Turn the Tables: Have Students Create the Study Guide 📝
It’s a question nursing students ask all the time: “Do we get a study guide?” Here’s an answer you could try: “Even better! You’re going to help create one.”
This strategy transforms exam prep into an active learning experience. Instead of passively reviewing someone else’s notes, students engage in higher-level thinking, processing, restructuring, and explaining the material to others. That’s not just good practice for the NCLEX but how real clinical learning happens.
While most students won’t be taking traditional notes in their professional roles, the ability to transform information into a usable format is essential. Whether explaining a condition to a patient or writing a clear chart note, nurses constantly filter and organize complex data. This activity mimics that exact process.
How to Run a Group Study Guide Activity
Here’s how to structure the process for online or in-person learning:
1. Divide Students Into Small Groups
Groups of 4 to 8 work well. Assign each group a section of exam content (e.g., heart failure, med administration, acid-base imbalances).
2. Give Time for Independent Work
Set a specific time frame. This could be 20 minutes in class or a few days in an online course. Each student works independently at first.
3. Provide a Clear Framework
Give students a format to follow:
A bulleted list by topic
A chart using the nursing process (assessment, diagnosis, planning, etc.)
Or a simple table that asks: What should the nurse assess? What actions are most important?
Then, each student writes 1–2 practice questions related to their content. Here’s the key:
✅ They must include rationales for all answer choices, including why one is correct and the others are not.
This part is crucial. Writing rationales encourages students to engage in deeper learning and supports retention.
4. Collaborate and Peer Review
Have students meet via video conference or in person to share and critique their questions. Encourage them to work together to improve question quality.
Help them move beyond simple recall:
❌ “What is a symptom of hyperkalemia?”
✅ “The nurse is caring for a patient with hyperkalemia. Which assessment finding is most concerning?”
This shift builds critical thinking and mirrors NCLEX-style application questions.
🤖 A note about AI: Students will consider using AI as a guide in writing questions. Be sure to include guidelines around this (ie. if you want them to experiment with this or not). Consider critiquing student vs AI-generated questions.
5. Instructor Feedback and Compilation
Once peer-reviewed, students submit their questions to you. You can:
Add comments in Google Docs
Join a group call for live coaching
Push them toward application-level thinking, if needed
After reviewing, compile the questions and answers into a shared resource, such as Google Docs, Socrative, or Kahoot. Just make sure the answer key is accessible.
Variations to Try
Focus on a specific topic: Choose a theme like prioritization, delegation, or dosage calculation for more targeted question writing.
Gamify the review: Use the student-created questions to build a Kahoot game for next week’s class.
Use it as a capstone: This activity works especially well at the end of a unit or in the week leading up to a major exam.
Best Used When…
This isn’t a quick filler. It works best when you have:
A full class period to devote to in-person collaboration
A full week of online discussion and review
Give it space to grow and for students to put in the effort.
Final Thoughts
Creating a group study guide builds in exam prep, strengthens clinical reasoning, collaboration, and clarity. It turns passive review into an active learning experience that sticks.
Plus, it gives students ownership over their learning. And that’s a win, even before the test begins.