Learning packets in nursing education: Reviving the past

Learning packets gained popularity in nursing education in the 1960’s. Recently, they have been cited as strategies for distance learning. The aim of this project was to integrate Topic Focused Learning Packets as a complementary teaching strategy for presentation of new content to large classes of undergraduate nursing students. In addition to reducing in-class content presentation time, goals included: fostering critical thinking, actively engaging the student, and providing opportunities for team-based interaction. Rationale, design process and packets will be described. The learning packet was viewed positively by the students and faculty. Among 134 students, 119 strongly agreed or agreed that the learning packet was effective in increasing their understanding of the content and achieving the course objectives.