NUR244 Maternity, Child and Adolescent Nursing Care Assessment

Task Description

In this assessment task, you will demonstrate your ability to critically explore a practice issue identified in Assessment task 2, and present the evidence to answer this question.  You will use current best research evidence to identify actual and potential improvements in practice and patient outcomes, and report this via a presentation that would be appropriate in a professional setting.  Recommendations for future research to further enhance and promote evidence-informed practice will also be included.  

As nurses rarely work alone, and research is best done in collboration, you are warmly encouraged to complete this assessment task with a partner.   You may divide the task as you choose; both members of the pair will receive the same mark and grade, so it's a good opportunity to take advantage of each other's strengths to maximise your results!

If you work as a pair, you may choose either topic from AT2 and use this as the basis for your presentation. 

Instructions

Begin the presentation by introducing your topic, and clearly state the question formulated in assessment task 2 (or an adjusted version, if this has been suggested by the AT2 marker).

Identify the four articles you have found to address this question and, using a recognised hierarchy of evidence, identify the level of evidence these provide. Again, if your AT2 marker suggested that one or more of the articles identified in that assessment task be changed, you can use new articles - but ensure you identify them clearly in the presentation.

Choose the article which provides the highest level of evidence, and use the appropriate CASP tool to appraise this articles to evaluate the strength and quality of evidence it provides.  Complete the CASP tool and upload it into the dropbox, along with the article itself, and include a brief overview/summary of your answers in the presentation.   

Finally, answer your clinical question based on the evidence found, including recommendations for practice and for future research.

While the format of your presentation is entirely your choice, a suggested format might be:

• Slide 1 - intro (your name/s, student ID/s, and the topic)
• Slide 2 - state your question.
• Slide 3 - identify the four articles you have chosen to help answer this question.
• Slide 4 - identify the level of evidence these provide, using a recognised hierarchy of evidence
• Slides 5, 6 and 7 - evaluate one article using an appropriate CASP tool, answering all questions
• Slide 8 - give the answer to your question 
• Slide 9 - make recommendations for practice based on this answer and the principles of EIP, drawing on all the articles found and the wider evidence base
• Slide 10 - make recommendations for future research
• Slide 11 (not counted in the slide count) - reference list.  Alternatively, you can prepare your reference list as a word document and submit it separately into the dropbox.

It is important to emphasise that this is a suggestion only and that you should not feel constrained by this format - there are many ways you can present this assessment and you are encouraged to be creative. However, addressing assessment criteria and delivering a clear message should be at the fore of your mind.  Some tips on presenting can be found in the 'specific guidance' section below.

PLEASE NOTE:  The focus of this assessment task is NOT the topic itself; it is on the evaluation and application of evidence to answer a clinical question.

Other important information

Submitting a narrated PowerPoint or video

It is best not to submit a large video file, or presentation file with audio narration into a MyLO submission folder.  

Instead, you should share a link to your recording. UTAS provides software that you should use as it is fully supported and you can contact the IT Service Desk for help.

There are detailed instructions on the next two pages related to:

1. Recording a narrated PowerPoint with Echo360 Universal Capture Software
2. Submitting a video for assessment

Specific guidance and FAQs

Tips for presenting

DO

• Avoid too many words on your slides - just include the essential message (in this case, dot points are preferable to full sentences and paragraphs!), and use your narration to fill in the details.
• Focus on one idea/topic per slide.
• Make the slide easy to read - don't use too many colours or fonts, and if you use an image, don't let it overpower or interfere with text. Make sure the font is big enough to read.  And proof read - spelling errors and typos detract from the professionalism of a presentation.
• Try to find a quiet place to record your narration, so background noise doesn't drown you out.

DON'T

• Don't just read the text on the slides - your audience can do this themselves.  Give extra information to add value.
• Don't speak too quickly, and leave a brief gap when you change slides, so your narration doesn't get lost.  

FAQs

May we alter or amend the question from the one asked in assessment task 2?  Yes, if the feedback you received from AT2 suggests that your question has weaknesses, we recommend that you refine the question to increase your chances of answeing it well.  You may also choose another question altogether if you wish, but note that this is not recommended as you will not have the AT2 feedback to draw on.

May we find alternative articles to the ones used in assessment task 2?  Yes.  Again, if the feedback you received on these articles in assessment task 2 suggests they are not the best choices, it is recommended that you try to find more suitable replacements to base your discussion and recommendations on.

How do we include references? You should include in-text references (name, date) on the slides where appropriate, but you may do this via footnotes (a superscript number next to the information being referenced, with the name, date information at the bottom of the slide) if you prefer.  Full citations should appear on the final slide/s of the presentation - these slides are not included in the slide count or time limit.

Do we have to submit the script of the presentation?  No.
Do we have to submit the completed CASP tool?  Yes - this will allow us to see how you have interpreted and evaluated the article.  The article itself should also be uploaded.
What if we can't find a definite answer to the question?  If there is no clear-cut answer, don't worry - this is not uncommon!  Just make it clear that the evidence is not strong enough yet. You can make recommendations for practice based on ethical principles of beneficence and non-maleficence, and provide suggestions for future research that would help fill the gaps in the evidence base or provide more useful answers.  
I'm quite nervous doing a presentation - will we lose marks if it's not perfect?  No - we're not expecting you to produce expert-level presentations and we know from personal experience that it's easy to stumble over words.  But we do need to be able to read the slides and hear you clearly, and we do expect professionalism - i.e. no inappropriate language or behaviour.
What if we go over the ten-minute limit?  As with all assessments, you have a plus or minus 10% leeway - this means that if you go over 11 minutes, we will stop watching and marking your presentation.  Consider your timing carefully, and make every word count!

Task format

This report should be submitted as an electronic presentation and must include citations and references.  The presentation should not exceed 10 minutes (plus or minus 10%), and include a maximum of 10 slides (not including the slide/s containing references).

You may present your work as a recorded PowerPoint or as a video presentation via Echo360. Instructions on how to submit these formats can be found on the next two pages - please read these carefully as we cannot assist you with the upload and we cannot accept the assessment task in any other format.  (If you are considering an alternative to PowerPoint, it is advisable to contact the Unit Coordinator first to check that it is appropriate.)

Referencing 

Use the School of Nursing guidelines for UTas Harvard referencing. These can be found in the Essential Information School of Nursing section of MyLO.   Please note you must include in-text referencing and a reference list, as with any piece of academic work.  Failure to do so will affect your grade.