The Teaching and Learning Innovation Digest - May 2023

Faculty and students in the Collaborative
Nursing Degree Program from the School of
Community and Health Studies were invited
to participate in the European Network
on Virtual Simulation Online (ENVISION)
project. Supported by Centennial’s ARAP,
Professor Michelle Hughes, and nursing
students Caitlin Cosgrove and Esther Bodach
travelled to Tarragona, Spain to participate in
this international opportunity.
The ENVISION project is led by Pascale
Vander Meeren from Artevelde University of
Applied Sciences in Belgium with partners from
Toronto Metropolitan University (including the
Centennial College site), Ljudska Univerza
Velenje in Slovenia, Oulu University of Applied
Sciences in Finland, Universitat Rovira i Virgili
in Spain, Ghent University in Belgium, and
Joubel H5P in Norway.
The team travelled to Universitat Rovira i
Virgili in Tarragona, Spain to collaborate
with the international partners on the final
development stages for the ENVISION
project. Cosgrove and Bodach transferred their
knowledge gained from playing and developing
previous Canadian Virtual Gaming Simulations
(VGS) (e.g., Meal Assistance VGS) to the
ENVISION project, and provided insight from
a student perspective during the development
of the Home Health Care and Pediatric
Emergency virtual gaming simulations.
During their time in Spain, the Centennial
nursing team learned about different European
healthcare systems (Belgium, Finland,
Spain, and Slovenia), highlighting similarities
and differences to Canada’s healthcare
system. The students’ inquisitive nature
helped to uncover where the student role
overlapped within each country’s healthcare
system. For example, Cosgrove and
Bodach presented student feedback for the
decision points within the VGS. The students
also shared their experiences with virtual
simulations in an ENVISION video, which will
be posted on their website.
The hosts from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili
generously provided a tour of their simulation
centres and shared how they incorporate
simulation into their nursing curriculum.
International collaboration is essential in
understanding the variations within the different
countries nursing scope of practice (O’Keefe
et al., 2017). Being part of ARAP provided
an immersive experience for the students
to learn about nursing from an international
perspective, enhance their cultural awareness,
and apply theory to a real-world practice
experience (Wihlborg and Friberg, 2016).
Universitat Rovira i Virgili
Knowledge exchange and collaboration with
international partners can help advance
nursing education and virtual simulation
pedagogy in Canada.
This exciting learning experience provided
the nursing faculty and students with the
opportunity to collaborate on an international
project developing VGS. The Centennial
nursing team gained knowledge about virtual
simulation pedagogy, collaborated with the
interprofessional team, and enhanced their
leadership skills on an international level.
Together, faculty and students can reimagine
inclusive learning experiences to advance
nursing education pedagogy. Metzger et
al. (2020) found creating an inclusive
environment through collaboration with students
created a sense of belonging among the
nursing students, which extended into their
nursing practice. Designing inclusive learning
environments, similar to the ENVISION project
experience, can facilitate students’ active
involvement in creating positive change in nursing
education and prepare students for their future
profession (Metzger et al., 2020). Valuable insight
gained from student experiences can increase
engagement and advance faculty teaching
practices for future students.
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