NURS FPX 6105 Assessment 1 Learning Theories and Diversity
Learning Theories and Diversity
Learning theories form the foundation of the design of courses and specific topics in a manner that would be suitable for delivery to specific student populations. For a clinical nurse educator, the student population generally comprises adult learners who have obtained degrees or other nursing qualifications from recognized institutions and are transitioning into the clinical practice setting, or nurses who have been practicing but need to enhance their knowledge and skills in specific nursing practices. Consequently, in the design of courses to offer to this student population, the educator needs to select an appropriate learning theory to inform the design. In the present scenario, the educator selects the adult learning theory to impart knowledge on work-life balance to newly hired nurses at a clinical facility. This paper discusses the course environment, the educational theory used and its justifications, the diversity of the learners with whom the educator will interact, and the strategies for managing conflict within the learning environment.
As a clinical nurse educator, one of the roles to play is the provision of staff development education, oriented to motivating nurses in clinical settings, coaching and mentoring them and teaching them the best ways to meet their career goals. A critical need for nurses who are transitioning from the higher education environment into clinical practice is the understanding of a work-life balance. As Matsuo et al. (2021) noted, a strong work-life balance is a necessity for the successful hiring and retention of a large nursing workforce. Without the balance, many nurses show a high intention to leave their clinical practice setting, which is a problem that many organizations face as nurse turnover diminishes their capacity to deliver care to patients (Matsuo et al., 2021). Thus, as new nurses venture into the clinical practice setting, they need training and mentorship on the approaches that would promote their work-life balance and prevent them from getting overwhelmed to the point of quitting their jobs.
Therefore, the work-life balance topic will be delivered at the clinic during the orientation of newly hired nurses to the facility. The objectives of the course will be (a) to provide support for the newly hired nurses as they get accustomed to life as clinicians, (b) to increase the rates of retention among the new nurses by supporting their work-life balance, and (c) to promote a supportive atmosphere for the new nurses. The work-life balance lessons will be delivered as part of the coaching and orientation program through well-designed training programs and on-the-job training. The target audience for the lessons is the new nurses that the organization hires to work in various units, including the intensive care unit (ICU), high-dependency unit (HDU), the emergency department (ED), and the general ward.
Educational Theory
The adult learning theory is selected as the basis for developing the course. The theory has five major orientations, namely the cognitivist, behaviorist, humanistic, social cognitive, and constructivist orientations (Allen et al., 2021). The cognitivist orientation is useful in delivering structured content to students in classroom settings with the purpose of developing their knowledge and skills to learn better. The behaviorist orientation, on the other hand, promotes change in behavior through coaching and deliberate practice in competency-building settings. The humanist orientation imparts lessons to meet affective and developmental needs and inspires students to be more self-actualized and self-aware. Social cognitive orientations are based on the role-model approach to learning through interactions and observations. The constructivist orientation, on the other hand, is aimed at making meaning through action learning and developmental assignments (Allen et al., 2021). Each of these orientations is useful in training adult learners in clinical settings, but for different areas of knowledge.
The most applicable orientation of the theory for the proposed lessons on work-life balance is the social-cognitive orientation. The social cognitive orientation of adult learning theory posits that learning occurs best when an individual interacts with others in a social context (Allen et al., 2021). The objective of learning based on this theory is to acquire and master new behaviors and roles, especially by interacting with individuals who are more experienced and knowledgeable on the topics of interest and receiving lessons from them through formal or informal programs. The proc