Clinical Nursing Instruction via the Plato Simulated Laboratory

Summary A pardon of a medical-surgical nursing study unit was programmed for use on the PLATO system. It was presented to a group of nursing students, six students obtaining information by self-directed inquiry in the PLATO simulated laboratory and seven students in the control group attending their regular class with regular instructor. The experimental and control groups did not differ significantly on a pre-test of subject matter knowledge. A comparison of post-test results showed a difference in favor of the PLATO group that was significant at the .09 level. The value of learning by experimenting was indicated by a correlation of .85 between the number of experiments the students performed and their post-test scores. The number of attempts at questions correlated -.75 with the post-test scores. Using data recorded by the computer, profiles of the students' responses were constructed. They revealed that the students gathered data from the system in different ways, their approach being related to their cognitive style. Those classified by a test of cognitive style as being highly inferential, typically gathered data related to only one question at a time. The approach of those classified as highly relational and analytical was to gather large amounts of data to be used later as necessary in answering the questions. There was a high correlation between inferential approach and maximum utilization of the system. Inferential cognitive style correlated .58 with post-test scores, .72 with the number of experiments performed, and .92 with the number of conditions checked. Although there was a correlation of .70 between the pre-test scores and a measure of the students' ability (A.C.E.), there was no significant correlation between their post-test scores and their measured ability (-.23). The use of a computer-controlled teaching system to provide a simulated laboratory in which to do the experimenting and inquiring allowed sufficient flexibility to allow the students to proceed in their own way. The student response to this type of learning was very favorable.