Nursing research is a required course in most baccalaureate nursing programs, and evidence-based practice pervades health care. A component in any research course is distinguishing quantitative versus qualitative research design. Although students may have other learning activities about quantitative data analysis, they usually have limited experience with qualitative data collection and analysis. My experience is that nothing works as effectively as doing it. One cost-effective but highly memorable strategy is the qualitative Post-It note exercise during "At the Movies" in class. The activity is simple to set up, inexpensive, and enjoyable. I have DVD copies of 2 of my favorite movies: Stand and Deliver (the story of Jaime Escalante) and The Dead Poets Society. I use both films in the nursing research course. The classroom has big, flat vertical surfaces (blackboard, walls). I purchase a bag of Post-It notes (usually 3 x 3 inches). Each student gets 1/2 of a Post It note packet, usually around 20 to 25 sheets per student. Students are required to watch 30 minutes of the movie's beginning. They are asked to become a qualitative researcher who is studying culture. Students can observe and experience the culture of the school, teachers, and surrounding communities. Once they are done with data collection (watching the film excerpt), I instruct students to write an image (a word) on each Post-It note of something they observed: it can be an object, a symbol, an action, or anything else meaningful.

Students then chain together similar words or ideas by hooking the Post-It notes in a vertical chain and then linking similar chains. At this point, students work in small groups and continue to link similar chains. A final request is for groups to name the chains (themes) with a larger Post-It note at the top. Commonly, groups derive from 5 to 9 themes. We debrief and develop analogies between the exercise and actual qualitative data analytic techniques by discussing thematic interpretation. Students rate this active learning activity consistently high because they "get it." Course evaluations are positive because of the strategy's novelty and experiential strength.