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    • Professorial Lecture Series 2024-25
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  • Education and Practice

Education and Practice

The Education and Practice theme uses co-design and participatory methodologies to support practitioners and students to translate knowledge into practice using digital innovation.  Many of our projects focus on scoping  the evidence and developing a range of digital resources, enabling practitioners and students to improve the quality of care for service users and carers.

Theme Lead - Dr. Gary Mitchell

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The theme is developing four key areas of activity:

  • Technology enhanced learning
  • Promoting mental health and wellbeing
  • Innovations in assessment
  • Simulated learning

Our vision is to facilitate integrated scholarly activity and promote innovation in  health care education and practice.

IMPACT Case Studies 

Academic Integrity

Led by Laura Creighton, a lecturer in education at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, this research explores the critical relationship between academic integrity and professionalism in nursing education.  The study underscores the need for a proactive approach to promoting integrity and highlights the financial and social pressures that can lead to academic misconduct among nursing students.  The research team at Queen's University Belfast (QUB) and the University of Queensland co-developed a serious digital game with undergraduate nursing students to promote academic integrity and professionalism among nursing students.  This game emphasises the importance of honesty, trust, and integrity in both academic and professional settings.  It can be accessed here: https://www.academicintegritygame.co.uk/

The study employed a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to assess the impact of the serious game.  The results revealed a statistically significant increase in critical thinking, self-regulation, help-seeking, and peer learning.  Participants found the game accessible and engaging, and they recognised the transferable learning it offered.  In conclusion, this study contributes to the promotion of academic integrity in nursing education, offering an innovative and effective tool for students.

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Student Wellbeing

In a collaborative effort led by Clare Hughes and Deirdre O'Neill, two senior lecturers in education at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, an innovative web-based tool, 'The Wellbeing Shelf,' was introduced to nurture resilience among first-year nursing and midwifery students at Queen's University Belfast.  This co-designed web resource aims to bolster students' emotional well-being, given the unique challenges they face in balancing academic coursework with clinical placements.  It can be accessed here: https://www.wellbeingshelf.co.uk/

A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative pre- and post-intervention surveys and qualitative focus groups.  The results revealed that the resource provided a sense of belonging and encouraged students to explore self-care strategies.  This study presents critical insights into the benefits and challenges of a web-based resilience resource for nursing and midwifery students, underscoring the importance of addressing resource accessibility during clinical placements and considering students' initial resilience levels.

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VIEW ALL PROJECTS

Research Expertise of Education and Practice Staff:

  • Systematic and scoping reviews of the literature
  • Policy development
  • Promoting resilience in students and health care professionals
  • Mental health and wellbeing
  • Development of serious games
  • Digital Innovations in curricula
  • Coproduction in curriculum design
  • Simulated learning
  • Service user and carer involvement in curriculum and digital design
  • Assessment
Serious Gaming

The Serious Games Team at Queen's University Belfast is at the forefront of innovation in higher education.  Co-led by Dr Gary Mitchell MBE and Professor Christine Brown Wilson and comprising core members Dr Gillian Carter, and Dr Patrick Stark from the School of Nursing and Midwifery, this team has successfully co-designed, implemented, and evaluated a series of serious games that are enhancing education.  Serious games are interactive digital tools designed not just for entertainment but for educational purposes.  They engage learners, making complex topics more accessible, enjoyable, and memorable.  The team's games are designed to improve knowledge, self-efficacy, and drive behavioural change while ensuring user satisfaction.

These serious games cater to diverse audiences.  From dementia awareness games for the public to kid-friendly versions, including translations into Korean, Indonesian, and Chinese, the team is advancing dementia education.  Their contribution extends to raising awareness about pancreatic cancer, and they've developed an evidence-based nursing game for year one nursing and midwifery students.  Additionally, they've created games focused on influenza and COVID-19, promoting vaccination uptake among nursing and midwifery students.

The common thread across all these initiatives is their commitment to co-designing and robustly evaluating each game, ensuring that they deliver tangible improvements and enhanced learning experiences for users.  Below are some examples of serious games co-designed by our teams:

https://dementiagame.com/

https://kids.dementiagame.com/

https://indonesia.dementiagame.com/

https://www.whatispancreaticcancer.co.uk/

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LGBTQ+ in Pre-Registration Nursing

Led by Professor Michael Brown and funded by the Burdett Trust for Nursing, a pioneering study at Queen's University Belfast delves into the unique healthcare needs of LGBTQ+ individuals. These individuals often experience physical and mental health issues, with a reluctance to seek healthcare due to negative experiences and assumptions made by healthcare providers.  The study focuses on identifying LGBTQ+ health content within nursing and midwifery pre-registration programs, aiming to uncover education best practices and innovations.

Through a mixed-methods approach, the study collected data from 135 Schools of Nursing and Midwifery in the UK and Ireland, involving both surveys and online interviews with academics.  The results revealed three key themes: "LGBTQ+ health across the lifespan," "Taking the initiative for LGBTQ+ health inclusion," and "Identifying and overcoming challenges."  The study underscores the importance of integrating LGBTQ+ health considerations into healthcare education programs, recognising the unique needs of LGBTQ+ individuals and fostering a more inclusive and informed healthcare system.  It also sheds light on the challenges that healthcare professionals face when addressing LGBTQ+ health, emphasizing the need for sensitive, inclusive, and culturally competent education and practice to ensure the well-being of LGBTQ+ people.  The research provides valuable insights for nursing academics and healthcare institutions to improve the care and support offered to LGBTQ+ individuals across different life stages.  Read the paper here: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/11/2/198

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All Ireland Delirium Education

Queen's University Belfast (QUB) and the University of Limerick (UL) are joining forces with a €200,000 grant from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) North-South Programme.  Their collaborative effort focuses on enhancing the prevention, recognition, and management of delirium across Ireland by co-designing an interdisciplinary digital resource for undergraduate health profession students.

 

Delirium is a prevalent condition characterised by a rapid mental function decline, often overlooked or underdiagnosed.  This project aims to bridge the gap in delirium education for health profession students, ensuring they can recognise, manage, and prevent delirium, with insights from various healthcare disciplines.

The initiative is supported by implementation science and a logic model that guides data collection and analysis.  Coproduction is a fundamental methodology, allowing the involvement of service users, clinicians, students, and the public.

The project concludes in 2024 and involves several workstreams including a systematic review, focus group interviews, a Delphi survey, a co-design phase, and acceptability testing.  The digital resource is currently being co-designed by 18 students from QUB and UL: https://www.qub.ac.uk/News/Allnews/2022/Buildingresourcestorecogniseandmanagedelirium.html

Ultimately, the initiative strives to enhance healthcare provider competence in delirium care and create a sustainable, interdisciplinary approach to better patient outcomes.

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Education and Practice
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