This fall, for the first time in its history, the Ingram School of Nursing (ISoN) is offering an online, accredited course designed to foster excellence in clinical teaching. “The reality of nursing is we’re taught to nurse, not to teach. Most of us in the nursing field become excellent nurses. But that doesn’t mean we know how to transmit our knowledge,” explains Faculty Lecturer Catherine Ricci, who co-led this project with Tania Perron, Academic Associate with the School’s Clinical Partnership Office.
Accredited by the School’s Online Continuing Nursing Education office (OCNE) for seven hours of learning, this free course is asynchronous, meaning learners can complete the modules at their own pace, and as of Fall 2025, is mandatory for all Ingram School of Nursing hired clinical educators. As Ricci notes, prior to the creation of this course, there was no formalized training available. “Clearly, there was a need to provide a harmonized set of tools and baseline knowledge to help clinical instructors, preceptors and facilitators feel comfortable in these roles.”
The project, which took 18 months to complete, began with a needs assessment. Ricci and Perron worked closely with the OCNE team to create a series of nine modules of content combining video, graphics, interactive quizzes, association games, links to TED talks and other reference materials, and more. Topics include professional nursing practice, clinical teaching basics, student assessment, giving feedback and supporting students in difficulty.
“Tania and I were the subject matter experts, but we relied on the expertise of our creative colleagues in the OCNE to present the content in a visually attractive way that appeals to a variety of learning styles,” says Ricci. In addition to Perron and Ricci, the team included Annie Chevrier, Director of the OCNE, Katherine Logue, Curriculum Designer, and Kirsti Harris, Online Course Designer, with administrative support provided by Pina Pietraroia. “Their support was instrumental to the success of this project,” notes Ricci. With the blessing of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, the team incorporated material from the faculty’s My Teaching Journey, adapting content for the nursing context.
In the coming weeks, the online modules also will be available to nurses precepting ISoN students. “By completing the modules, preceptors will earn 7 accredited hours of continuing education and strengthen their teaching skills when working with our students,” notes Perron
Early feedback from clinical instructors who completed a few of the modules launched in the winter has been positive. As noted by a clinical instructor for Nursing in Illness 3, “The online modules created by the OCNE team were extremely helpful in sharing strategies and methods that CIs [clinical instructors] can use to best mentor students and create positive learning environments. A great resource for all CIs and preceptors taking on a clinical role.”
Not content to rest on their laurels, team members are setting their sights on their next project. “We would love to create an online community of practice where clinical instructors and preceptors can ask questions and support each other in their teaching roles,” says Ricci.