Earlier this year, the Illinois Board of Higher Education awarded Dr. Pamela Wiskowski, a staff member for Millikin University’s nursing department, the 2015 Illinois Nurse Educator Fellowship.

The award is designed to acknowledge well-qualified nursing faculty from institutions of higher learning. It’s meant to acknowledge those who have contributed heavily to informing nursing students. Wiskowski is no exception.

When asked about why she was chosen as the recipient for the award, Wiskowski said that another professor at Millikin University, Dr. Pamela Lindsey, wrote a very affirmative letter of recommendation concerning her own qualifications to the Board of Higher Education. Wiskowski also noted the qualifications that allowed her to receive the award.

“The qualifications I have are the criteria for the award: being a nurse educator and having an interest in research and policy building,” Wiskowski said.

Wiskowski described her work inside the classroom as a combination of many different learning methods. Specifically, Wiskowski described how she uses concept mapping, group presentations, and discussions in her work. By using an answer and discussion technique in the classroom, Wiskowski enables her students to evaluate the studies.

Furthermore, Wiskowski also utilizes online technology, specifically adaptive learning and adaptive quizzing programs, to allow students to test their own knowledge. This testing allows students to better measure their own learning. Wiskowski also requires her students to partake in online post-conferencing for the clinical portion of their studies.

Wiskowski described how she keeps her students engaged both in clinicals and in the classroom, explaining how she uses outrageous examples in the classroom in order “to see what their response is, and to see if they are paying attention.”

After providing the example, she lets her students discuss what they have learned from her example, in order to produce a well analyzed answer from her students. This is usually done when Wiskowski is discussing self-assessment with her students, specifically dealing with disorders. According to Wiskowski “we have to assess ourselves as to how we feel about patients with disorders. Sometimes it’s difficult to grasp why a person is doing the behaviors that they are doing, and so can we use positive regard? Can we set aside our feelings about this and take care of the patient with positive regard, and active listening, and empathy? That’s what we have to do.”

In addition to being a tremendous honor, Wiskowski’s award will also help her to develop her research pertaining to the best practices of teaching and learning in nursing education. The research focuses on the best techniques to teach nursing students so that they can become more successful in their work.