Open Education Resources now available

When BHP volunteers helped IUBAT build the College of Nursing starting in 2003, we had to create all the learning resources ourselves. We wrote the course lectures and exams based on current textbooks in various subjects so that the syllabus meets the requirements of the nursing councils in Bangladesh, India and Nepal. Each semester successive groups of visiting faculty volunteers updated and improved the content. Fifteen years later, that curriculum has been tested by volunteers with current clinical and teaching experience and used with many batches of students. We are now partnering with Nurses International, a US-based NGO to make these digitized materials available as Open Education Resources [OER], meaning everything can be downloaded, used and adapted without cost under the Creative Commons Licensing system. The intended audience is junior nurse educators who may need support as they begin their teaching careers. Please use the Nurses International link to access the materials or contact BHP if you would like to volunteer with further OER development.

New Open Education Resource

With support from nursing students at Canada’s Kwantlen College, we have just completed a new course, “Introduction to Nursing Part 2”. As with the previous courses (Introduction Part 1 and Medical Surgical Nursing Part 1), this Open Education Resource [OER] is based on the content developed by volunteers teaching at IUBAT. It is intended to assist nurse educators with open access materials, which they can adapt to meet their local needs. The course package includes lectures (PowerPoint and Word format), vocabulary and testing materials, plus critical thinking exercises. We have not yet developed a repository so educators should request access through the “Contact Us” link on our website. Like our work in Bangladesh, Open Resources for Nurse Educators is a volunteer project, so please excuse the slow progress! We welcome more supporters and suggestions for OER.

Recognizing an invaluable faculty member

Sonia Meyer is one of our longest-serving volunteers. With a background in respiratory therapy, she completed her BScN in the USA. Sonia lives year-round in Bangladesh, making time despite job and family responsibilities to supervise IUBAT medical-surgical students in their clinical practice. Managers at United Hospital appreciate the way Sonia emphasizes high-quality nursing care and cooperative relationships with all the staff. Sonia says, “I enjoy working with the students. They get good experience at United Hospital and they are so eager to learn. I am proud that they really care about their patients as if they were their own family.” She is certified by the American Heart Association to teach cardio-pulmonary resuscitation to our students each year. Such consistent, capable faculty members are hard to find in Dhaka.

Big thanks, Sonia!