A Dynamic Learning Environment

The iROC initiative aims to create exemplary digital learning environments. On the horizon is a 22,000 square-foot building expansion at the historic Helen Wood Hall, to be complete in early 2022.

The Helen Wood Hall Building Expansion is the architectural embodiment of our commitment to transform nursing education in a digital age. The expansion will feature a 20-bed skills lab, four state-of-the-art simulation labs with high fidelity mannequins, augmented and virtual-reality equipment, and a combination of clinical and experiential learning classrooms to promote a collaborative and active learning environment.

Equipped with Apple TVs, the space will allow UR Nursing to bring clinical into the classroom, allowing students to apply what they learn in the classroom to the bedside.

A Community Health Immersion Experience

Prior to COVID, students had the opportunity to experience community health first-hand by engaging with a community health partner in the final semester of the Accelerated Nursing program. Preserving the community health immersion was crucial and with the disruption in learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, instructional designers rapidly redesigned the experience in Summer 2020 to bring the community to the students.

New learning activities incorporated virtual telehealth simulation, interactive community partner engagement, and virtual exploration of community resources through guided iPad-based digital learning tools.