| Course | NUR 635 Teaching and Learning for Nurse Educator |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 1 |
| Paper type | Discussion post on learning styles and evidence-based teaching |
| Length | About 340 words, 3 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Southern New Hampshire University |
| Program | MSN |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for NUR 635 Module 1
Module One Discussion
I Used to Sort My Students by Learning Style
For three years, every new graduate in my orientation program completed a learning styles questionnaire on the first morning. Visual learners got flowcharts, auditory learners got recorded explanations and kinesthetic learners got extra skills lab time. The new nurses liked it, and I believed it helped. This week's reading convinced me I was wrong, or at least that I had no evidence I was right.
The idea behind learning styles is intuitive: people differ in how they prefer to take in information, so teaching should match those preferences. A review by cognitive psychologists examined what evidence would be needed to support that claim. They argued that a valid test requires students classified by style to be randomly assigned to different teaching methods, with the matched method producing better learning for each style. They found almost no studies with that design, and the few that existed contradicted the claim (Pashler et al., 2008). Preferences are real; the benefit of matching them is not established.
Later work pointed the same way. In a study of undergraduate anatomy students who completed the VARK inventory, most did not actually study in ways that matched their reported style, and those who did were no more successful in the course. Some study strategies, whatever the student's style, were associated with better performance (Husmann & O'Loughlin, 2019).
What should educators do instead? The better question is what the content requires. Heart sounds need to be heard, wound staging needs to be seen and injection technique needs to be practiced, for every student. Beyond that, some strategies help nearly everyone. In a well-known experiment, students who tested themselves on a prose passage retained much more of it after a week than classmates who used the time to reread it, although the rereading group predicted they would do better (Roediger & Karpicke, 2006). I now use short recall quizzes in orientation instead of style-matched handouts.
Question for classmates: does your program still use learning styles inventories, and what would it take to change that?
References
Husmann, P. R., & O'Loughlin, V. D. (2019). Another nail in the coffin for learning styles? Disparities among undergraduate anatomy students' study strategies, class performance, and reported VARK learning styles. Anatomical Sciences Education, 12(1), 6-19. https://doi.org/10.1002/ase.1777
Pashler, H., McDaniel, M., Rohrer, D., & Bjork, R. (2008). Learning styles: Concepts and evidence. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 9(3), 105-119. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1539-6053.2009.01038.x
Roediger, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). Test-enhanced learning: Taking memory tests improves long-term retention. Psychological Science, 17(3), 249-255. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01693.x
What the NUR 635 Module 1 instructions ask for
The first NUR 635 discussion generally asks what you believe about how students learn and where those beliefs came from, often inviting you to examine a common teaching practice, a learning theory or your own experience as a learner. Some prompts ask specifically about learning styles, multiple intelligences or adult learning. A first post of about 300 to 500 words, resting on a couple of APA 7 sources, is a sensible target, with replies to follow as the week goes on. Be willing to question a belief you hold, show what the evidence says about it and suggest what you would now do differently in your own teaching, since the course rewards teaching choices grounded in research rather than popularity.
How this NUR 635 Module 1 discussion example is built
In this post, a composite clinical educator describes giving every orientation group a learning styles questionnaire and tailoring handouts to the results. She explains the Pashler review's argument that matching instruction to style requires randomized evidence of a specific kind, which barely exists, and adds the Husmann and O'Loughlin study in which anatomy students mostly did not study by their stated VARK style and gained nothing when they did. She reframes teaching around what content demands, cites the Roediger and Karpicke retrieval practice experiment as a strategy that helps nearly everyone and asks classmates whether their programs still use style inventories and what it would take to stop.
Where the NUR 635 Module 1 rubric puts the points
Discussion rubrics in NUR 635 commonly reward critical reflection on beliefs about learning, accurate use of research, application to nursing education, APA 7 citation and meaningful replies. Posts score well when they examine a popular practice honestly, explain what kind of evidence would be needed to support it and propose an alternative with research behind it. Graders tend to value honest self-examination, such as admitting a past practice was not evidence-based. Replies earn credit by adding a contrasting study, another widespread belief or a practical example from a classmate's program, and timely, respectful participation is expected throughout the week, including when classmates disagree with you.
NUR 635 Module 1 help: the mistakes that cost points
First-week posts in NUR 635 tend to lose marks for accepting popular ideas such as learning styles without checking the evidence, by citing websites or inventories rather than research, by dismissing student preferences entirely or by criticizing a practice without offering an alternative. Examine a belief you hold, explain what the research tests and finds, acknowledge that preferences are real even if matching them does not improve learning and suggest an evidence-based strategy. End by asking classmates something they can answer from their programs. If your prompt concerns adult learning or another theory, mention it along with your rubric, and the post will take up that idea instead.
Get NUR 635 Module 1 written to your instructions
Tell us which belief about learning or which classroom practice you want to examine, and share the prompt. We will write a first post that weighs the research fairly and proposes an evidence-based alternative, within 24 to 48 hours, free for your first. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Southern New Hampshire University document.
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NUR 635 Module 1 questions, answered
Where can I find a free NUR 635 Module 1 Discussion sample?
Read the whole post on this page: a nurse educator examines the learning styles myth, the evidence against matching teaching to styles and retrieval practice as an alternative, with APA 7 citations.
Are learning styles supported by research?
A major review found almost no studies with the design needed to test whether matching teaching to learning styles improves learning, and the few that existed did not support it.
What did the anatomy study find about VARK learning styles?
Most students did not study in ways that matched their reported VARK style, and those who did performed no better in the course.
What teaching strategies have strong evidence?
Retrieval practice and spaced review are among the best supported. In one experiment, students who practiced recall remembered much more a week later than students who reread the material.
Should nurse educators ignore student preferences?
No. Preferences are real and affect engagement, but teaching should be driven mainly by what the content requires and by strategies shown to improve learning for most students.