At the time of this publication, we will have started our second year of a global pandemic that has vastly influenced and impacted every fabric of our lives. Through many personal and professional challenges, our lives will be changed forever, in one way or another. As a community of nurse educators driven by science, we have been challenged to focus on the positive changes in nursing education brought about by the amazing resiliency of our nurses, educators, students, administrators, and many more.
The COVID-19 pandemic has launched a new era of education with opportunities to generate evidence to support new and evolving pedagogies. Nursing Education Perspectives is dedicated to disseminating research and innovation to advance the science of nursing education as we promote excellence in educating our future nurses as leaders in practice, education, and research. Our Research Briefs section is the perfect place to disseminate the findings of small, single-site, and feasibility studies that will serve as the foundation for larger studies that provide evidence to change and support teaching practices.
Across the globe, there are examples of positive changes that have driven us to new possibilities. However, we cannot accept innovation without research and the demonstration of outcomes, positive and negative. What started out as emergency remote teaching during the pandemic (Hodges et al., 2020) must be transformed into teaching and learning strategies based on evidence and demonstrated outcomes. As nurse educators dedicated to advancing the science of nursing education, it is incumbent upon us to use evidence to change the practice of nursing education; that is why it is so critical for us to disseminate the findings of our research through publication of our work. Our Research Briefs highlight many single-site studies; it would be outstanding if these could be synthesized as integrative or systematic reviews or meta-analyses to provide stronger and higher level evidence for our teaching practices.
Research such as the landmark National Council of State Boards of Nursing study (Hayden et al., 2014) provided groundbreaking evidence on the effectiveness of simulation in the preparation of prelicensure nurses. We continue to have compelling evidence to support the positive outcomes of simulation in both undergraduate and graduate clinical education. However, as we deliver education remotely, we are moving beyond face-to-face simulation and studying the influence of other types of simulation, including virtual simulation and augmented reality. Also, although online education has been around for quite some time, evidence surrounding its effectiveness is needed, especially in programs that have been typically delivered face-to-face. Gaps in the evidence continue to exist as to how these strategies and the balancing of different modalities (e.g., simulation, virtual learning, online education) influence learning outcomes and ultimately the health and outcomes of patients and populations. This evidence can be used to inform innovative curricula and policy development at all levels. For example, it could help guide the amount of simulation or virtual learning faculty integrate into their curricula and provide support for policy makers surrounding the replacement of clinical with simulation.
Conducting research throughout this pandemic has not come without its challenges, such as halted in-person studies impacting data collection, but it has also provided an opportunity for us to come together as a profession like never before, to work together to find innovative solutions. As novices and experts, nurses and patients, innovators and researchers, practitioners and educators, it is important that we work side by side, supporting and mentoring one another as we move toward a common goal-one that is at the core of the National League for Nursing and Nursing Education Perspectives mission to build a strong and diverse nursing workforce to advance the health of our nation and the global community. Our continued diligence in advancing the science of education through the translation of our research findings into the practice of nursing education will help our students at all levels achieve the high-quality outcomes that are vital to the profession.
I continue to look forward to receiving manuscripts for the Research Briefs section that help disseminate the pedagogical evidence to support new ways of teaching and learning. We know that excellence in nursing education is driven by science. Thank you for your commitment to advancing the science of nursing education through your innovation and research. I am excited to see what the future holds for us all.
REFERENCES