The Psychometric Properties of the Universal Design in Healthcare Education Instrument.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Universal design (UD) teaching approaches provide access to learning environments for diverse postsecondary students; however, UD practices in healthcare education have rarely been examined. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the construct validity and reliability of the revised Universal Design in Healthcare Education (UDinHE) instrument. METHODS: The exploratory structural equation model (ESEM). RESULTS: The ESEM revealed an acceptable model with good internal consistency for the subscales, except trialability (α = .59). All scales had a Cronbach's alpha > .70, except social system support. In the final CFA without trialabiity, the model showed good adjustment to the data Χ²(334, n = 222) = 651.188, comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.91, Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) = 0.90, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.06, 0.07]). CONCLUSION: This instrument performs similarly with a broader population of healthcare educators as with nurse educators; however, future instrument refinement is warranted.

Teaching Online Graduate Nursing Students Cultural Diversity From an Ethnic and Nonethnic Perspective.

Introduction: Nursing programs requiring a short-term cultural diversity immersion experience can impose financial, family, and work schedule hardships for graduate students. This study aimed to measure changes in cultural practice, awareness, sensitivity, and behaviors before and after completing an online cultural diversity course without travel. Methodology: A quasi-experimental pretest/posttest design collected data from a convenience sample of graduate nursing students (n = 37) enrolled in a 16-week online course using the Cultural Competency Assessment (CAS/CCB), Culturally Congruent Care for Advanced Nursing Course Objectives (CCCAN-CLO) and Teaching/Assignment Inventory tools. Results: There was a statistically significant increase in graduate nursing students' cultural competency postcourse scores: CAS, t(36) = -5.16, p < .001; CCB, t(36) = -5.42, p < .001; CCCAN-CLO, t(36) = -6.21, p < .001. Students identified conducting cultural interviews and online discussions as the most effective teaching strategies and assignments for learning cultural diversity content. Conclusion: Effective approaches for teaching graduate nursing students' cultural diversity for practice are available for online learners.

Universal Design for Instruction in Nursing Education: An Integrative Review.

AIM: The aim of the study was to explore the use of universal design for instruction (UDI) in nursing education. BACKGROUND: Educators seek to employ innovative pedagogies accessible to diverse learners across learning environments. UDI, an inclusive strategy for meeting this goal is not well known in nursing education. METHOD: An integrative review was used to meet the study's aim. Five databases were searched for literature published between 2000 and 2013. RESULTS: Of 45 articles retrieved, only three studies and 14 feature articles met the inclusion criteria. A literature matrix was used to synthesize major concepts to create theme labels: marginalized students as a vulnerable population, faculty lack of knowledge of UDI, reactive versus proactive instructional design, and best teaching practices. CONCLUSION: The lack of UDI knowledge by educators is a barrier to its usage. Implications and recommendations for adopting universal design in nursing education are discussed.

Development and Psychometric Examination of the Inclusive Teaching Strategies in Nursing Education Instrument.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Nurse educators might be unknowingly excluding learners secondary to teaching practices. Universal design for instruction (UDI) prepares and delivers accessible content and learning environments for diverse learners; however, it is not well known in nursing education. The aim of the study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Inclusive Teaching Strategies in Nursing Education (ITSinNE) 55-item instrument. METHODS: Confirmatory factor analysis was performed on a sample of 311 educators in prelicensure programs. RESULTS: The ITSinNE scales had good to adequate estimates of reliability. The exogenous model fit the sample and model-implied covariance matrix; however, the endogenous model was not a good fit. CONCLUSIONS: Further instrument development is required. Measuring factors influencing nurse educators' willingness to adopt UDI will enable intervention research to enhance professional development fostering content and environmental access for all learners.

Service Dogs in the Perioperative Setting.

Service dogs are critical for the independence of individuals with disabilities because they assist with daily living activities and help these individuals navigate society. Perioperative nurses need a working knowledge of disability laws pertaining to service dogs to provide patient-centered care for individuals using service dogs. This article provides information on the Americans With Disabilities Act regulations regarding service dogs, makes recommendations for the care of patients with service dogs across the perioperative continuum, and offers policy directives to ensure that safe, high-quality care is delivered to patients using service dogs.

Measuring Nurse Educators' Willingness to Adopt Inclusive Teaching Strategies.

AIM: The purpose of the study was to examine the characteristics and relationships of nurse educators' teaching practices, knowledge, support, and willingness to adopt inclusive teaching strategies (WillAdITS). BACKGROUND: Adopting more inclusive teaching strategies based on universal design for instruction is an innovative way for educators to reach today's diverse student body. However, the pedagogy has not diffused into nursing education. METHOD: Descriptive statistics and hierarchical multiple regression were used for analyzing data from 311 nurse educators in prelicensure and RN to BSN programs. FINDINGS: The model explained 44.8 percent of the variance in WillAdITS. The best indicators for this pedagogy were knowledge of universal design for instruction, social system support for inclusive teaching strategies, multiple instructional formats, and years of teaching. CONCLUSION: Knowing factors influencing the adoption of inclusive teaching strategies can inform schools of nursing of areas needing further development in the preparation of novice to experienced educators to teach diverse learners.

Videoconferencing expands nursing students' cultural realm.

Nurse educators struggle to provide culturally diverse community health clinical placements that cultivate cultural awareness, knowledge, and competence among baccalaureate nursing students. Public health nurses observe that many new nursing graduates lack the fundamental knowledge, skills, and affective behaviors necessary to work with culturally diverse populations. To address this, nursing faculty from two schools partnered to strategize, design, implement, and evaluate a community health assessment project using the instructional method of videoconferencing. The goal was to maximize students' exposure to and engagement with geographically and demographically dissimilar populations. Through videoconferencing, students from two distant schools were able to exchange and actively discuss their community health assessments. Videoconferencing gave students the opportunity to exchange community assessments and perceptions augmented by technology and guided through faculty networking. This article describes a piloted teaching strategy by which students performed and exchanged their community health assessments from diverse populations to enhance their cultural awareness.