Nicole Auxier

Associate Professor of Nursing

“The foundation of my love of teaching was developed as an undergraduate at University of Portland, where I earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and a Bachelor of Arts in Music. After graduating in 2009, I had the opportunity to return to UP to teach nursing students in the clinical setting, both on-campus in the School of Nursing Learning Resource Center and off-campus as a clinical instructor on the Dedicated Education Unit (DEU) at Providence Portland Medical Center. That’s when I began to realize how my passion for healthcare could be combined with my passion for teaching.

My area of expertise is development and implementation of concept-based curriculum in undergraduate nursing education, which is what my current research focuses on. This summer the first class who had a hybridized version of the concept-based curriculum will be graduating, which is very exciting for our assessment and evaluation of the curriculum. This fall I will also be working with our School of Nursing Assessment and Evaluation Committee to continue the work of evaluating the concept-based curriculum.

As a teacher, I strive to apply my research findings to my teaching wherever possible. My concept-based curriculum research has allowed me to bring the best practices directly to my classes and has shaped my teaching practice by embracing team teaching, mentorship, and concept delivery instead of content delivery.

What I enjoy most is teaching students. I enjoy seeing the “ah-ha!” moments in the classroom when suddenly it all makes sense. I love it when a student has a question which makes me think and question what I was taught myself. And I love the journey I am on with my students as a teacher first and foremost here at UP.”

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