GUIDELINES FOR TEACHING PROJECT

HEALTH PROMOTION FOR FAMILIES II (NUR 208)

The teaching project will allow you to apply many of the concepts you have learned in the course

to a “real-life” project. The purpose is to focus on the following:

Critical Thinking Skills

Technical Content

Teaching Skills

Creative Abilities

Writing Skills

Oral Communication Skills

Planning & Organizational Skills

Teamwork and Collaboration

You will develop the formal writing aspects of this project using Policy for Formal Papers as stated

in the Course Materials.

Curious?

OK! Your task is to develop a patient teaching tool for some aspect of nursing care of

the childbearing and childrearing family covered in NUR 208. That’s it!

How long does it have to be?

It should be long enough to cover the topic well. It might vary depending on who your

intended audience is and what topic you choose.

Who will my audience be?

They can be any appropriate group you choose. It might be a safe sex class for a group

of elementary or high school students – a well educated Lamaze class – a lower socio-economic

level mother who wants to breast feed – a preschool child who needs to be prepared for surgery. It

can be for a class, a small group, or just one person. It could be used at the bedside, in a clinic, or a

classroom – anywhere that patient teaching might take place.

Do I get to choose the topic?

Yes! You do have to get approval from the course faculty before you begin, so that you

won’t spend time working on a topic that is not acceptable. Following these instructions, you will

find a Proposal form on which you should describe your idea in as much detail as possible. Hand

it in by the due date on the calendar. The Proposal will be returned to you ASAP so you can get to

work or make adjustments as needed.

Do I have to do this all by myself?

You will choose one other person in the course to work with as an equal partner. You

should plan and execute this together in every respect. You will both get the same grade, even if

you do all the work. So…choose carefully – no whining!

How do we know how to create a good teaching tool?

BEFORE YOU CREATE YOUR TOOL, each partner must complete an evaluation of an

existing patient education tool. This is helpful because it will help you learn what not to do as well

as what is helpful. You can often find patient education pamphlets (etc.) in hospitals, clinics,

physician’s offices, pharmacies, etc. Each partner’s teaching tool evaluation is submitted as part of

the “written paper” portion of the project.

Does it have to be a pamphlet?

Absolutely not! This is one place where creativity should be rampant. It could be a

pamphlet, a poster, a newsletter, a videotape, an audiotape with booklet guide, a model to use for

demonstration – or any other creative tool you can use to teach someone. Amaze us!

When is all this due?

The dates for submitting the proposal and the FINAL DUE DATE are on the calendar.

The latter is far enough into the course so you will be conversant with most of the concepts and

will have time to research and develop your ideas.

Hey! What about grading?

The project will count 20% of your course grade. (Wow!) This is reflective of how

much the faculty value how well you can think, write, speak, organize and use the content you

have learned in the practice of nursing. The graded project (minus the 10% oral presentation

grade) will be returned to you in class prior to the oral presentation.

Why do an oral presentation, too?

Because we will get to see others’ incredibly creative projects and each couplet will

speak to the class very briefly (5 minutes), telling about your particular accomplishment and

bursting with pride. Everyone will get to see what great creators, thinkers, writers, organizers and

speakers you all have become.

How do I become expert enough about my topic to create a teaching tool?

We’re so glad you asked. It is imperative to be expert at a subject before trying to teach

it to someone else. There are many sources for information, varying with your topic. The TTC and

MUSC libraries have excellent nursing online databases to search for professional literature.

Popular magazines and outpatient clinics are some good sources for both professional literature,

respectively.

The bibliography must be typed and should contain references consulted in preparing

the project as well as those you actually used. The list must contain at least 3 recent (5 years or less)

journal articles from professional literature used in preparing the project. Patient teaching tools

that each partner critiques also need to be included in the bibliography.

What is the difference in references used and references consulted?

This will depend on the nature of your topic and your audience. Let’s pretend the topic

of your project is Fireworks Safety in Children. Here is an example of the same article used two

different ways.

Article: Fireworks: Statistics involving injury to children ages 6-10 during the July 4th holiday.

USED: If your audience included parents of school-aged children with a college education,

you may cite some of the statistics from this article as part of your project.

CONSULTED: If your audience is school-aged children, you may just need to understand

what the common injuries to children are so that you can present “Safety Awareness” to

them in a way they can understand in your project.

If you quote anything in your project directly from a reference, you must cite the

reference in your project, using correct APA format for quoted material. If you paraphrase in your

project from a reference, including the correct reference in your bibliography sheet will be

sufficient.

I’m getting confused about the schedule of events. Can you tell me again?

Sure.

1) First, turn in the proposal on the due date indicated on the calendar.

2) This will be returned to you within 5 working days.

3) Work diligently on project.

4) On the DUE DATE turn in the:

• Project itself

• Two grading sheets (project and oral presentation)

• Formal paper (project information page, patient teaching tool evaluations,

bibliography)

• Copies of three professional journal articles

• Educational tools that were evaluated for formal paper

How professional does all this have to be?

Very. Documentation should always be in correct APA form. Remember to use

complete sentences. If, for some unusual reason a quote is used, it must be credited in the

appropriate way, as always. Materials should be clean (no jelly or coffee stains), crisp, pleasing to

the eye, accurate, and 100% your work. Plagiarism is illegal, unprofessional, and very bad for you.

It will be dealt with according to the College’s policy for academic misconduct, as stated in the TTC

Catalog.

Remember, all submitted materials are reviewed for grammar, format, and spelling.

Any other directions?

Yes. To keep organized, you will be provided with a large brown envelope. It would

be a good idea to put all your materials in this for safekeeping. You should also use the envelope

to turn in your materials on the DUE DATE. Put your name(s) on the outside of the envelope. If

your tool will fit in the envelope, use it. If it won’t fit, then don’t! If it doesn’t fit, make sure each

piece is identified with your names so it will all be together for grading.

Can I turn it in late?

No! I’d advise against this as the penalty is 5 points per day for each and every day

that it is late. (See Course Materials.) Plan ahead!

It is due at the beginning of class on the due date listed in the calendar.

Why am I doing this again?

To further your abilities in critical thinking, creativity, written and oral communication,

planning and organizing, teaching skills, and the content you will learn in NUR 208.

Do I really have to get up and talk about my project on the designated day?

Yes, in order for you and your partner to get points for the oral presentation

(10 possible points). Everyone has to say a few words, so you and your partner must speak.

How come I get to work on such a great project?

Just lucky, I guess.