Apple Distinguished School

Through surveys, focus groups, direct observation and professional development opportunities, we evaluate the success of JeffLEARN. Key indicators of success are knowledge and skill acquisition, confidence, adoption, and development of faculty and staff champions. We use data in real time to tailor implementation of JeffLEARN. We see consistent increases in faculty adoption of technology for course development / delivery and willingness to mentor one another. Other findings include increased faculty attendance at our APL, Learning Crunch @ Lunch (weekly JeffLEARN digital learning event) and overall satisfaction with their ability to navigate and educate in the digital world. With JeffLEARN as a cultural foundation of our college, we saw a 0% disruption in learning due to Covid-19.

JCN’s vision is to transform and innovate teaching and learning with a shift in the academic culture around technology. To support our vision, JCN launched the JeffLEARN initiative guided by a multidisciplinary steering committee made up of JCN faculty, staff and key internal and external stakeholders. The mission of JeffLEARN is to lead the transformation to a technology-rich environment; engage with academic, clinical and industry partners and use technology to change the ways nurses lead and impact society. JeffLEARN’s mission is directly aligned with JCN’s mission and vision. Through LeffLEARN and our Apple Professional Engagement, we established a strategic plan and timeline of innovation to drive cultural immersion, digital engagement, academic strategy, and virtual engagement.

Through engagement with Apple, we teach learners the way they want to learn. Artificial intelligence approaches and other predictive analytics allow us to tailor the education of our students toward learner-centric applications. Using Apple-supported technologies, we drive teaching and learning that is dynamic, collaborative and personal. Our distribution of iPads to all students, faculty and staff is a great equalizer. Access to technologies enhances academic engagement so all students have opportunities to attend class, prepare for and take exams, connect seamlessly with peers and faculty, and support remote installation of our learning management system and applications directly to student iPads. These applications have been integral to course implementation and evaluation, enabling dissemination of course information in real time.

Faculty academic designers are creating learning objects and digital classrooms that bring the clinical environment to students. Creating videos and lectures with Keynote, transforming slide decks into active modules with Nearpod, and asking students to engage with the material in a personal way through video discussions on Flipgrid, are some of techniques used to create an engaged curriculum. Students access learning objects through their Canavs app on their iPads, making their curriculum accessible almost anywhere. Clinical EMR access supports students’ clinical learning through access and creation of clinical notes on iPads through the Epic app. The ability to update the EMR within moments of visiting a patient is a critical aspect to clinical education and quality clinical care.

As JeffLEARN continues to evolve, we see the areas of innovation. The student experience and student engagement during hybrid and online learning is an area of significant opportunity for us. During the 20-21 academic year, 100% of JCN faculty completed the 7-workshop Quality Matters Teaching Online Certificate. Based on faculty feedback, the Academic Strategy team has developed an instructional design strategy that will further increase opportunities for student learning that increase opportunities for engaged student-curriculum, student-faculty and student-student experiences for all JCN courses. As we move into the 2021-2022 academic year, we plan to continue with hybrid learning with an increase in active learning technologies being used in the classroom and online.