How UR Nursing is leveraging iPad devices and other technologies to transform nursing education.
The Redefining Our Classroom Initiative, or iROC, leverages technology to shift the traditional classroom into a dynamic learning environment. The initiative aims to revitalize the way we teach and better prepare UR Nursing students for a successful career in health care; honing their critical thinking and clinical judgment skills in a complex and evolving health care environment.
We’re pleased to be recognized as an Apple Distinguished School for 2021-2024 after launching the iROC mobile learning initiative to achieve our vision for 21st-century nursing education practices.
The U.S. health care environment continues to evolve, and in turn, so do the demands on nurses and nursing students. New nurses are expected to care for high acuity patients in fast-paced, unpredictable clinical settings where quick decision making and critical thinking skills are pivotal to positive patient outcomes.
To educate safe and competent future nurses, students need to be engaged in activities that foster critical thinking and improve clinical judgment. To do so, nursing educators need to go beyond traditional lecture-based curriculums and shift to a more personalized learning approach, one where students are able to apply content learned in the classroom to the clinical setting.
To drive that approach forward, UR Nursing introduced the iROC initiative in 2018. The initiative integrates active learning strategies in a dynamic, digital classroom to support UR Nursing students on their journey of becoming the nursing leaders of tomorrow.
The iROC Initiative has enabled digital technologies to foster an environment of discovery which puts our students at the center of their own learning experience.
Students use the iPad in the skills/simulation labs and in their clinical experiences to document electronic records, scan patient barcodes, review case studies, and participate in virtual simulations.
Our faculty and instructional designers are dedicated to innovation at every educational level, from developing evidence-based curricular goals and reinvigorating course delivery methods, to integrating more hands-on, active learning strategies.
Launched in 2019, Accelerated Nursing students receive an iPad on the first day of orientation and utilize it throughout their classroom, lab, and clinical experiences over the 12 month program.
Launched in 2018, students receive an iPad in the RN to BS Online program to complete interactive and hands-on online courses, ensuring students have equitable access to technology and IT support.
A pilot in our Nurse Practitioner programs, students use the iPad in clinical settings to bring current evidence to the bedside and facilitate best practices in patient education. Master's in Nursing Education students are also involved in developing and delivering iROC initiatives.
The iROC Initiative was launched in the Accelerated Program for Non-Nurses in 2019. Students receive an iPad on the first day of orientation and utilize it throughout their classroom, lab, and clinical experiences over the 12 month program. After implementation, students performed better on the Comprehensive Health Assessment exam and were more satisfied with instruction materials, workload, and resources.
The iROC Initiative was launched in the RN to BS Online program in 2018. Students receive an iPad to complete interactive and hands-on online courses, ensuring students have equitable access to technology and IT support.
Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education Annual Conference June, 2019
Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education Annual Conference June, 2019
The iROC (Redefining Our Classroom) Initiative began at UR Nursing
Current number of students utilizing iPad devices across UR Nursing programs
Median exam score of the Comprehensive Health Assessment with the Flipped Classroom Approach and iPad devices.