Supporting Students in the First Year of an Undergraduate Nursing Programme: The Enhance Project

Abstract

In response to the current QAA Scotland (2005a) enhancement theme, focussing on the first year experience in higher education, a team of academics at the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Community Health (NMCH), Glasgow Caledonian University, have introduced a comprehensive approach to induction in the first year of learning. The Enhance Project, although not a conventional research project, is an action-based approach that utilises a multi-method approach to data collection and evaluation. The project currently supports the academic skill development of over 600 first year nursing students and is now focussing on the first year of practice-based learning; promoting enhanced theory/practice integration. This paper discusses the importance of getting it right in the first year of higher education and provides an overview of the project detailing the findings of the primary spiral of activity. The project is an evolving practice-based initiative that aims to enhance student learning in the areas of academic and clinical practice.
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