Description of learning scenario:

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I am going to use an example of a challenge I am having in my own work environment. The specific challenge is getting nurses to maintain the correct hand hygiene principles while caring for patients and in the past a lot of focus has been placed on teaching them the ‘correct’ methods for performing hand hygiene, when to perform hand hygiene and understanding the implications of not performing hand hygiene. No matter how much theory we throw at learners, their behaviour does not seem to change. The tasks the learner needs to perform are fairly simple, they just need to be performed in the correct way and at the right time and often doesn’t happen because of external environmental factors.

 

To support this learning need, I propose using a problem-based learning approach because PBL can help students to develop disciplinary habits (Genareo and Lyons: 2015) and I believe that spending some time with a scenario will also help learners to problem solve the challenges in their environment (problem solving) that might be preventing them from performing hand hygiene. PBL will be the main learning model I use.

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Complex learning project

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Outcomes:

• Explain why hand hygiene must be performed in a healthcare environment

• Apply the correct methods for maintaining hand hygiene

• Identify the barriers in the hospital environment that are preventing hand hygiene from taking place

• Come up with solutions to overcome the barriers to handwashing in the hospital environment

 

Diagnostic Assessment:

Diagnostic assessments assess the strengths, weaknesses and previous knowledge of a student (Ronan: 2015). Pair up learners and ask them to take turns to observe each other for 30 minutes each in their work environment and for the observer to make notes about the other person’s application of hand hygiene principles. The reviewer will be asked to take notes about: correct timing of hand washing and correct methods for handwashing based on the learning content that most of these learners would already be familiar with. Learners must share feedback to each other before attending the first contact session.

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Contact session 1:

Learners must present back some of the challenges they either encountered themselves or that their partners encountered during the diagnostic assessment. List all challenges on a flip chart and split them into knowledge based challenges and environmental challenges. Explain that they will focus during the first week on knowledge based challenges and that the environmental challenges will be revisited during the next contact session. Refer the learners to instruction guides and videos on the correct techniques for performing handwashing.

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In preparation for the next contact session, ask the learners to each make a video demonstrating three methods of performing hand hygiene, they must also explain when that particular method must be used. Use a rubric to score the videos. This is an example of a formative assessment because it is monitoring the student performance and progress during learning (Ronan: 2015).

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Contact session 2:

Put learners into bigger groups, ideally putting same units together and ask them to use the environmental challenges that were identified during the diagnostic assessment for this assignment. The assignment is to investigate the environmental factors in their groups, to come up with a plan for overcoming the challenges and to implement the plan and report back on the infection control statistics before and after the implementation of their project. The learners must present their findings to the Hospital Management and scoring will take place using a rubric to determine whether students have clearly communicated the problem, background, research methods, solutions, resources and also to determine group participation.

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This project based problem introduced during the second contact session is a summative assessment, which allows the learners to synthesize many concepts into one product or process (Ronan: 2015). In this scenario and assessment, a real life problem is used to allow learners to investigate the problem and to come up with solutions (Wilbert, 2013).

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Learning Theories

The learning theories used in this example are mainly constructivist. Learners observe each other and share feedback about their abilities to apply hand hygiene principles, creating a social context for learning (Social Constructivism: November 2015). This creates the potential for one learner to support another in the Zone of Proximal Development and to act as a more knowledgeable other (McLeod: 2014).

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The focus is on the students and not on the teacher and learning is an active process through which leaners will construct new meaning based on their own unique learning experiences (Constructivism and Social Constructivism in the Classroom: 2017).

 

Sources:

Constructivism and Social Constructivism in the Classroom, Retrieved 2 December 2017 from:http://www.ucdoer.ie/index.php/Education_Theory/Constructivism_and_Social_Constructivism_in_the_Classroom

Genareo, V.R and Lyons, R (30 November, 2015). Problem-Basd Learning: Six Steps to Design, Implement, and Assess. Retrieved from https://facultyfocus.com

McLeod, S.A. (2014). Lev Vygotsky. Retrieved from www.simplypsychology.org/vygotsky.html

 

Ronan, A (April 29, 2015). Every Teacher’s Guide to Assessment. Retrieved from http://www.edudemic.com

Social Constructivism, in Graduate Student Instructor, Retrieved 5 November 2017

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Wilbert, M. (2013). Authentic Assessment in Action. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/Sammamish-4-authentic-assessment-in-action-mark-wilbert