History & Overview

Growing numbers of nursing faculties around the world believe that new models of education are required for nurses to develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities to be critical thinkers, independent decision makers, lifelong learners, effective team members and competent users of information technologies. Problem-based Learning (PBL) has emerged as the most promising approach to pursue when implementing a major shift in the philosophy, structure and process of nurse education curricula (Rideout, 2001).

PBL was developed originally as an alternative approach to the education of physicians and first implemented at McMaster School of Medicine in 1969. In the mid 1970’s the School of Nursing adopted this methodology in a hybrid curriculum where all the nursing courses were taught using PBL. The present curriculum consists of 60 percent nursing courses using student-centered, self-directed, PBL in small group tutorials. The remaining 40 percent of the BScN Programme consists of health sciences and elective courses that use a combination of approaches.

Since 1992, McMaster University School of Nursing has been internationally recognized as a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Nursing Development. It has as its two areas of expertise, primary care nursing and teaching methodologies- of which PBL is the primary educational approach. With a reputation of excellence in curriculum development, faculty has expertise in all aspects of PBL and has formalized educational research through the Nurse Education Research Unit (NERU).

The impetus to formalize The Institute for Nurse Educators (Institute) arose out of ever increasing requests for a more structured, comprehensive approach to meet the learning needs of visiting professors interested in continuing education in Problem-based Learning (PBL). Although at the time, a number of very short, one week, courses were available, they did not address the challenges specific to adapting PBL to nursing curricula. Consequently the major focus of the Institute is a four-week workshop and seminar series, called “Travel & Learn: Problem-based Learning for Nurse Educators”, available every August. The content of this four-week series encompasses the underlying tenets of PBL in nurse education, resource development, evaluation and the transition from traditional teaching to student-centered, self-directed, PBL in the small-groups. The secondary focus of the Institute is self-directed educational sabbaticals offered to educators who have a basic knowledge of PBL and would like to further develop their understanding of how it is implemented and skills of group facilitation. Participants in either the four-week or sabbatical programme have opportunities to discuss educational research and clinical issues with McMaster faculty and associates through consultations and clinical site visits. The continuing education component of this series is complemented by a number of delightful cultural activities that provide a forum for participants and McMaster faculty to get to know each other a little better. Institute staff will also be pleased to assist visitors with arranging excursions to points of interest throughout Canada and the USA.