Jennifer McClendon, DNP, uses the active learning approach that incorporates team-based learning and the following active learning strategies: assignments, quizzes, exams and evaluations.These are designed to facilitate the students’ development of higher-order thinking skills and apply the principles and generalizations to new problems. McClendon ascribed to the social cognitive theory in her teaching philosophy and believes that learning is highly context dependent and occurs in environments that include social aspects, which involve classrooms, other students and groups. There are four process that are crucial to engage the students and create an active learning environment. McClendon will assign reading assignments, PowerPoint lectures to graphically represent complex content, case studies and Skills Lab’s videos. She will have an interactive lecture with breaks for the groups to complete class/group assignments such as a multiple choice quiz on the assigned material which is immediately graded. An open discussion follows the quiz to provide immediate feedback, identify areas of confusion and clarify the concepts.
