With the rapid move to virtual teaching as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many undergraduate nursing educators are seeing an alarming trend―a decrease in student engagement is leading to declining NCLEX pass rates. So, how can we as educators meet the needs of our students so that they don’t fall behind while working within the confines of a virtual classroom? 

During "Virtual Engagement Woes: An Open & Honest Dialogue for Undergrad Nursing Educators" we discussed the challenges that educators are facing in the online classroom as well as actionable solutions to your virtual engagement woes.

During "Virtual Engagement Woes: An Open & Honest Dialogue for Undergrad Nursing Educators," online teaching experts explored topics such as:

• How can educators motivate students to stay engaged and focused in the virtual classroom?
• What are tools, resources, and innovations that educators can utilize to keep students on track?
• How can educators address and overcome the outbreak of virtual cheating and work to maintain academic integrity?

Our panelists included:

Maria Flores-Harris, DNP, RN, CNE, Executive Director of Nursing

Maria has over 25 years of experience as a registered nurse in the clinical and educational settings. She received her Bachelor’s of Science and Master’s of Science in Nursing (Geriatric Nurse Practitioner focus) from Clemson University and remains loyal to her Clemson Tigers! She received her Doctorate degree with a focus on Nursing Education Leadership from American Sentinel University. She has served in many roles including nursing faculty and director roles in practical nursing and registered nursing programs. Her areas of interest and expertise are nursing school success, NCLEX success, learning science, academic integrity, and test construction and item writing and has spoken extensively at regional and national conferences. She is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society and the International Center for Academic Integrity.

Kristin Murner, MBA, MSEd, Director, Learning Design

Kristin has worked in traditional, distance/online, and for-profit education for over 20 years. She has taught undergraduate marketing on an Army base; chemistry, algebra and physics at a private K-12 school, and she has delivered and proctored more standardized tests than one should ever have to count. At Kaplan Test Prep, Kristin helps craft tools and policies that promote solid learning science across all of KTP’s business units. She holds a BS in health physics, an MBA in marketing, and an MSEd in instructional design and technology.

Moderated by:

Dennis Yim, Director, Live Online Courses, Kaplan

Dennis Yim is a veteran Kaplan instructor with nearly 15 years of teaching experience. He is a veritable highly-rated test prep coach who has helped over 10,000 students achieve their best scores on exams like the SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT. He enjoys helping them on their journey from their first class to test day, with confidence, and reach their college and graduate school admission goals. With passion and dedication, Dennis provides all the support he can to his students.

In his current role as Director of Live Online courses, Dennis is charting the future of digital education while listening very closely to students along the way. As a product owner, he partners with various teams in order to continue improving student experience and outcomes.

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