"The degree has had a decisive impact on my professional and personal development"
Mechthild Löwenstein, born in 1958, is a trained pediatric nurse and head of the nursing schools at Aschaffenburg Hospital. From 2006 to 2008, she completed a part-time degree program in nursing education at Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences and graduated in 2008 with a degree in nursing education (FH). In 2011, Löwensteine also began her doctoral studies in the field of nursing science, specializing in nursing education, parallel to her work as a school director. Nursing Science with a focus on nursing education at the Private University for 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 education and learning culture through learning portfolios", supervised by the Ludwigshafen nursing expert Professor Dr. Karl-Heinz Sahmel. Today, Mechthild Löwenstein herself is a professor of nursing education. She has been educating and researching at Esslingen University of Applied Sciences since 2016. SPEKTRUM spoke to Mechthild Löwenstein about her time studying in Ludwigshafen, the practical relevance of her degree course, the good relationship with her former course director and the parallels with her own teaching activities.
SPEKTRUM: Prof. Dr. Löwenstein, you studied nursing education part-time at the former Protestant University of Applied Sciences (EFH). Today you are a professor at a university yourself. Did your studies provide you with decisive impulses for education?
Yes, my studies back then had a decisive influence on my professional and personal development. The degree programs had the great advantage that all students were able to 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 combination of pedagogy, health science and nursing science was designed in a target-oriented way in the part-time degree programs, which I still consider important today for the development of nursing education and also for the practice of professional nursing in all fields of activity.
I was able to take away impulses for university teaching not only in terms of content, but also on a pedagogical and didactic level. For example, Professor Dr. Karl-Heinz Sahmel, the organizer of this degree program, set a very impressive and exemplary example of central aspects for successful studies and demanded these from us. We experienced the necessity of extensive and intensive reading of primary literature and the importance of critical thinking in academic discourse throughout our studies. This also led to success.
Other valuable impulses for my own university teaching include meeting at eye level and designing seminars together. In discussions with Professor Sahmel, I was also able to experience guiding students in such a way that they can follow their own individual path, both in the diploma program and later in the doctoral program. I now regularly and happily implement this form of learning process support with my students.
And for research?
In terms of research, I first quantitatively investigated learning in nursing training 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 linking scientific findings with feedback and experience from those involved in practice and by taking into account the complexity of the learning environment.
Did your studies also help you in your work as a head teacher at Aschaffenburg Hospital?
What I particularly liked about this course was the direct implementation of scientific findings in professional practice. For example, in collaboration with the teaching team, I successfully integrated competence-oriented examinations and current topics in nursing and health science into nursing training directly after the intermediate diploma.
As early as 2006, I was concerned with the question of how I could initiate the ability to reflect in nursing education and thus further develop education and learning in nursing training.
I increasingly asked myself the question: "How can trainees enjoy learning more?" and "How can the strengths and weaknesses of trainees 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 dissertation.
I was then able to develop and implement an innovative learning portfolio in two nursing schools as part of my doctoral studies. With the concept "Promoting learning competence in nursing training - changing education and learning competence through learning portfolios", the nursing schools at Aschaffenburg Hospital were recognized as the most innovative vocational schools in Bavaria in 2014. The Bavarian Education Pact Foundation confirmed the success with the 1st prize 'Internal School Development Innovation Award 2014' with the result "Learning portfolios promote effective learning, motivate and develop reflection skills!".
I could certainly list many more developments in nursing schools. My scientific knowledge of pedagogy as well as health and nursing sciences was certainly conducive to my active participation in the continuous further development of nursing schools.
What made you decide to study in Ludwigshafen back then?
With the further developments and legal requirements of the Nursing Act 2003, I was looking for an opportunity to acquire up-to-date knowledge in as short a time as possible. In my opinion, reading specialist literature and attending further training courses was no longer enough to fulfill my duties as head of school, to advise the teaching team professionally and technically and to further develop the quality of training.
In cooperation with the Kaiserswerther Diakonie, the Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences offered the only part-time degree programs in nursing education in Germany. This
was based on the two-year further training to become a teacher for nursing professions and at the same time recognized three semesters of the diploma course.
This allowed us to complete the intermediate diploma in one semester and then start the main course. The organization of five attendance days per month, always over a weekend and/or public holidays, was also feasible while working. At the same time, however, this meant that a high level of time management and reading skills were required. Yes, and free time was of course considerably reduced and often took up a lot of family time.
In addition to several assignments, written and oral examinations, a research paper and the final dissertation had to be completed in five semesters. By forming study groups and networking intensively, it was possible to at least partially reduce the study load.
Do you have fond memories of your time at the EFH?
Yes, I have fond memories of my degree course. I still have many contacts from that time and in my new role as a professor I keep bumping into former fellow students. Interesting collaborations are currently developing with nursing schools in order to jointly shape the requirements and developments of the new generalist nursing training from the academic and practical sides.
Time has left its mark on 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 Esslingen University of Applied Sciences?
In my role as Professor of Nursing Education, I would like to play an active role in shaping current developments in nursing and its academization on the one hand and further develop university teaching with new concepts on the other.
In the 2018/19 winter semester, the primary qualification degree programs in nursing (B.Sc.) were launched at Esslingen University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with the University of Tübingen. Together with colleagues, I have developed a practical curriculum for this, which now needs to be tested and fleshed out. The newly founded Institute for Health and Nursing Sciences will have a wide range of interesting tasks to tackle in the coming years. Particularly challenging will be the cooperation between the university and the practical study locations as well as the presentation of the differences in quality between academic and professional nursing training.
In the context of university teaching, I am interested in the success of students and the pedagogical-didactic dialog with teachers. Supporting students in their strengths and interests during their studies and at the same time meeting the demands of academic and professional practice pose a variety of challenges for educators and students.
In the introductory phase, for example, I have further developed individual modules so that interdisciplinary skills are increasingly addressed and students can experience cooperative learning in the seminars. In the first two semesters, accompanying tutorials by students from higher semesters should also make it easier for students to settle in at the university and study effectively and successfully.
Several projects are currently underway with colleagues from other degree programs with the long-term goal of implementing student reflection processes with learning process support from education and peer groups throughout the course of study.
For the further development of nursing education, in addition to promoting learning skills, I am interested in supporting current developments in generalist training through experience and concepts for school development as well as cooperation between theory and practice, for example with the concept of multi-perspective learning tasks.
Have you ever regretted taking the leap into education?
No, I have been teaching for more than 25 years and continue to enjoy observing and accompanying the development of learners. The uncertainty of teaching requires regular reflection and at the same time gives room for creativity and flexibility.
Experience has shown that positive feedback on the design of education is received after graduation. 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 education.
What advice would you give to students who want to develop their education?
I always recommend that students get actively involved in their studies. Once they have acquired the basic knowledge in their undergraduate studies, they should pursue their personal interests and deepen their knowledge of the relevant subjects.
In the field of nursing education, I believe it is essential to focus on both the development of students' skills and the well-being and safety of those being cared for as the goals of nursing education.
Professional learning communities should also be increasingly introduced and implemented in nursing schools for the professional development of nursing training. This form of cooperation can already be practiced extensively in the degree course.
On what occasions did you return to your "old" university after your degree?
After my diploma degree, I started my doctoral studies in 2011. After Professor Dr. Karl-Heinz Sahmel became an associate professor at UMIT in Hall in Tirol, it wasn't difficult for me to decide to do my doctorate. We then met at regular intervals in Ludwigshafen. First in pairs and then in a growing group of doctoral students.
Another reason to visit the university was the annual pedagogical conferences initiated by Professor Sahmel. Many alumni met at these events and discussed current topics in nursing education and developments in the healthcare sector.
Is there anything else you would like to say to the university management or your former Department?
To maintain the quality of the nursing education degree programs at the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society, the support of the university management is certainly still very important. And as in all universities, we need to increase the number of study places on all nursing degree courses. In addition, we urgently need part-time courses at Master's level for nursing educators. Perhaps it will be possible in future for several universities with experience in nursing degree courses to cooperate on this.
In the Department of Social and Health Care, I would like to wish my colleague Professor Dr. Armin Leibig in particular continued success at the university, the necessary support from the team of university lecturers and, last but not least, interested students.
Thank you very much for the interview!
