2015 marks the 40th year of publication of Nurse Educator. A look at the articles published over the years reveals the development of nursing education as a field of study and the important contributions of the journal to that development. For 4 decades, Nurse Educator has disseminated new ideas to readers and evidence to guide their teaching practices. The first issue was published in May-June 1976, and there were 3 main articles in that issue. The first article, on the teaching-learning process, described the 3 types of learning as "cognitive content," "psychomotor process," and "cognitive process acquisition," which we would refer to today as application of knowledge.1 In this early article by Stevens,1 there was much discussion on the need for practice, not only of motor skills but also of the application of knowledge in multiple situations. What teaching methods were recommended in 1976? They were lecture, the most common teaching method for "transmittal of content"1^(p13); discussion; a panel; and programmed instruction, in which content was organized sequentially with quizzes and feedback, allowing students to progress at their own paces. Another set of teaching methods was recommended for learning processes, such as developing communication skills. Methods recommended for this type of learning included role play, demonstration, and practice in the learning laboratory and clinical setting. We have come a long way, recently publishing articles on multiuser, high-fidelity virtual simulations; podcasting; Web conferencing; flipped classroom; team-based learning; simulated electronic health records; and digital storytelling, to name a few.

In Stevens'1 article, there was no mention of affective learning or of the need to guide students' development of higher-level cognitive skills. Nurse Educator has made a significant contribution to this instruction: we have published hundreds of articles on critical thinking, developing clinical reasoning skills, and teaching strategies for higher-level learning.

Stevens1 recognized the need for enthusiasm in teaching and instilling a sense of excitement in learning, and she mentioned developing good relationships with students. We know today from research that the enthusiasm of the teacher is a characteristic of effective teachers and that positive teacher-student relationships promote learning. In a new study by Powell et al,2 nursing students emphasized the need for having good relationships with their faculty, feeling comfortable in approaching them, and making connections with their teachers.

Another article in the first issue of the journal described a collaborative project between in-service educators from a hospital and faculty from a school of nursing to develop a continuing education (CE) course in critical-care nursing.3 This was an innovative idea at the time because meeting the educational needs of nurses was typically done by the hospital or other type of clinical agency, but in this project a university course for CE was planned as a partnership with the hospital. When schools of nursing transitioned from hospital-based programs to colleges and universities, many severed their relationships with the practice setting. As years went on, however, nurse educators and administrators realized the need for closer ties to one another, and many new and innovative partnerships developed. These partnerships today extend well beyond the hospital, and some are designed to meet specific community needs. An example is a project in which students collaborated with local agencies for Safe Communities America to advance prescription drug overdose prevention efforts in the community.4

I think you will appreciate a few of the comments made by learners in the evaluation of this CE course in critical care nursing. One comment was that there was too much lecture, and more time was needed for use of audiovisuals, group discussion, and laboratory experience (even then, students realized the importance of active learning). Second, nurses in their evaluation of the course recommended more lectures be given by nurses rather than physicians. The authors referred to that recommendation as "one of the more interesting."3^(p29) When the journal began, it was common for physicians to be teaching courses in schools of nursing and lecturing to nurses. Compare that time period to articles in our current issue on interprofessional education (IPE) and collaborative practice. In our lead article, Pardue5 provides a theoretically grounded framework for the design, implementation, and evaluation of IPE. This framework guides faculty in developing collaborative learning experiences for students. Pardue provides practical advice for IPE, presents examples of IPE competencies, and discusses considerations in planning IPE, instructional strategies, evaluation, and faculty reflection.

The third article in the inaugural issue was on the trend toward developing contracts between schools of nursing and clinical sites that provide education for nursing students. Dale6 reported on a study of contractual agreements between schools of nursing in Indiana and Illinois and clinical sites for student experiences. Signed written agreements were not standard practice at the time, and typically arrangements were informal. The author found from her survey that there was a trend toward using a letter, memorandum, or contract with a clinical site. Examples of language used in those contracts, 10 areas typically addressed in them such as the need for cooperation and that staffing patterns should not be altered when students are present, and the rights and responsibilities of interagency affiliation were reported in the article. Contracts with clinical agencies today are complex, in most settings require dedicated staff to manage, and are reviewed by the school's general counsel and the agency's risk management department, among others. No longer are there only 10 general areas covered in clinical agency contracts: today there are pages of specific requirements, which are not consistent across clinical sites.

The mission of Nurse Educator has been to provide new ideas and practical information about teaching, technology, evaluation, program planning, and other areas to meet the needs of nursing faculty, and under the leadership of Suzanne P. Smith, former editor, the journal has met that goal. Suzanne developed the journal into what it is today, and she believed that each of us has the power to transform the nursing education system. Look at our articles over 4 decades, and you will see hundreds of creative ideas developed by nurse educators to meet students' learning needs and improve our educational programs. Nurse educators tackle problems with solutions-through their work, many innovative nursing programs and teaching methods have been developed and evaluated and today are considered best practices. Thank you to our authors, who keep us moving forward by sharing their new ideas and research, and to our readers, who use those ideas to guide their teaching and generate yet other creative approaches. To our Editorial Board, manuscript reviewers, and publisher, thank you for your support of Nurse Educator over the years.

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