An innovative learning strategy for improving clinical judgment among undergraduate nursing students: A reflection

Abstract

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing developed next generation (NextGen) NCLEX questions to improve the clinical judgment of pre-licensure nursing students.  In an innovative group assignment in a public university, second-semester ABSN students used case scenarios to write NextGen questions in various styles. Students were prepared for this project in the first semester. Each student group completed the group assignments every week. After the faculty review, the completed assignments were shared with the entire class every week. A six-item Qualtrics survey evaluated the project learning outcomes with two open-text questions. The combined response rates for the agree and strongly agree responses ranged from 76% to 94%, indicating that the students had a positive perception of this assignment. In open-text analysis, the students reported improvement in critical thinking skills, teamwork, collaboration, positive experiences, group dynamics, and exam preparation.