Valuing Arts-Based Academic Projects in a Faculty of Nursing: Experiences of Graduate Students and Supervisors

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to explore student and supervisor experiences and perspectives regarding the advantages and challenges of arts-based projects in the context of graduate nursing education programs. We define arts-based academic projects as graduate level projects that incorporate a significant artistic component, and that culminate in a final written report of a capping exercise, a thesis or a dissertation.

Procedures: Three graduate students were asked to briefly summarize their arts-based academic projects and to reflect upon their experiences with their projects, noting the advantages and challenges that they encountered in the process. The students’ supervisors also reported their experiences with supervising students conducting arts-based academic projects. The resulting written reflections were collated and summarized.

Results: The arts-based academic projects included a set of comics, a story-based digital education tool and a digital knowledge whiteboard animation video. All of these projects integrated visual art into products for the purpose of knowledge translation. The students and their supervisors identified numerous advantages to arts-based projects, such as being able to address the complexities of context and to engage broad audiences. They reported challenges such as misunderstanding and devaluing the nature of these less traditional academic projects.

Conclusions: This study has implications for future arts-based projects that may be conducted in Schools or Faculties of Nursing. Supervisors and committee members play a key role in fostering the creativity of students, building on their strengths, and encouraging them to pursue innovative theses or capping exercises. Similarly, graduate program coordinators/associate deans of graduate programs can also support these students by encouraging and approving projects that are less conventional and by helping others understand the value of these projects.