BEST PRACTICE - I
Title: CONCEPT BASED LEARNING (CONCEPT MAPPING)
Objectives of the Practice
- To develop a deep understanding of key nursing concepts
- To promote critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills
- To support transfer of learning to clinical practice
- long-term retention of nursing knowledge
- To prepare learners for professional nursing practice
Context -
Concept-based learning is an educational approach that emphasizes the understanding of big ideas or concepts instead of memorization of isolated facts. The students are encouraged to think critically and solve problems by identifying patterns and relationships between different ideas. The approach involves breaking down complex concepts into smaller components or sub-concepts, which are easier to understand and retain. Students then use these building blocks to construct a deeper understanding of the overarching concept.
The concept-based learning approach differs from the traditional content-based approach, which focuses on the transmission of knowledge through memorization of isolated facts or topics. With the concept-based approach, students are encouraged to think beyond memorization and apply their knowledge to real-life situations, which promotes deeper learning and long-term retention of information.
The Practice -
Steps in Preparing Concept Map
- Select: Write down major terms, concepts, and keywords about a topic.
- Rank: Identify the mist general, intermediate and specific concepts and rank them as most abstract to most specific.
- Cluster: Group the concepts by drawing circles
- On top most general concepts.
- In the middle intermediate concepts
- On bottom specific concepts.
- Arrange: Place concepts into a diagrammatic representation by drawing lines between related concepts.
- Link and label: Use lines and prepositions to link and label the concepts.
- Self assessment: Revise the concept map based on the appraisal.
- Peer assessment: Get feedback from a peer group.
- Finalize: Finalize concept map based on self and peer review and by critical analysis.
Tips used in preparation of concept maps
The following approaches are used to develop nodes and links.
- Top down approach
- Working from general to specific
- Free association approach
- Brainstorming nodes to developing links and relationships.
- Different shapes for nodes to identify different types of information
- Different colour nodes to identify prior and new information
- Cloud node to identify a question.
- Question node to gather information.
Evidence of Success –
- Students easily understand complex concepts.
- Teachers are more involved in the teaching-learning process, with focus on the expected outcomes.
- Improvement in teaching-learning experience.
Problems Encountered and Resources Required –
- Sometimes creating a concept map can be a time-consuming process
BEST PRACTICE - II
Title: "SkillUP: Empowering Students for Career Success"
Objectives of the Practice
- To develop clinical skills
- To improve critical thinking and problem-solving skills
- To enhance communication and teamwork skills
- To promote evidence-based practice
- To foster leadership and management skills
- To promote cultural competence
- To encourage lifelong learning
Context
"SkillUP: Empowering Students for Career Success" practice in nursing college is a program designed to equip nursing students with the knowledge, skills, and competencies required for successful employment in the healthcare industry. The program focuses on providing students with hands-on experience and training in a range of clinical and non-clinical areas, in addition to traditional classroom-based learning. The program includes a variety of skill development programs, such as clinical simulations, interprofessional education, leadership and management training, cultural competence training, and evidence-based practice workshops. The program also includes opportunities for students to gain practical experience through internships, apprenticeships, and community service projects
The Practice
At the start of the academic year, each department in the college takes note of the health days and incorporates it into their department action plan based on their area of application. The events for health days are organised according to a yearly theme. Health days may be honoured for a single day or an entire week. The programme package includes health-related events, discussions about health, role-playing, street plays, poster and rangoli competitions, and health screenings. These activities enhance public health and raise awareness of the most recent changes in personal healthcare. Additionally, this enhances the expertise and skills of hospital and community workers as well as student nurses.
Evidence of Success
Due to combined efforts of all, the training and placement initiatives, the technical skills, confidence building, communication and awareness in regards to career consciousness begins to increase among students. Hence, a measurable result of these activities can be seen in the placement statistics. The institute has seen an ever increasing number of placements and many students have attributed their success to the activities conducted by the institute.
Problems Encountered and Resources Required
- Developing and utilization of OSCE centres.
- Limited access to the hospitals under MOU’s
- Limited super specialty hospitals within the locality of College.
- Limited resources for clinical teaching.