High-fidelity simulation labs are becoming an integral part of nursing education. Improved technology now provides students with more realistic practice opportunities than in the past and also provides students the chance to practice with equipment and respond to changes in patient condition in a safe learning environment. After watching the video, find out about the exciting things happening in the School of Nursing at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops in the links below.
Month: April 2019
Trends in Adult Learning
The following is an excerpt from the Occupational Safety Group, Inc (OSG) blog post: Five Trends in Adult Learning to Help Your Training Efforts in 2018. While this post is focused on workplace training, it is equally applicable to any learning environment.
1. Mobile Training:
To make learning accessible to adults, it needs to be on-demand. Being constricted to a classroom schedule just doesn’t fit into most adult’s lifestyles. They require learning that they can access anytime, anywhere. Mobile training offers this flexibility. The technology that makes mobile training possible also affords opportunities for adults to use advanced learning technologies, including augmented reality, virtual reality, and videos. We discuss videos in more detail in point 3.
2. Instructor Quality:
Adult learners demand more from instructors. They learn best from, and value, instructors that can offer enriched learning experiences through discussions and stories that stem from the instructor’s own relevant experiences. Adult learning and instruction is also moving toward more collaboration between learners and instructors, creating a learning environment where both instructors and learners create value and learning opportunities by bringing their unique knowledge and experiences to the table.
3. Microlearning and Video Training:
To go along with the concept of making training accessible, the idea of microlearning has gained a lot of traction in the adult learning sphere. Microlearning takes an idea or concept and presents in a small, easy-to-digest format. This is typically and most commonly found in video form. Five-minute how-to videos are sometimes just as effective, or more so than longer, drawn-out lessons that lack video components.
4. Self-led Learning:
Adult learning trends have been moving away from a lot of hand-holding, and to
ward an atmosphere of accountability. Since adults require learning at their own discretion and that works within their busy schedules, self-led learning is more ideal than traditional classroom-style education. It allows adult learners to be proactive in their educations, and to contribute to the learning process.
5. Game-based Learning:
Games aren’t just child’s play! Gamification of learning can be a very effective tool for adult learning. It involves using game concepts to deliver educational messages. For example, using jeopardy-type activities in a training program and inciting a competitive spirit as opposed to just delivering multiple-choice review questions. Gamification increases engagement with, and retention of, learning materials.
From: OSG (2018, February 21). Five trends in adult learning to help your training efforts in 2018. [blog post] Retrieved from: https://osg.ca/five-trends-in-adult-learning-to-help-your-training-efforts-in-2018/