B4

Vein Identification & Readiness Training Using 3D-Printed Education: VIRTUE

Preparing nursing students for real-world clinical practice requires a delicate balance between theoretical knowledge and hands-on skill development. Traditionally, students learn intravenous (IV) insertion and maintenance through textbooks, lectures, and supervised clinical experiences, but opportunities for safe and repeated practice are limited. Research and anecdotal evidence amongst the nursing profession report a lack of confidence in performing IV insertions, especially on patients with challenging anatomy, such as those with obesity. The integration of 3D-printed IV training models, which can be fabricated to mimic a variety of difficult conditions such difficult to locate veins in obese patients, offer a low-risk, high-impact solution to bridge this gap in nursing education. 3D-printed simulation allows students to apply their theoretical knowledge in a controlled, stress-free environment before encountering real patients which can enhance students’ critical thinking and adaptability.

This approach aligns with Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory, which emphasizes learning through direct experience, and Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, which highlights the importance of repeated practice in skill mastery.

By providing students with realistic, hands-on training opportunities, 3D-printed models promote confidence, competence, and patient safety. Students can make mistakes, receive immediate feedback, and refine their technique without causing harm to patients. This method also supports equity in skill acquisition, ensuring all students— regardless of clinical placement variability—receive adequate exposure to essential procedures. Integrating 3D-printed simulation into nursing curricula fosters a transformative learning experience, preparing soon-to-graduate nurses to enter the workforce with greater proficiency and self-assurance. By integrating technology-enhanced teaching strategies, nursing programs can bridge the gap between theory and practice, ensuring that graduates enter the workforce with a solid foundation in IV care, critical thinking, and patient safety.

Presenters

Cold-blooded Filler? Using Generative AI to Encourage Critical and Comparative Analysis When Delivering Bad News: A Case Study in Using AI in a Writing Assignment

This presentation discusses the use of Generative AI (ChatGPT) in a writing assignment in the course, CCMN279. Students must use AI to address an emotionally charged situation: Hughey, a pet reptile, has died of hypothermia. They then must revise this message without AI and offer an analysis and comparison of the two versions of the message. This assignment drives a critical examination of AI’s ability to adequately address a reader’s emotional needs as well as its ability to ethically and effectively represent the writer’s position. The key goal of this assignment is to demonstrate that AI may appear to offer a shortcut to writing tasks, but it cannot sufficiently attune to the complexities of an emotionally charged situation. Learner feedback on the assignment demonstrates that this assignment both shed light on AI’s insufficiencies and improved student writing and self-editing skills.

Presenters

Using Lightboard Technology to Create Engaging Educational Videos

The TMU Libraries collaborated with the Tech for Teaching Studio at the Centre for Excellence in Learning & Teaching to create elearning videos explaining the research process using the Lightboard, an open source hardware. The Lightboard is a glass chalkboard with internal lighting that makes writing glow. It is ideal for lessons that require visual aids like equations or diagrams. The TMU Libraries team used the Lightboard to illustrate how students can narrow down their research question, brainstorm keywords, and combine search terms effectively. Using the Lightboard allowed us to demonstrate search skills without relying on a particular database or search product, meaning the videos won’t have to be redone every time the technology changes. We were also able to break the content down visually into its core components, allowing the learning outcomes to be about understanding the theoretical concepts at play and being able to apply them anywhere.

The Lightboard videos are an application of the Universal Design for Learning principle of “Multiple Means of Representation,” which states that learners benefit from concepts being presented in a variety of ways. These videos, which are easily shareable in D2L or LibGuides, can serve as supplements to the search demos typical of library instruction, be embedded in course shells or assignments to reinforce faculty teaching, or be accessed as just-in-time resources by students working on research papers.

These videos are now available on the Libraries’ website and YouTube and were shared with students enrolled in an academic writing and research course.

Members of the TMU Libraries and the Centre for Excellence in Learning & Teaching will present on the process of collaborating on the creation of our lightboard video series, some of the lessons learned, and the key takeaways for anyone who wants to create their own lightboard videos.

Presenters