by Dr. Janine Overcash and Dr. Joni Tornwall
The Ohio State University College of Nursing provides resources for faculty to deliver state-of-the-art teaching strategies for classroom, laboratory and bedside learning. Because of the high caliber of educational innovations at Ohio State, the college incentivizes dissemination and publication of our many faculty exemplars. The College of Nursing is unique at Ohio State in dedicating funding, time and expertise to develop foundational knowledge in academic scholarship for faculty who are beginning their careers or are new to academics.
The Academy for Teaching Innovation, Excellence and Scholarship (TIES) was established by forward-thinking alumni donors and academic administrators at the College of Nursing who recognized that nursing faculty were implementing creative teaching strategies but often not receiving that support and recognition for their efforts.
Faculty members set the foundation for the college’s reputation as a world-renowned leader in the preparation of competent, confident nurses. Many of the college’s teaching faculty are also clinical experts who may enter their academic role with very little experience in professional writing and publication. TIES supports faculty to disseminate the teaching strategies that prepare Ohio State students to become bedside nurses, nurse practitioners, clinical educators and many other types of healthcare professionals. Faculty supported by TIES disseminate their instructional strategies in national and international peer-reviewed publications, podcasts and video media.
The TIES Academy mission is to inspire nursing faculty to:
- Support the implementation of evidence-based teaching practices in teaching and learning
- Facilitate a community of scholars committed to the development of scholarly teaching in nursing and with interprofessional partners supporting health sciences education
- Promote dissemination of innovative models and approaches to teaching and learning
- Generate new knowledge to inform nursing and inter-professional education
As co-directors of the TIES Academy, we help navigate faculty to create, implement and evaluate novel educational methods; to tell their stories at national and international conferences; and to publish their work in peer-reviewed journals. The resulting presentations and articles promote national recognition for excellent practices in health sciences education for students at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels.
Whether we work one-on-one in consultation or with groups in collaboration, we stay true to the TIES mission by offering the following:
- Individual consultation: offered to faculty who are new to academic life and activities such as writing and publishing, teaching, creating course materials and conducting clinical simulation
- Innovation and Writing Gatherings: offered virtually every month to engage faculty with nationally known nurse educators who serve as journal editors, researchers and organizational leaders in nursing education; speakers present on a variety of topics related to instructional design, writing and publication and competency-based learning
- Instructional Redesign Program: an incentive-based program that is part of an effort through Ohio State’s Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning to recognize, enhance and reward excellence in teaching
- Campus-wide workshop: collaborations on topics such as student-to-student peer review, pedagogically sound implementation of learning technologies and faculty scholarship
- Educational Innovation and Scholarship Incentive Program: initiative for College of Nursing faculty launched in 2020 that aims to increase capacity for authorship and published scholarship related to innovation and excellence in academic nursing education; faculty pair with a mentor to publish a manuscript in a peer-reviewed journal and receive a monetary award; awards have been given to five competitive applications each year that resulted in ten successful publications so far (see examples below)
With gratitude to our generous funders, we aim to continue to develop innovative ways to support faculty and highlight the talents and expertise of our nursing educators, clinicians and professors.
The TIES that bind us all.
Janine Overcash, PhD, APRN-CNP, FAANP, FAAN, is a clinical professor and co-director of the TIES Academy at The Ohio State University College of Nursing. She has vast experience in writing for publication and supports faculty in disseminating educational innovations and nursing education research.
Joni Tornwall, PhD, RN, ANEF, is an associate clinical professor and co-director of the TIES Academy at The Ohio State University College of Nursing. She is an expert in instructional design and educational evaluation and supports faculty in teaching innovation and excellence.
The TIES Academy website includes resources for quality in instructional design, teaching and learning frameworks, nursing education conference information and examples of faculty excellence in nursing education. TIES also collaborates on the College of Nursing Education Podcast hosted by Dr. Tara O’Brien to highlight innovative educational work that professors are doing in the classroom.
Successful publications through the Educational Innovation and Scholarship Incentive Program:
Casler, K., Bobek, H., Pittman, O., & Tornwall, J. (2022). The effect of asynchronous group discussions on nurse practitioner student debriefing experience in virtual simulation. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 34(7), 901-908. https://doi.org/10.1097/JXX.0000000000000720
Hanners, A., Alston, A., & Masciola, R. (2023). The business of Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) education: Practical application strategies to apply business concepts in DNP education. Journal of Professional Nursing, 46, 45-51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2022.11.008
Reuter, J., & Spalla King, T. (2023). A perioperative specialty elective to address the perioperative nursing shortage: Student perspectives and outcomes. AORNJournal, 117(6), 376-383. https://doi.org/10.1002/aorn.13931
Examples of Teaching Innovation and Excellence
Several College of Nursing faculty have shared their stories of excellent teaching with audiences through digital media, including:
- Christa Newtz: “PSA” assignment to enhance communication skills
- Amy Mackos: “muddiest point” assessment strategy
- Kelly Casler: escape room to support clinical decision making
- Kady Martini and Tracy Taylor: virtual clinical skills exercise
