing students that instill EBP aims to ensure that it will be incorporated into practice after graduation (Mitchell and Pereira-Edwards 2022). Instead of the traditional librarian-led IL sessions, a first-year nursing course was redesigned to utilize a guided journal club approach to enhance the ability to seek, read, and interpret journal literature. Journal club activities took place over eight weeks, alternating guided activities with brief IL lessons, and culminated in a group journal club assignment. Students were placed in small groups based on an area of practice they wanted to learn more about. Activities were scaffolded starting with introducing a research database and basic literature searching strategies. As students progressed through the term’s journal club activities, they were asked to find articles related aligned with course topics and their area of practice, critique and present their articles to their group members, and then apply their interpretations. A survey was used to measure the impact of journal club on student IL self-efficacy, as measured through the validated Information Literacy Self-Efficacy Scale (ILSES) developed by Kurbanoglu et al. (2006). Initial findings support journal club as an effective modality to enhance students’ self-efficacy in specific areas of IL. Additionally, other valuable outcomes of this strategy were discovered. For example, students reported becoming more comfortable collaborating with peers and anecdotal reports showed students developed friendships with peers. This scaffolded journal club approach to discipline-specific IL learning would translate well to other contexts, particularly those that require a significant grounding in reading and understanding disciplinary research. The journal club activities are available at: https://tinyurl.com/JournalClubPosterISSOTL2022, or by contacting the authors.
Literature reviews, citation management and other library support for your research
(2015) Stieglitz, Tara; Nelson, Jody
Learn how to conduct a systematic literature review taking advantage of the different strengths of different databases. Use techniques such as citation chaining and searching withe subject headings to expand your search. The presentation will also highlight the features of different citation management programs with a focus on Zotero.
Piloting a blended model for sustainable IL programming
(2015) Nelson, Jody; Morrison, Joan; Whitson, Lindsey
This paper aims to describe the MacEwan University Library’s successful pilot of a fully blended information literacy (IL) instruction program for first-year English courses. Development, implementation and assessment of the pilot prior to full implementation are discussed.
Publishing the results: beware of "predatory" publishers
(2018) Hall, Robyn; Nelson, Jody
Learn how to identify and avoid questionable academic journal publishing practices.
Revisioning the possible: aligning blended IL instruction with principles of EBP for meaningful nursing instruction
(2021) Nelson, Jody; Foster, Alison; Asirifi, Mary; Gates, Melanie; Su, Wanhua; Velupillai, Nirudika
The MacEwan BScN program supports development of skills and attributes in the domain of clinical practice, including information literacy (IL) interventions in Year 2. Addressing a noticeable trend in 2018 of fewer students making connections between IL and evidence-based practice (EBP), librarians and instructors collaborated on an IL redesign, integrating IL and EBP in a blended learning (BL) context. The redesigned IL intervention, which pulls from best practices in online EBP instruction in nursing (Kelly et al., 2016), was implemented in 2019 with revised learning outcomes. Literature on IL instruction and EBP learning points to similarities, synergies, and value of a more fulsome integration in teaching (Adams, 2012; Amit-Aharon et al., 2020). While Adams (2012) emphasizes the importance of teaching IL concepts through a disciplinary lens, Amit-Aharon et al. (2020) note the significant positive correlation between IL self-efficacy, EBP attitudes and knowledge, and future EBP implementation in practice. Purpose: This Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) research investigates the impact of the redesigned BL IL intervention on YR 2 nursing students’ perceived EBP confidence, attitudes, and ability, using an adapted Student EBP Questionnaire (S-EBPQ) (Upton et al., 2016).
Revisioning the possible: aligning blended IL instruction with principles of evidence-based practice for meaningful nursing instruction
(2020) Foster, Alison; Nelson, Jody; Asirifi, Mary; Gates, Melanie
Session Objectives: explore the impact of collaborative program assessment on IL revisioning, share our experience with reframing IL through a disciplinary lens, discuss the impact of revisioning on future instructional practices.

Browsing by Author "Nelson, Jody"

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