"The degree program has had a decisive influence on my professional and personal development".
Mechthild Löwenstein, born in 1958, is a trained pediatric nurse and head of the nursing schools at the Aschaffenburg Clinic. From 2006 to 2008, she completed a part-time degree in nursing education at Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences and successfully graduated in 2008 with a degree in nursing education. In 2011, Löwensteine also started her doctoral studies in the field of Nursing Science with a focus on nursing pedagogy at the Private University of Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology / UMIT Hall in Tyrol and was awarded her doctorate in 2015 with the topic "Promoting learning competence in nursing education - changing teaching-learning culture through learning portfolios", supervised by the Ludwigshafen-based nursing expert Professor Dr. Karl-Heinz Sahmel. Today, Mechthild Löwenstein is herself a professor of nursing education. She has been teaching and conducting research at Esslingen University of Applied Sciences since 2016. SPEKTRUM spoke with Mechthild Löwenstein about her time studying in Ludwigshafen, the practicality of her studies, the good relationship she had with her then director of studies, and the parallels with her own teaching activities.
SPEKTRUM: Prof. Dr. Löwenstein, you studied nursing education part-time at the then Evangelische Fachhochschule (EFH). Today you are a professor at a university yourself. Did you take away any decisive impulses for teaching from your studies?
Yes, my studies at that time had a decisive influence on my professional and personal development. The course had the great advantage that all students could already contribute several years of professional experience from theoretical and practical nursing training. This meant that there was an intensive exchange between practice and science right from the start of the course.
The linking of pedagogy, health science and nursing science was purposefully conceived in the part-time course of study, which I still consider important for the development of nursing education and also for the practice of professional nursing in all fields of action.
I was able to take away impulses for university teaching not only on the content level, but also on the pedagogical-didactic level. For example, Professor Dr. Karl-Heinz Sahmel, the organizer of this course of study, gave us a very impressive and exemplary example of the central aspects of a successful course of study, which he also demanded of us. We experienced the necessity of extensive and intensive reading of primary literature and the importance of critical thinking in scientific discourse throughout our studies. Which then led to success.
As further valuable impulses for my own university teaching, I take with me the encounter at eye level and the joint design of the seminars. I have also been able to experience accompanying students in such a way that they can follow their own individual path in discussions with Professor Sahmel, both in my diploma studies and later in my doctoral studies. I now implement this form of learning process support with my students regularly and with pleasure.
And for research?
In terms of research, I began by quantitatively examining learning in nursing education in all three years of training. Based on the results, I then decided on the methodological orientation of gaining knowledge in combination with practice design, in the sense of development-oriented educational research. According to my understanding and years of experience, sustainable innovations in educational practice can only succeed by combining scientific findings with feedback and experiences of stakeholders in practice and by incorporating the complexity of the learning environment.
Has the study program also benefited you in your work as a school principal at Klinikum Aschaffenburg?
What I particularly liked about this study program was the direct implementation of scientific findings in professional practice. For example, in collaboration with the teaching team, I successfully integrated competency-based examinations and current topics in nursing and health science into nursing training directly after the pre-degree.
As early as 2006, I was preoccupied with the question of how I could initiate reflection skills in nursing education and thus further develop teaching and learning in nursing education.
I increasingly asked myself, "How can we succeed in making trainees enjoy learning more?" and "How can trainees' strengths and weaknesses be presented transparently?"
This is how I became aware of the portfolio concept and initially linked it to self-directed learning and school development in my thesis.
I was then able to implement the concrete development and implementation of an innovative learning portfolio in two nursing schools as part of my doctoral studies. With the concept "Promoting learning competence in nursing education - changing teaching-learning competence through learning portfolios", the nursing schools at the Aschaffenburg Clinic were recognized as the most innovative vocational schools in Bavaria in 2014. The Stiftung Bildungspakt Bayern confirmed the success with the 1st prize 'Inner School Development Innovation Award 2014' with the result "Learning portfolios promote effective learning, motivate and develop reflection competence!".
I could certainly list many more developments in nursing schools for you. My scientific knowledge of pedagogy as well as health and nursing sciences was certainly conducive to active participation in the continuous further developments of nursing schools.
What made you decide to study in Ludwigshafen at that time?
With the further developments and legal requirements of the Nursing Act 2003, I was looking for a way to acquire up-to-date knowledge in as short a time as possible. In my opinion, the tasks as head of school to advise the teaching team professionally and technically and to further develop the quality of training were no longer sufficient with reading technical literature and attending further training courses.
At that time, the Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences, in cooperation with the Kaiserswerther Diakonie, offered the in-service degree program in nursing pedagogy, which is unique in Germany. This
was based on the two-year continuing education program to become a teacher for nursing professions and at the same time recognized three semesters of the diploma program.
This meant that we could complete the pre-diploma in one semester and then start the main course of study. The organization of five attendance days per month, always over a weekend and/or holidays, was also feasible on a part-time basis. But at the same time, this meant that strong time management and high reading skills were required. Yes, and the free time was of course considerably reduced and not infrequently demanded the family.
In addition to several term papers, written and oral examinations, a research paper and the final diploma thesis had to be completed in five semesters. With the formation of study groups and intensive networking, the study load was at least partially reduced.
Do you have fond memories of your time at the EFH?
Yes, I have fond memories of my diploma studies. There are still many contacts from that time and in the context of my new tasks as a professor I meet former fellow students again and again. Currently, interesting cooperations are developing with nursing schools in order to jointly shape the requirements and developments of the new generalist nursing education on the part of science and practice.
This time has shaped many nursing educators in Germany. When we talk about old times, we quickly think of interesting moments and influential people.
What interesting projects are you currently working on at the Hochschule Esslingen?
In my function as professor for nursing education, I would like to actively shape the current developments in nursing and its academization on the one hand, and further develop university teaching with new concepts on the other.
In the winter semester 2018/19, the primary qualifying degree program in nursing (B.Sc.) started at the Hochschule Esslingen in cooperation with the University of Tübingen. Together with colleagues, I have developed a practice curriculum for this, which now needs to be tested and concretized. In the newly founded Institute for Health and Nursing Sciences, there will be a variety of interesting tasks to be tackled in the coming years. Particularly challenging will be the cooperation between the university and the practical places of study as well as the presentation of the differences in quality between academic and vocational nursing training.
In the context of university teaching, my interest is in student success and pedagogical-didactic dialogue with teachers. Supporting students in their strengths and interests in their studies while meeting the demands of academics and professional practice present multiple challenges to faculty and students.
In the introductory phase of studies, for example, I have further developed individual modules in such a way that interdisciplinary competencies are increasingly addressed and students can experience cooperative learning in the seminars. In addition, in the first two semesters, accompanying tutorials by students from higher semesters should make it easier for students to arrive at the university and to study effectively and successfully.
Currently, several projects with colleagues from other study programs are in the pipeline with the long-term goal of implementing student reflection processes with learning process support by teachers and peer groups throughout the entire course of study.
For the further development in nursing education, in addition to the promotion of learning competence, it is my interest to support the current developments in generalist education with experiences and concepts for school development as well as the learning site cooperation of theory and practice, for example with the concept of multi-perspective learning tasks.
Have you ever regretted taking the leap into teaching?
No, I have been teaching for more than 25 years and continue to enjoy observing and accompanying learners' developments. The uncertainty in pedagogical action requires regular reflection and at the same time gives room for creativity and flexibility.
Experience has shown that positive feedback on the design of teaching is received after completion of training or studies. It is particularly gratifying when experiences from the teaching-learning process are transferred to professional practice. If values of one's own pedagogical attitude are recognized and adopted, this is particularly motivating for teaching.
What advice would you give to students who want to develop themselves in the direction of teaching?
I always advise students to be actively involved in their studies. After they have acquired the basic knowledge in their basic studies, they should pursue their personal interests and selectively deepen corresponding study content.
In the field of nursing education, I believe it is central to focus on both the competence development of learners and the well-being and safety of those being cared for as the goals of nursing education.
For the professional development of nursing education, professional learning communities should also be increasingly introduced and implemented in nursing schools. This form of collaboration can already be practiced extensively in the study program.
On what occasions did you return to your "old" university after graduation?
After my diploma studies, I started my doctoral studies in 2011. After Professor Dr. Karl-Heinz Sahmel became an associate professor at UMIT in Hall in Tyrol, the decision to do a doctorate was not difficult for me. We then met at regular intervals in Ludwigshafen. At first in pairs and then in the growing group of doctoral students.
Another reason to visit the university were the pedagogical conferences initiated annually by Professor Sahmel. On these dates, many alumni met and discussed current issues in nursing education and developments in health care.
Is there anything else you would like to leave with the university administration or your old faculty?
To maintain the quality of the nursing education program at the Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences, the support of the university management is certainly still of great importance. And as in all universities, we need the expansion of study places in all nursing degree programs. In addition, we urgently need part-time courses at master's level for nursing educators. In the future, it may be possible for several universities with experience in nursing degree courses to cooperate on this.
In the Department of Social and Health Services, I wish above all my colleague Professor Dr. Armin Leibig a good arrival at the university, the necessary support in the team of university lecturers and, last but not least, interested students.
Thank you very much for the interview!
