wk3

• Mandatory learning needs must be learned for survival or in situations where the learner's life or safety is threatened
• Learning Needs


  Gaps in knowledge that exist between a desired level of performance and the actual level of performance
• The educator plays a vital role during the process of learning by giving support, encouragement, and direction
• Health Education Process

  1. Assessing the Learner

  2. Determinants of Learning

  3. Learning Needs

  4. Readiness to Learn

  5. Learning Styles
• Role of the educator

  1. Enhancing the learning process by serving as a “facilitator”

  2. Assessing the learner’s deficits

  3. Presenting appropriate information in unique ways

  4. Identifying progress being made

  5. Giving feedback

  6. Reinforcing learning in the acquisition of knowledge or performance of a skill

  7. Evaluating the learner’s abilities
• Assessment of the client/patient as the learner

  Three determinants: Learning Needs, Readiness to Learn, Learning Style
• Learning Prioritization

  • Mandatory
  • Desirable
  • Possible
• Possible learning needs are nice to know but not essential or required for daily activities
• Desirable learning needs are related to well-being but not life-dependent
• The Nurse Educator’s Role in Learning

  • For a nurse to carry out their educative role well, they must identify the information learners need, their readiness to learn, and their learning styles. However, the learner remains the single most important person in the educative process
• Assessment of Learning Needs


  1. Identify the learner

  2. Choose the right setting

  3. Collect data on the learner

  4. Include the learner as a source of information

  5. Involve members of the healthcare team

  6. Prioritize needs
• Educator's role in identifying optimal learning approaches and activities

  Supporting and challenging the learner
• Methods to Assess the Learning Needs

  1. Informal Interviews

  2. Structured Interviews

  3. Focus Group

  4. Self-administered Questionnaire

  5. Tests

  6. Observations
• Patient with diabetes mellitus

  • Doesn't need to know about HIV
• Focus Group

  The educator gets together 4-12 learners to determine areas of educational need. The educator leads the discussion and asks open-ended questions
• Observations

  Watching a learner perform a skill more than once is an excellent way of assessing psychomotor need. Educators can assess whether all steps are performed correctly
• Types of Readiness to Learn

  • Physical readiness
  • Emotional readiness
  • Experiential readiness
  • Knowledge readiness
• Experiential readiness

  • Level of Aspiration (long-term goals established)
  • Past coping mechanisms (previous problems)
  • Cultural background on focus of control (internally motivated to learn)
  • Orientation
• Asthmatic patient


  • Needs to learn how to use ventolin inhaler
• Learning Prioritization Possible: Needs for information that are nice to know but not essential or required because they are not directly related to daily activities or the particular situation of the learner
• Emotional readiness

  • Anxiety level
  • Support system
  • Motivation
  • Developmental Stage (human development)
• Tests

  Written pre-tests given before teaching can help identify the knowledge level of learners regarding a particular subject matter and assist in identifying specific needs of learners. Tests are useful as they prevent the educator from repeating already known material
• Three Determinants

  Learning Style (how the learner best learns)
• Readiness to Learn is the time when the learner demonstrates an interest, willingness, and ability to learn the type or degree of information necessary to maintain optimal health or to become skillful in a job
• Structured Interviews


  The nurse asks the patient direct and often predetermined questions. Establishing trust, using open-ended questions, quiet environment, and allowing the patient to state what his learning needs are merit attention
• Important Steps in the Assessment of Learning Needs

  1. Determine availability of educational resources

  2. After identifying a need, it would be useless to proceed with the intervention if proper educational resources are not available
• Knowledge readiness


  • Present knowledge base
  • Cognitive ability (learner capable of learning)
  • Learning disabilities (mental retardation)
  • Learning styles
• Patients with cardiovascular disease

  • Effects of a high fat diet on their health
• Determinants of Learning

  Readiness to Learn (when the learner is receptive to learning)
• Self-administered Questionnaire


  The learner's responses to questions about learning needs can be obtained by self-administered questionnaires. These are easy to administer and provide more privacy than interviews
• Informal Interviews

  Learning needs are identified during informal talk with other healthcare providers, and between the nurse and the patient/family
• Physical Readiness

  • Measure of ability (strength, flexibility)
  • Environmental effects (noise)
  • Health Status (energy & comfort level)
  • Gender (women more receptive to learning)