The coordination of clinical and didactic learning experiences to improve critical-thinking skills and academic performance

Teaching strategies to improve critical-thinking skills and knowledge construction in associate degree (AD) nursing education are most effective when they actively engage the student. Faculty in an Illinois nursing program developed a schedule that correlated classroom content with clinical experiences for the predominant medical-surgical units. While planned didactic/clinical correlation yielded mixed results as a strategy to improve academic performance, providing students with active clinical learning experiences is reinforcing to adult learning styles of AD students. (C) 2008 National Organization forAssociate Degree Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.