This session will describe and reflect on the ongoing multi-disciplinary collaboration that led to the creation and evolution of a writing course for baccalaureate nursing students at Fanshawe College. The diverse backgrounds of the presenters, a nurse and an English professor, illustrate this collaboration. We will briefly describe our initial study assessing the writing skills of nursing students in relation to the developing body of literature on the importance of these skills in nursing (Andre & Graves, 2013; Smith & Caplan, 2012; Troxler, Jacobsen Vann, & Oermann, 2011; Zorn, Clark, & Weimholt, 1997). Most importantly, we will also reflect on how we fine-tuned our pedagogical practices in light of our shared experiences teaching the course. As such, this session is relevant not only to writing and nursing educators but also to anyone who needs to address the writing needs of students in any program of study. There will be a strong, continuous interactive component, via such dialogue-inspiring techniques as think-pair-share, as we will invite participants to reflect on, discuss, and articulate strategies for building bridges between writing teachers and disciplinary experts.
Participants will
• describe the development of the writing course, including our initial study.
• share strategies and practices for assessing the writing needs of students in specific programs and designing curriculum to meet these needs
• reflect on these strategies and practices
• articulate problems, solutions, and new, innovative approaches
References
Andre, J.-A. D., & Graves, R. (2013). Writing requirements across Nursing programs in Canada. Journal of Nursing Education, 52(2), 91–97.
Smith, Y. M., & Caplin, M. (2012). Teaching the literacy of professionalism: When clinical skills are not enough. Nurse Educator, 37(3), 121–125.
Troxler, H., Jacobson Vann, J. C., & Oermann, M. H. (2011). How baccalaureate nursing programs teach writing. Nursing Forum, 46, 280–288.
Zorn, C. R., Clark, W. J., & Weimholt, C. J. (1997). Educating the nurse scholar for the 21st century: How an interdisciplinary writing course can help. Journal of Nursing Education, 36, 244–249.
