| Prerequisite Knowledge |
- Problems, objectives, hypotheses, and variables in studies
- Strengths and threats to validity in various study designs
- Study frameworks
- Introduction to measurement in research
|
| Learner Setting |
Classroom |
| Strategy Type |
Small group |
| Time |
Faculty prep: <5 minutes
Delivery with students: 30 minutes
Evaluation: 15 minutes |
| Learning Objectives |
- Identify possible sources of measurement error in studies
|
| Materials/Resources |
Markers and whiteboard |
| Strategy Overview |
TRIZ is an acronym for a Russian inventive problem-solving strategy often used in engineering. A goal of TRIZ is to generate examples that maximize error in order to expose ways in which error may inadvertently be occurring and propose ways in which it can be corrected. In this activity, students borrow this method for nursing research. After a brief instructor-generated example of the TRIZ process, students brainstorm their own ideas related to research. They then share their ideas in small groups and generate further ideas. All examples are then written on the board and students discuss solutions. |
| Steps |
- Share example of applying TRIZ to a clinical problem: How do you make your patient fall?
- Encourage creative responses from class. Answers might include: trip him, tell her to always get up on her own, neglect hourly rounding duties.
- Explain how these examples may actually occur: Although I don’t purposely trip my patient, what obstacles might I accidentally leave in his way? Although I don’t tell my patient to always get up on her own, if I don’t always tell her otherwise, this may still be the impression she gets.
- Introduce a research study/measurement topic to the class (i.e. a study about a community-based exercise program that is measuring blood pressure as an outcome)
- Have students take 2-3 minutes to individually write down as many ideas as they can about increasing measurement error in this proposed study
- In small groups, students take the next several minutes to share their ideas with each other and write down any more ideas that come to mind
- Group representatives write ideas on the whiteboard. The instructor may streamline/eliminate duplicate ideas.
- In their small groups, student discuss solutions for correcting the measurement error ideas displayed on the whiteboard.
- The instructor facilitates a class discussion of solutions.
- The instructor encourages students to use this critical mindset when analyzing measurement in studies, possibly tying this exercise to a research article recently discussed in class. What kinds of unseen measurement errors may have occurred?
|
| Evaluation |
Low stakes – Instructor feedback during class activity and/or credit for active participation |
