Topic 4

Group 2
Daguasi, Cliff Richard
Lacanilao, Fatima Grace
Luis, Mary Ann Krisna
Mapatac, Tomas III
Reyes, Ma. Martell

Health science education is experiencing content saturation because there is more content than can be possibly taught in any given curriculum (Diekelmann 2001). As textbooks become thicker and course content more complex, the students become frustrated because of too much reading, content processing, and memorization. They complain to have reached their limits of grasping ideas. When focus is on content, the volume covered is high, but the retention of information is low because of a failure to accomplish deep learning and understanding.

Gidden and Brady (2007) enumerated the causes of content saturation and these include information age, changes in health care delivery, teacher-centered pedagogy, content repeti¬tion, and academic-practice gap. They pointed out that if an institution focuses more on theories than application of practice and skills, nursing graduates are still inadequately prepared in the hospital setting.

A need for a change in the educational practice is being claimed by the Institute of Medicine IOM (2003). One of the reasons is the need for the evolution of knowledge based on the changing needs of the learner. Innovations must be addressed on teaching, and how designing a curriculum promotes learning that is necessary for advancement. Moreover, the National League of Nurses (2003) agreed on a curriculum transformation in nursing education into a more responsive approach to create and shape the future of nursing practice. It must be evidence based and collaborative with integration of new technology.

Carrieri-Kohlman, Lindsey, and West (2003) defined a con¬ceptual approach as a process that deliberately attempts to examine the nature and substance of nursing from a con¬ceptual perspective. It requires nurse educators to think differently about designing a curriculum and teach differently by implementing student-centered and active learning activities. Conceptual development is a lifelong process because it requires a higher-level of thinking ability.

Instruction based on conceptual approach is an effective way for students to genuinely understand topics. When teachers base their instruction on concepts, they can expect the students to learn more than just facts. It is an effective way to challenge and prepare nursing stu¬dents to practice their skills in conceptual thinking—which are necessary to respond to a rapidly changing profession and health care environment.

To conclude, It is essential that learners become critical thinkers and problem solvers, not just memorizers of facts. They need big ideas that they can take with them through their lives so that they will be able to understand complex interactions and become true innovators.

Guide Questions:
1. What are the benefits of a concept-based curriculum?

2. If you will become a future nurse educator, what educational reform will you consider in developing a concept-based curriculum?

3. In the Philippine setting, what challenges will be faced by schools offering nursing programs if they plan to adopt a concept-based curriculum?

References:
Diekelmann, N. (2002). “Too Much Content…” Epistemologies’ Grasp and Nursing Education. Journal of Nursing Education. 2002 Nov;41(11):469-70.

National League for Nursing (2003). Position Statement: Innovation in Nursing Education: A Call to Reform. Retrieved April 8, 2010 from National League for Nursing Website: http://www.nln.org/aboutnln/positionstatements/innovation.htm

Institute of Medicine (2003). Health Professions Education: A Bridge to Quality. Washington, DC: National Academic Press

Carrieri-Kohlman, V., Lindsey, A.M., and West, C.M. (2003). Pathophysiological Phenomena in Nursing: Human Response to Ilness, 3rd ed. Philadelphia: Saunders

_____________________________________________________________________________
RESCUING NURSING EDUCATION FROM CONTENT SATURATION: THE CASE FOR A CONCEPT-BASED CURRICULUM
Group 3: Juco, Melissa Frances
Mananquil, Ann Marby
Marasigan, Iza Therese
Medalla, Jerrick

Concepts are ideas that use generalizations and have wide entity. It’s like thinking out of the box. It is timeless, limitless, abstract, and can give you many examples. A school that implements concept-based curriculum produces excellent learners because they are being taught on how to think. Teachers, mentors, professors who based their instruction on concepts could never go wrong in contributing to the society in producing learners who are critical thinkers and problem solvers.
Teachers may ask “What is…, How is that…., and so on until the class starts to burst their answers. In this way, teachers will know that their students are thinking. When you think out of the box, you don’t limit yourself to a four-walled boundary but rather you think in a way like “sky is the limit”.
The characteristics of a concept-based curriculum according to Lyn Erickson are:

-It makes the student think beyond four-walled classroom.
-When learners keep on thinking in this way, it becomes part of their lives, to think critically and solve problems.
-It ignites and guides the minds of the learners in making sense.
-It helps the students to organize their thoughts and gives a greater chance of retaining information rather than just memorization.
-Information can easily be shared to others because of variety of examples.



Nursing education has become one of the most complex fields in medicine because of its different aspects of expertise and its need to response on the rapid growing changes of health (Ervin 2006). This has triggered the creation of new curricula.

A concept-based curriculum is a better way for students to learn. This does not only present facts but enhance and stimulate higher-level of thinking for students. This fosters a deeper understanding for the learner. They see the subject as a big picture before deducing and analyzing the details. In this case, they don’t just memorize the meaning; they are trained to become thinkers and problem solvers. (Moving beyond the page Website. 2010) In this way, learning may be thought of as 'a process by which behaviour changes as a result of --- the learning process that has become task-conscious and formalized' (Rogers, A. 2003).

As a result, concept-based curriculum can help the students grasp information which can also be retained in their minds for a longer period of time rather than just merely memorizing facts. Most importantly, it is an effective way for students to think more 'scholarly'.


References:

1.Rogers, A. (2003) What is the Difference? A new critique of adult learning and teaching, Leicester: NIACE. 85 pages. Short and very helpful exploration of the nature of learning (with particular attention to current debates around informal learning) and the extent to which adult learning and the teaching of adults is the same or different from that of younger persons. Lifted from http://www.infed.org/biblio/b-learn.htm on April 9, 2010

2. Moving beyond the page 2010. “Home school curriculum for creative hands gifted learners”. Lifted from http://www.homeschoolreviews.com/reviews/curriculum/reviews.aspx?id=441 on April 9. 2010

3.Erickson, L (2002) “Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction: Teaching beyond facts “Lifted from http://www.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Kkv09vcixGsC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=concept-based+curriculum+and+instruction&ots=YWwhKzGIb-&sig=jkd37YCJ7tdhVf6J3B5Od3gnhNA#v=onepage&q&f=false, on April 9, 2010.

University of the East
Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center, Inc.
GRADUATE SCHOOL
Aurora Boulevard, Quezon City

Group 1
Castellano, Katrina
Gonzales, Charise
Galvez, Maria Lourdes
Ochona, Zacchari Andrei

Scientific knowledge is expanding every day, and health care practice is changing in an instant. Many students are wide thinkers; they need to picture the idea before analyzing the details. The concept-based curriculum will benefit the student to become wide thinker, problem solver and will not be “kabisote”. As educators focus on big ideas, foster deep learning and understanding through connections and reflections and most of all are consistent (Giddens, 2009).

Health sciences education is experiencing content saturation; there is more content than can possibly be taught in any given curriculum. The causes of content saturation are advances in the information age; changes in health care delivery; teacher-centered pedagogy and academic-practice gap.

Curriculum development in nursing education is a creative process intended to produce a unified, meaningful curriculum. The ultimate purpose is to create learning opportunities that will build students professional knowledge and skills so that graduates will practice nursing competently in a changing healthcare environment, thereby contributing to the health and quality of life of those they serve. (Iwasiw, 2008)

As future nurse educator a reform in a health care delivery setting will be consider in developing a concept-based curriculum because according to (Giddens, 2009) shift in focus from inpatient/acute care to community focused care. Classroom and clinical learning pose difficult challenges in current setting because of lack of facilities and instruments to be used by students while in school.
As time goes by the population increase, technological advancement people are more conscious of their right to improved health care. So as nurse educator reform of curriculum must evolve every now and then to stay competent (Anyanwu, 2002).

Anyanwu, J. (2002), Reforms in nursing in Nigeria: the journey so far, department of nursing sciences, faculty of health science and technology, university of Nigeria, enugu campus.
Giddens, J. (2009), New directions in nursing education: the concept based curriculum.
Iwasiw C. (2008). Curiculum Deveopment in Nursing Education. Jones and Bartlet Publishers

ochona wrote:University of the East
Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center, Inc.
GRADUATE SCHOOL
Aurora Boulevard, Quezon City

Group 1
Castellano, Katrina
Gonzales, Charise
Galvez, Maria Lourdes
Ochona, Zacchari Andrei

Scientific knowledge is expanding every day, and health care practice is changing in an instant. Many students are wide thinkers; they need to picture the idea before analyzing the details. The concept-based curriculum will benefit the student to become wide thinker, problem solver and will not be “kabisote”. As educators focus on big ideas, foster deep learning and understanding through connections and reflections and most of all are consistent (Giddens, 2009).

Health sciences education is experiencing content saturation; there is more content than can possibly be taught in any given curriculum. The causes of content saturation are advances in the information age; changes in health care delivery; teacher-centered pedagogy and academic-practice gap.

Curriculum development in nursing education is a creative process intended to produce a unified, meaningful curriculum. The ultimate purpose is to create learning opportunities that will build students professional knowledge and skills so that graduates will practice nursing competently in a changing healthcare environment, thereby contributing to the health and quality of life of those they serve. (Iwasiw, 2008)

As future nurse educator a reform in a health care delivery setting will be consider in developing a concept-based curriculum because according to (Giddens, 2009) shift in focus from inpatient/acute care to community focused care. Classroom and clinical learning pose difficult challenges in current setting because of lack of facilities and instruments to be used by students while in school.
As time goes by the population increase, technological advancement people are more conscious of their right to improved health care. So as nurse educator reform of curriculum must evolve every now and then to stay competent (Anyanwu, 2002).

Anyanwu, J. (2002), Reforms in nursing in Nigeria: the journey so far, department of nursing sciences, faculty of health science and technology, university of Nigeria, enugu campus.
Giddens, J. (2009), New directions in nursing education: the concept based curriculum.
Iwasiw C. (2008). Curiculum Deveopment in Nursing Education. Jones and Bartlet Publishers

Because nursing practice wants graduates who are prepared to enter in varied specialized settings, developing and implementing a curriculum should be in a comprehensive process, with both mentors and learners being well informed of the planned reform.

The conceptual foundation of didactic and clinical courses in the undergraduate curriculum is a mechanism needed in which both faculty and students could link concepts within the scope of clinical situations. On the other hand, future nurse educators should take the lead in promoting advancement and moving away from overloaded content coverage