ORGANIZATION OF
- -
LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Structure
3.0 Objectives
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Concept and Definition
3.2.1 Experience
3.2.2 Leaming Experience
3.0 OBJECTIVES
1
After going through this unit, you should be able to:
define learning experiences;
I
list the criteria for selection of leaping experiences;
I
explain the principles of organization of learning experiences;
describe and list the advantages of a teaching block;
define partial block system; and
explain the role of faculty members in curriculum planning.
3.1 INTRODUCTION - - -
In the Unit 1 and 2 you have learnt in general about curriculum concepts and
developmznt of nursing curriculum. You have learnt about factors to be
considered, principles and steps to be followed'in developing the curriculum. In
Unit 2 yolr have read about development of instructional objective.
In this unit, you are going to learn about selection and organization of learning
experiences for the students, and principles involved. Let us first understand the
concept and definition of a learning experience.
Curriculum Development
and Implementation 3.2 CONCEPT AND DEFINITION
Learning experiences selected appropriately and carefully helps the student
to develop the required clinical competencies. In this section in you will
learn about the concept and definition of learning experience.
3.2.1 Experience
In order to understand the definition of learning experiences, you have to
grasp the meaning of experience. How will you define experience? Let us
try to understand by the following illustration.
Miss A, a staff nurse (S/N) in the operation theatre was explaining in depth
the significance and special need for family support during the post
'
operative period together with the essentials of the operation to the elder
brother of an adolescent patient who was to have a craniotomy for removal
of a posterior fosse tumour. The elder brother was so grateful for the
explanation that he insisted, Miss A should remain with his brother all
through the period of his operation and keep him informing about his
brother's condition from time to time.
What does the story tells you? Because of S i N A's appropriate explanation,
the brother was reassured and developed a confidence in S/N A. and what
does S/N A learn? She learnt that appropriate explanation with empathy at
the appropriate place and time can make a world of difference in reducing
the anxiety level of patient's close relatives, thereby helping them to adjust
to the changed situation, can instill in them a feeling of assurance. Which
in turn helps them to repose confidence in the attending nurses? Besides,
this also gives a sense of satisfaction to the concerned nurseaoesn't it?
What do you think about the above illustration? Is it an experience? Yes or
No? Well, it is yes-this is an experience between S/N A and patient's elder
brother. This is an educative experience which helps in relieving anxiety and
developing productive relationship.
So what is an experience?
An experience is making personal observations of a situation andlor
interacting with people in varied situations/environments resulting in gain in
knowledge, skills and attitude. In other words, learning are the out come of
experience.
This implies that while selecting learning experienced for a particular course
say, e.g., basic nursing, hygiene and environmental health, communication
methods and Media etc. It is necessary that the objectives stated should be
studied and analyzed carefully so that learning experiences (i.e., the course
content) both in theory and practical can be identified, selected and organized
into units of a course systematically.
Similarly, the identified unit objectives will then help in developing specific
learning experience both in theory and practical, i.e., content areas; for that
unit which will further help in developing each lesson objectives and related
learning experiences in theory and practice (lesson content) which are
organized and implemented according to the unit plan.
Selection and
Organlzatlon of Learning
Experlence
ii) Learning activities should be in relation to those real life situations where the
students are expected to practice afier being quafified.
iii) Selection should be in a manner that there is an effective integration betwgzn
theory and practice, i.e., between What is Taught in the Class Room and
What is Practised in Learning Situations?
iv) Selection should be made for such experiences which will assist the students
in effective learning and which would provide opportunities for performing
identified tasks of their expected jobs.
v) The focus while selecting learning experiences, i.e., learning situations and
activities should be to help students learn to:
give need based individualized care.
provide community oriented services.
meet the national health needldemand.
emphasise on primary preventions.
give nursing care at all the three levels of health care, i.e., primary,
secondary and tertiary levels.
ii) Learning experience should be varied and flexible enough keeping in mind
the learners' abilities to undergo the desired change of behaviour and not
going beyond their particular stages of developments.
Curriculum Development Example: For development of skills in conducting a normal delivery the
and Implementation students can be posted in the labour room, maternity clinics, and homes -
urban and rural for domiciliary care. This will provide a variety of experience
at the same time and it is feasible also. But this posting should be made only
when the students have learnt about the essentials of ante-natal, intra-natal and
post-natal care.
A first year student who has no knowledge of growth and development of the
child should not be posted in a well baby clinic to monitor growth and
development. This will be beyond her stage of development.
iii) Learning experience should be so selected that it will give the student an
opportunity to practice the kind of behaviour implied in the objective. It
should provide sufficient opportunity for self activity so that the transfer of
knowledge gained, skill acquired and desirable attitudes become habitual.
v) Learping experiences should be adapted to the needs of the student so that she
cadwill obtain satisfaction from behaving in the manner implied in the
objective.
vii) Learning experiences are planned and evaluated cooperatively by the teacher
and the student. The various experiences provided will be effective,
interesting and useful if the evaluation can be cooperatively planned by the
teacher and the student.
viii) Learning experiences are selected and arranged to give the appropriate
emphasis and weightage according to the relative importance of the various
learning experiences and contents.
Example: During the second year of the educational programme the student
may visit as under-five clinic to see the types of services being provided
whereas she may be posted in the *l?der-five clinic during her third year when
she will gain more knowledge, skill, and attitude while working in these
clinics.
Selection and
Organlzatlon of Learning
Experience
Once you have selected the learning experiences, you have to organize them. You
have already studied in BNS-110 (Nursing Administration) where we have
discussed about organization? You must be remembering that as a management
function, organization involves identification and grouping of activities to be
performed along with establishing of authority, responsibility and relationships. In
organizing learning experiences too, we are concerned with:
' Grouping and
Placement
Of the selected learning experiences considering sequencing, integration etc.
Let us move further to understand organizing of learning experiences.
I -- Maternal nursing
Gynaamlogy nursing