Students' Perception of Important Teaching Behaviors in Classroom and Clinical Environments of a Community College Nursing and Dental Hygiene Program

Abstract

Student success is dependent on effective instruction. Yet, effective teaching is difficult to define and described differently by students, faculty, and administrators. Nursing and dental hygiene education programs require faculty to teach in both classroom and clinical environments. However, accreditation agencies for these programs mandate licensed practitioners as instructors. As a result, they have little to no formal training or experience in education methods. Each semester, colleges and universities use student evaluations of educators to measure effective teaching. However, criteria for evaluation instruments greatly vary. This study focuses on students' perception of important teaching behaviors in classroom and clinical settings for a nursing and dental hygiene program at a Western community college.