Improving multidisciplinary collaboration among baccalaureate nursing students with Challenge-Based Learning: A quasi-experimental study in Hong Kong samples

Abstract

Background Challenge-Based Learning (CBL), which is an experiential team-based pedagogy, was adopted in the baccalaureate nursing programme to foster nursing students' collaboration ability. One core feature of CBL that warrants such experience is that students must work out an intervention for the target clients in a big team comprising classmates and other relevant personnel in the community. It is believed that such feature can cultivate nursing students' collaboration skill.

Objective To evaluate the effect of CBL on the collaboration skill of baccalaureate nursing students.

Methods It was a quasi-experimental study with one group pre-post-test design. 94 baccalaureate nursing students who enrolled in a public health course designed by CBL was recruited in a self-financing institution in Hong Kong. An 18-item Collaboration Scale was used to measure collaboration skill. Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test was used to compare the collaboration score pre- and post-intervention.

Results All participants had completed the questionnaires with no missing data. The post-intervention total collaboration score and its three subscale scores (satisfaction with collaboration, impact of collaboration, trust and respect) were significantly higher than the pre-test's ones (p < 0.0001).

Conclusion The study provides first piece of empirical evidence to support CBL as a potential pedagogy to foster collaboration skill in nursing students. Further studies with more rigorous design are needed to reveal the full potential of CBL as an effective pedagogy for collaboration skill development.