Faculty Spotlight | Dr. Jo Ann Otts
"Show Me the Evidence!" | SoTL in Nursing Education
Dr. Jo Ann Otts, Associate Professor of Adult Health Nursing, approaches nursing education as tending a garden, growing each student's unique potential. For Dr. Otts, there is great joy in watching future nurses bloom with new knowledge, skills, and confidence. “Teaching allows me to nurture the next generation of nurses,” Dr. Otts reflects, “and see them grow from novice learners into confident and compassionate professionals."
Dr. Otts integrates inquiry-based pedagogy into nursing education to foster students' critical digital literacy. In one of her signature assignments, she guides graduate nursing students to critically compare generative AI with conventional literature search tools. As part of this assignment, students conduct searches using three different approaches, compare AI-generated abstracts with the original published abstracts, and evaluate each tool's strengths and limitations. “The activity encourages curiosity, critical thinking, and thoughtful appraisal while helping students consider how generative AI might fit responsibly into their scholarly and professional work,” Dr. Otts shares.
Through the Innovation in Learning Center’s (ILC) Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) program, Dr. Otts collaborated with Biomedical Librarian Rachel Fenske to document the outcomes of this innovative assignment. Students reported gaining firsthand experience evaluating the accuracy, reliability, strengths, and limitations of different approaches to finding evidence. Reflecting on the goals of her assignment, Dr. Otts notes, “I hope students develop digital literacy, confidence in exploring emerging technologies, and an appreciation for lifelong learning. Most importantly, I want students to recognize that technology can enhance our work, but it cannot replace critical thinking, rigorous evaluation of evidence, or professional nursing judgment.”
This innovative assignment later led to an article in a major library journal. Dr. Otts shares, "For me, this experience reflects some of the best parts of teaching at USA College of Nursing: Learning through the ILC, collaborating with colleagues, trying something new, and creating opportunities for students to become thoughtful and informed users of emerging technologies.”
Looking beyond her memorable assignment, Dr. Otts has received numerous thank-you notes highlighting the steps she takes to ensure student success. For instance:
Your teaching and coaching styles are helpful and encouraging. I appreciate the video messages. They introduce a more personal touch to distance learning. Thank you for everything.
Dr. Otts is an outstanding instructor who loves what she does and genuinely wants her students to achieve academic excellence. She took time to read each assignment I submitted and provided me with constructive and beneficial feedback. I learned so much in this course and because of her enthusiasm, I looked forward to each assignment. She is not only an extraordinary professor, she has a level of compassion that is incredible. I feel extremely fortunate to have crossed paths with Dr. Otts during my academic journey. She is a true asset to the University of South Alabama!
Fun Facts!
Outside the classroom, Dr. Otts is well known among students and colleagues for her signature phrase: “Show me the evidence!” However, she frequently uses a gardening metaphor to describe her teaching philosophy, she humorously notes that her “green thumb” is strictly reserved for her students. “I have much better luck nurturing future nurses and watching them bloom than I do keeping actual plants alive!” When taking a break from cultivating the next generation of clinicians, she stays energized with a positive beat or a feel-good vibe, filling her playlist with everything from lively Zydeco to relaxing coffee house guitar.
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