An app that has helped reduce dropout rates on nursing programmes has won a national award.
The Myprogress app, developed by Anglia Ruskin University and software company MyKnowledgeMap, makes it easier to keep up to date with the progress of student nurses while they are on clinical placements.
Since it was rolled out across Anglia Ruskin campuses in Cambridgeshire and Essex last year, research shows the attrition rate fell from 22% to a forecasted low of around 5% and had a sustained impact for several cohorts of students.
With judges praising its use of accessibility, it was crowned Best Learning Technologies Project in the public and non-profit sector at the International Learning Technologies Awards last month.
The offline app – which digitizes placement documents used by students and doctors to help track their progress – is now used by more than 2,000 Anglia Ruskin students who are undergoing clinical placements.
The university has since seen a ‘dramatic increase’ in communication and engagement between students and staff, according to the app’s website.
The app made feedback to students more comprehensive, formative assessments more likely to be completed on time and improved mentorship experiences, among other benefits.
Dr Louise Jenkins, acting head of school for nursing and midwifery at Anglia Ruskin University (Essex), said: ‘We’re thrilled to have been recognised for the innovation of the Myprogress app. This is a terrific example of how technology can have a very real benefit to students, tutors and indeed the public as a whole as our students play a very active role in their trusts while they are on placement.
‘It is imperative that we can know exactly how our students are doing while they are with trusts, and the fewer nurses that leave the profession, the better for everyone. The app helps us identify any issues early, address them and ensure students and trust staff are happy, resulting in a lower dropout rate among student nurses.’
