The coordination of clinical and didactic learning experiences to improve critical-thinking skills and academic performance

Teaching strategies to improve critical-thinking skills and knowledge construction in associate degree (AD) nursing education are most effective when they actively engage the student. Faculty in an Illinois nursing program developed a schedule that correlated classroom content with clinical experiences for the predominant medical–surgical units. While planned didactic/clinical correlation yielded mixed results as a strategy to improve academic performance, providing students with active clinical learning experiences is reinforcing to adult learning styles of AD students.