Honour Roll

Spotlight on Shirley Musclow

Instructor, Professional and Part-Time Learning

Shirley Musclow kayaking in the Thousand Islands of Ontario.

Shirley Musclow kayaking in the Thousand Islands of Ontario.

For the month of February, we are shining the spotlight on Shirley Musclow, a passionate instructor in Professional and Part-Time Learning (PPL), to share how she welcomes new technologies and techniques in the classroom.

Shirley was nominated by Tully Privett, Manager of Curriculum Quality and Development in PPL.

My name is Shirley Musclow and I am an instructor with (DC)’s Professional and Part-time Learning(opens in a new tab). I have been teaching nursing courses for over a decade and I am passionate about providing high-quality education to my students.

I believe that being an innovative instructor means being aware of the current climate in the field, reviewing my course, and consulting others to improve content, assessment delivery, and instructions. I regularly seek feedback from my students, colleagues, and experts in the field to identify areas of improvement and implement changes accordingly. I also collaborate with other instructors, publishers and others supports within Durham College to stay updated on the latest developments and trends in nursing, health care and education.

One of the ways I enhance my course is by working with supports available within Professional and Part-time Learning to bounce ideas off and find out how, if possible, to further incorporate technology and online learning tools that may further support and enhance the facilitation student engagement and learning. For example, I recently explored the use of video simulation materials from a publisher to support the enhancement of course content including the use interactive simulations, videos, quizzes, and discussion boards to supplement my weekly course content and assignments. Another area would be the custom creation (with support) of simulations to support areas of student learning in which it can be difficult to find freely available supplemental learning supports.

As a Nurse Practitioner and educator, I constantly seek out new learning opportunities to expand my knowledge and skills. I have also participated in research projects and publications that contribute to the advancement of nursing education and practice. I continually review current literature, professional guidelines and other publications, as well as participate in workshops/conferences as opportunities for collaboration and learning from professionals in my field as well as those in higher education.

I love teaching and I am proud to be part of (DC)’s Professional and Part-time Learning. I strive to create a positive and supportive learning environment for my students and help them achieve their academic and professional goals.

Recommended Resources

Below are some resources that Shirley has used in her teaching and learning practice:

Within the course
  • Padlet as being useful for our virtual conference.
  • Sourcing and embedding online YouTube videos for easy access within the course.
  • Incorporating online interactive tools such as health assessment tools (addiction screening, child development tools, etc.) to give students interactive tools for clinical practice. View example.
  • Self-assessment tools (e.g. gender/social implicit bias) to make the learning personal and meaningful rather than just reading the concept. View example.
  • Zoom virtual classroom with recording for major assignment review.
  • Taking the time to make things personal (introductions from the beginning).
Additional resources
  • I've always liked that Educause provides quick fact sheets on new technologies & trends in higher learning and online education. Great conferences and networking.
  • My alumni resources/links via UofT for updated research in my field.
  • I would say H5P but that hasn't been easy. And it isn't that 'pretty' but the concept of utilizing the self-assessments is great.
  • Clinical guidelines aligned with the course content.
  • I also recommend taking an online course to put yourself in a student role. This can include field related courses, teaching, or free online courses (e.g. Coursera which offers Yale and other well recognized courses). Some courses help you gain ideas for content delivery as well as what not to do.

Sending many thanks to Shirley!

Thank you for being a part of our first Honour Roll feature in the February CTL Monthly.
We know you'll continue to lead the way to amazing things at DC 😊