Implementation Strategies
Translate the ASCEND Framework into practical, evidence-based instructional strategies that can be adapted across health professions education and beyond.
Explicit Study Strategy Instruction
What it is:
Explicitly teach students how to learn rather than assuming they already know how to study effectively.
Why it matters:
Many students rely on passive strategies such as rereading and highlighting because those methods feel familiar. Direct instruction helps students replace ineffective habits with strategies grounded in learning science.
How to implement it:
• Teach one study strategy at a time.
• Model the strategy using actual course content.
• Explain why the strategy works.
• Give students an immediate opportunity to practice it.
• Revisit the strategy throughout the course.
Retrieval Practice
What it is:
Ask students to recall information from memory instead of repeatedly reviewing the material.
Why it matters:
Retrieval strengthens memory, improves long-term retention, and helps students identify what they do and do not know.
How to implement it:
• Begin class with a brief recall warm-up.
• Use frequent low-stakes quizzes.
• Include cumulative questions from earlier content.
• Ask students to complete a short brain dump before reviewing notes.
• Use practice questions that require application, not recognition alone.
Concept Mapping
What it is:
Help students organize complex information by showing relationships among concepts, medication classes, clinical cues, and nursing actions.
Why it matters:
Concept mapping supports knowledge organization and helps learners move beyond memorizing disconnected facts.
How to implement it:
• Focus maps on medication classes rather than individual drugs.
• Require students to connect mechanisms, indications, adverse effects, and nursing implications.
• Provide a simple template for early practice.
• Ask students to explain the relationships shown on their maps.
• Use completed maps during review and discussion.
Guided Reflection
What it is:
Use structured prompts to help students evaluate their learning, study behaviors, and assessment performance.
Why it matters:
Reflection develops metacognitive awareness and helps students make purposeful changes instead of repeating ineffective habits.
How to implement it:
• Use exam wrappers after major assessments.
• Ask students to compare predicted and actual performance.
• Have students identify which strategies helped or did not help.
• Require one specific adjustment before the next assessment.
• Revisit prior reflections to evaluate progress.
Structured Review Activities
What it is:
Provide planned opportunities for students to revisit, retrieve, discuss, and apply previously learned content.
Why it matters:
Structured review supports spacing, retrieval, and cumulative learning rather than last-minute exam preparation.
How to implement it:
• Use brief cumulative review activities each week.
• Incorporate practice questions throughout instruction.
• Use game-based review selectively.
• Ask students to explain why an answer is correct or incorrect.
• Revisit commonly missed concepts before moving forward.
Consistency and Accountability
What it is:
Establish predictable routines and clear expectations for engaging with ASCEND strategies throughout the course.
Why it matters:
Students are more likely to use effective learning practices when those practices are embedded consistently rather than presented as optional suggestions.
How to implement it:
• Schedule recurring learning activities.
• Communicate expectations clearly.
• Track completion of key activities.
• Provide timely feedback.
• Reinforce that effective learning requires sustained practice.
Start Small
Begin With One Strategy
Begin With One Strategy
Begin With One Strategy
ASCEND does not require a complete course redesign. Begin with one or two strategies that address a specific learning problem, implement them consistently, and evaluate the results. Additional components can be added as the instructional system develops.
Plan Your First Step
Begin With One Strategy
Begin With One Strategy
Which strategy would address the most important learning challenge in your course?