Improving Undergraduate Student Engagement in a Hybrid Research Course

Undergraduate nursing students have traditionally struggled to appreciate and understand research. Traditional teaching and learning methods in the research classroom are not meeting the needs of current students (McCurry & Martins, 2010), and innovations must be sought to overcome students\u27 resistance to research. Efforts to improve the early research utilization skills and attitudes of students is critical if we are to hope for the grounding of their future practice in evidence. To engage students in one hybrid research course, the faculty member created an innovative “March Madness” assignment that assists students in applying their learning. This article details how students engage in collaboration and friendly competition to implement critical research appraisal