Introducing anecdote circles as an alternative method to focus groups in the pedagogic impact evaluation of a new digital Nurse Navigator system

The construction and labeling of a relatively disparate set of university information technology systems as the “Nurse Navigator System” were routed in the principles of broader design research where methodologies of teaching, learning, and assessment were used to drive educational innovation within and between clinical and academic teaching. In terms of pragmatic design and appearance, this was straightforward; however, the theoretical basis of the design was more complex and rooted in core pedagogic design principles. Responding to the outcome of the initial evaluation of the system was therefore critical in the iterative developmental design of the Nurse Navigator System. Evaluation necessitated the collation of data which could tangibly and qualitatively examine whether expectations of such a conglomerate set of information technology criteria were realistic in practice. This pilot period of adjustment was recognized as a time to allow for configuring, fine-tuning, and assessment of purposefulness to the student cohort using it and in keeping with the need to co-construct learning and resource needs of students in practice. Evaluating the effectiveness of the preliminary pedagogic design of the Nurse Navigator System necessitated reliable indicators of engagement and learning. This research methods case study provides an overview of the qualitative evaluation of the impact of the new Nurse Navigator System using anecdote circles as an alternative to Focus Groups.