The 6P4C model: An instructional design conceptual model for delivery of e-learning

The 6P4C conceptual model incorporates instructional design and delivery considerations through a practical set of guiding questions and heuristics. It can be applied in multiple e-learning contexts including academia, staff development and interprofessional practice environments. The model helps guide academic nurse educators in particular through the expansive options of web-based applications, digital tools and learning platforms while also helping to humanize e-learning through the 4C's; deliberate fostering of civility, communication, collaboration and community-building. These connective principles interweave the six key design and delivery considerations the 6P's which include: the participants (learners), platforms used for teaching/learning, a well-developed teaching plan, safe spaces for intellectual play, engaging and inclusive presentations and regular checking of the pulse of learners and the tools being used. By building on similar guiding frameworks including the SAMR, ADDIE and ASSURE models, the 6P4C model further supports nurse educators in designing high-impact and significant e-learning experiences.

Evaluation of an e-book assignment using Fink's Taxonomy of Significant Learning among undergraduate dental hygiene students

CONTEXT

With significant learning experiences, students undergo positive, substantial, and lasting influences on their personal and professional lives. With grant support from The Ohio State University's Affordable Learning Exchange Program, students created e-book chapters for a Current Concepts in Dental Hygiene as a significant learning experience.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of an e-book chapter creation project on the learning of undergraduate dental hygiene students using Fink's Taxonomy of Significant Learning.

DESIGN

Upon IRB exemption, this study involved a mixed-methods, cross-sectional research design involving a survey of attitudinal and reflective questions. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis.

RESULTS

The data from 100% (n = 41) of the dental hygiene students enrolled in the Current Concepts in Dental Hygiene course were analyzed. Most students recognized the alignment of the 6 scaffolded assignments with the 6 domains of Fink's Taxonomy of Significant Learning. Most students agreed the project focused on foundational knowledge (68.8%, n = 27), promoted active learning (73.2%, n = 30), applied to real life problems (63.4%, n = 26), and provided life lessons (56.1%, n = 23). Thematic analysis revealed students appreciated the teamwork involved and the scaffolding of assignments, recognized the challenges of inconsistent feedback and technical issues with the software, and felt that more faculty guidance and technical support would have improved their experiences.

CONCLUSION

Future research should evaluate the impact of using Fink's Taxonomy of Significant Learning with the design of courses or course-long projects on the education of dental and dental hygiene students.

Aiming Beyond Competent: The Application of the Taxonomy of Significant Learning to Medical Education

Issue: Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) focuses on demonstrable outcomes, as well as upholding medical education's accountability to society. Despite calls for a robust, multifaceted approach to competency-based assessment (CBA), lingering critiques exist. These critiques include reductionism, reinforcement of an external locus of control within learners, an loss of focus on learner development. Both CBME and CBA may be strengthened if viewed through the lens of a complementary curriculum design framework that broadens the focus on the learner. Evidence: Researchers and physician organizations have articulated the need for medical practitioners trained to provide optimal care in the rapidly changing care environment. In the drive to ensure accountability to patients and society, CBME may overlook the duty of educators to foster the necessary intrinsic development of learners as holistic professionals. The focus of CBA on outcomes may reward memorization and rote performance but may fail to ensure the underlying comprehension or critical thinking necessary to adapt to the variability of real-life patient care. Learners focus on tasks chosen for assessment; thus, areas less easily assessed may be overlooked or deemed unimportant. Reinforcement for learner motivation becomes externalized in CBA, as opposed to being driven by the desire for self-improvement and self-actualization. A recently proposed framework that views learner development as a process-based improvement cycle, the "Master Adaptive Learner," may help remedy this issue. L. Dee Fink's Taxonomy of Significant Learning aims to create meaningful learning experiences in higher education. This taxonomy consists of six interwoven domains: (a) Learning How to Learn, (b) Foundational Knowledge, (c) Application, (d) Integration, (e) Human Dimension, and (f) Caring. Each domain encompasses a unique perspective on the learning process, and when collectively applied to curriculum design, significant learning occurs. This taxonomy has not been widely applied to medical education but may offer an important counterbalance to the outcomes-based focus of CBME. Implications: The outcomes-based focus of CBME is well suited for skill-based tasks, such as procedures, that are observable and measurable. However, other essential physician skills-such as critical thinking, reflection, empathy, and self-directed learning-are not easily assessed, and thus may receive little focus in an outcomes-based model. A holistic approach, such as the Taxonomy of Significant Learning, can counter the deficits of CBME and provide a balanced approach to education program design and assessment.

Using Gamification to Improve Productivity and Increase Knowledge Retention During Orientation

BACKGROUND

Nursing administrators must provide cost-effective and efficient ways of orientation training. Traditional methods including classroom lecture can be costly with low retention of the information. Gamification engages the user, provides a level of enjoyment, and uses critical thinking skills.

PURPOSE

The aim of this study is to explore the effectiveness, during orientation, of 3 different teaching methods: didactic, online modules, and gamification. Specifically, is there a difference in nurses' clinical knowledge postorientation using these learning approaches?

METHODS

A quasi-experimental study design with a 115-person convenience sample split nurses into 3 groups for evaluation of clinical knowledge before and after orientation.

RESULTS

The gamification orientation group had the highest mean scores postorientation compared with the didactic and online module groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings demonstrate gamification as an effective way to teach when compared with more traditional methods. Staff enjoy this type of learning and retained more knowledge when using gaming elements.

Developing an instrument to measure emotional behaviour abilities of meaningful learning through the Delphi technique

AIM

To identify items for a new instrument that measures emotional behaviour abilities of meaningful learning, according to Fink's Taxonomy.

BACKGROUND

Meaningful learning is an active process that promotes a wider and deeper understanding of concepts. It is the result of an interaction between new and previous knowledge and produces a long-term change of knowledge and skills. To measure meaningful learning capability, it is very important in the education of health professionals to identify problems or special learning needs. For this reason, it is necessary to create valid instruments.

DESIGN

A Delphi Study technique was implemented in four phases by means of e-mail.

METHODS

The study was conducted from April-September 2015. An expert panel consisting of ten researchers with experience in Fink's Taxonomy was established to identify the items of the instrument. Data were analysed for conceptual description and item characteristics and attributes were rated. Expert consensus was sought in each of these phases. An 87·5% consensus cut-off was established.

RESULTS

After four rounds, consensus was obtained for validation of the content of the instrument 'Assessment of Meaningful learning Behavioural and Emotional Abilities'. This instrument consists of 56 items evaluated on a 6-point Likert-type scale. Foundational Knowledge, Application, Integration, Human Dimension, Caring and Learning How to Learn were the six major categories explored.

CONCLUSIONS

This content validated tool can help educators (teachers, trainers and tutors) to identify and improve the strategies to support students' learning capability, which could increase their awareness of and/or responsibility in the learning process.

An integrative review of the characteristics of meaningful learning in healthcare professionals to enlighten educational practices in health care

AIM

Knowledge does not transfer automatically, but requires an active, personal progress through meaningful learning. As posited by the constructivist paradigm, the aim of this study was to identify the characteristics of meaningful learning by analysing definitions and correlated methods found in the literature.

DESIGN

An integrative review.

METHODS

Articles were sought on MEDLINE, CINAHL and SCOPUS; no language, time or study-design restrictions were adopted. Only papers referring explicitly to the diverse types of learning were taken into account; 11 articles were included in this review.

RESULTS

Findings from the literature revealed three different types of meaningful learning: (1) meaningful learning as 'active building-up process'; (2) meaningful learning as 'change'; 3-meaningful learning as 'outcome of experience'. A focus on constructivism and meaningful learning provides a new outlook on healthcare professionals in learning, including nurses, who are gradually taking on greater responsibility in self- and ongoing education.

An integrative review of the characteristics of meaningful learning in healthcare professionals to enlighten educational practices in health care

AIM

Knowledge does not transfer automatically, but requires an active, personal progress through meaningful learning. As posited by the constructivist paradigm, the aim of this study was to identify the characteristics of meaningful learning by analysing definitions and correlated methods found in the literature.

DESIGN

An integrative review.

METHODS

Articles were sought on MEDLINE, CINAHL and SCOPUS; no language, time or study-design restrictions were adopted. Only papers referring explicitly to the diverse types of learning were taken into account; 11 articles were included in this review.

RESULTS

Findings from the literature revealed three different types of meaningful learning: (1) meaningful learning as 'active building-up process'; (2) meaningful learning as 'change'; 3-meaningful learning as 'outcome of experience'. A focus on constructivism and meaningful learning provides a new outlook on healthcare professionals in learning, including nurses, who are gradually taking on greater responsibility in self- and ongoing education.

Evaluation of an online orientation program for new healthcare employees

Online learning is one of the newest efforts of mainstream healthcare education. It has been cited as providing both an efficient and effective alternative learning medium. This study explored the acceptance of an online orientation program by new healthcare employees and identified several critical factors affecting online learning outcomes. The study applied triangulation methods including surveys, interviews, and test scores. Data were captured from 154 questionnaires (with a response rate of 78.2%) with related test scores and 13 participant interviews. The results showed that new healthcare employees were positive toward the computer-based learning program. "Perceived ease of use" and "perceived usefulness" were the major variables predicting technology acceptance, whereas "learner satisfaction" and "continued intention to use" were the major indices for the learning outcomes. Test scores, however, did not reveal any statistical impact. Additionally, human-computer interaction, instant feedback, and program content were commented on as factors affecting learning outcomes. Therefore, online learning is suitable for new healthcare employees, both in the orientation stage and as a follow-up learning method. The results of this study can help support the development of educational technology online programs.

Case histories in the education of advanced practice nurses

Case histories--rich, anecdotal narratives--are theorized to support the acquisition of cognitive, social, cultural, and emotional knowledge and motor skills through active learning. This manuscript focuses on the value of case histories in teaching and evaluating acute and critical care advanced practice nursing students. Information about the use of case histories in advanced critical care education and clinical practice is limited. Case histories support student-centered learning and development of clinical reasoning. An exemplar of a case history is provided, and application of case histories to both electronic and classroom settings is explored.

Bilingual asynchronous online discussion groups: design and delivery of an eLearning distance study module for nurse academics in a developing country

The advent of eLearning has seen online discussion forums widely used in both undergraduate and postgraduate nursing education. This paper reports an Australian university experience of design, delivery and redevelopment of a distance education module developed for Vietnamese nurse academics. The teaching experience of Vietnamese nurse academics is mixed and frequently limited. It was decided that the distance module should attempt to utilise the experience of senior Vietnamese nurse academics - asynchronous online discussion groups were used to facilitate this. Online discussion occurred in both Vietnamese and English and was moderated by an Australian academic working alongside a Vietnamese translator. This paper will discuss the design of an online learning environment for foreign correspondents, the resources and translation required to maximise the success of asynchronous online discussion groups, as well as the rationale of delivering complex content in a foreign language. While specifically addressing the first iteration of the first distance module designed, this paper will also address subsequent changes made for the second iteration of the module and comment on their success. While a translator is clearly a key component of success, the elements of simplicity and clarity combined with supportive online moderation must not be overlooked.

Planning and implementation framework for a hybrid e-learning model

E-learning and traditional classroom learning have been combined to deliver library and information science (LIS) education. However, the framework for planning and implementing a hybrid e-learning model is unclear in the literature. Using a routines-based perspective, e-learning opportunities were explored through identifying the internal difficulties of a part-time LIS postgraduate programme in Taiwan. External challenges were also examined. A practical implication of the findings is a planning and implementation framework for hybrid e-learning, namely ‘the Four Elements model’ and the ‘Structure-System-Process paradigm’, respectively. The former includes four core competencies: cost, service, quality and flexibility needed for LIS educators to formulate an action plan. The latter demonstrates how and what resources can be deployed to implement the action plan. With the framework, a part-time LIS postgraduate programme with limited e-learning courses is generally expected to develop a competitive advantage.

Faculty development initiatives for the integration of informatics competencies and point-of-care technologies in undergraduate nursing education

Faculty members have a critical role in deciding the content that is taught to their nursing students. They must grasp the importance of using technology to facilitate learning and knowledge of informatics concepts and skills. This article describes a successful faculty development program that was aimed at upgrading the technology and informatics skills of the faculty while at the same time developing and threading informatics skills across the baccalaureate nursing curriculum.