Whether it’s watching a video to review a concept learned in class,taking a practice test or utilizing a virtual reference bookshelf, Assessment Technology Institute (ATI) is helping area nursing students hone the skills they will need in their careers.
The Internet-based nursing education program, launched in 2006, is used by more than 20,000 instructors and 225,000 students in about 2,100 colleges and universities nationwide, according to ATI. The content is developed and written by nurses and the program can be accessed from any Internet-enabled computer.
Locally, the program is used at Lourdes University, Mercy College, Owens Community College, Stautzenberger College, Toledo School of Practical Nursing and the University of Toledo, according to ATI. Stautzenberger is the most recent school to add ATI to its nursing curriculum. The first class began using the program in January, said Kelly Burkholder-Allen, assistant administrator of Stautzenberger’s practical nursing program.
“We have just implemented it to the very first group, so it will take a while to build our database and learn from it, but there has been nothing thus far that has not impressed my socks right off,” Burkholder-Allen said.
ATI is customizable to accommodate any curriculum or learning style. “A lot of our students are part of a video and online age and I think this speaks to them. It’s not static; it’s very
dynamic,” Burkholder-Allen said. “If a student is a visual learner, there are interactive graphics and online tutorials. If students are audio learners, there is an audio portion in conjunction with the video that is fantastic. There is also step-by-step information with chartsand pictures that work with students who do well with written material.”
Owens Community College has been using ATI since 2007, said Amy Dixon, assistant chair of nursing atOwens. She said she often hears from students who wish they would have utilized ATI’s study tools more and sooner than they did.
Owens plans to trial a new ATI program, Real Life Clinical Reasoning Scenarios, thissummer. Students will watch video scenarios of patients and their symptoms andchoose how to respond. The outcome of the video will change depending on their responses.
For more information, visit the website atitesting.com.
