Watch and learn
More students. More anxiety. How prof Jennifer Maffucci is meeting the needs of today's students.
Maffucci details her unique approach to teaching
Standing in front of an audience that included UIC Chancellor Marie Lynn Miranda and faculty from across the university, assistant professor Jennifer Maffucci, EdD, RN, ACNS-BC, described her class this way.
“It’s like a Netflix watch party, with learning as the main event, and almost always less drama.”
The line elicited a big laugh when Maffucci delivered it last year at SparkTalks, UIC’s faculty lightning talks, where UIC’s changemakers are invited to share their innovative work in talks of about three minutes.
But behind Maffucci’s relatable analogy is an innovative teaching methodology that she has developed through extensive research.
Recognizing that both class sizes and anxiety are on the rise, Maffucci set out to invigorate her didactic classes with strategies that would keep her Gen Z students engaged while learning complex nursing skills.
“As educators, we know that active participation is key to learning, but it’s a little intimidating,” she says. “For students who already feel anxious, it’s even tougher. They might hold back, not wanting to speak up in a big group.”
Think, pair, share
Maffucci teaches Health Assessment and Adult Health Nursing, foundational courses where pre-licensure students are expected to master skills such as clinical decision making, prioritization, assessment and communication. In recent years, UIC Nursing has had record enrollment to meet the demand for baccalaureate-prepared nurses, meaning her classes are now larger than ever before.
“Enrollment continues to increase each year, which is awesome, but it also reinforces the need to be more intentional to make sure everyone actively participates,” she says.
Maffucci’s approach involves several steps. First, the class watches videos of real-world scenarios together. Maffucci asks follow-up questions, and the students reflect and respond individually through live polls accessed via their smartphones.
“Everyone, even the quietest students, get a voice this way,” she says.
Next, Maffucci uses a strategy she calls, “think, pair, share.” After the students think independently and respond to the polls, they pair up with a partner to compare perspectives. Then, the class comes back together to share their perspectives while Maffucci guides the discussion.
More details on Maffucci success
The tech is free (she uses a polling software offered by UIC called Echo360), and through the live polls and discussions, Maffucci can get an instant sense of whether the class is understanding the material. In course evaluations and conversations, students say the strategies help them remember the content better, too, Maffucci says.
Maffucci has a doctorate in education with a focus on teaching and curriculum, and she keeps up with the latest literature in the field. That’s great news, and not only for the students she teaches. Maffucci is also UIC Nursing’s student success coordinator for the Chicago campus. In that role, she helps lead “student success huddles” to share strategies with faculty that will help ensure UIC Nursing students are succeeding.
That’s what Maffucci was doing at the SparkTalks presentation, too: spreading the word on the educational strategies she’s pioneering in her classroom.
“I see my role as both a teacher and an amplifier,” she says. “If I can develop a strategy that reduces anxiety and addresses the modern challenges of teaching, then my responsibility is to share it far and wide, turning one classroom’s success into a blueprint for many.”