NURS-FPX6105 Assessment 1 Learning Theories and Diversity

ByDaniel Rossi Updated on

NURS-FPX6105 Assessment 1 Learning Theories and Diversity – Step-by-Step Guide

The first step before starting to write the NURS-FPX6105 Assessment 1 Learning Theories and Diversity, it is essential to understand the requirements of the assignment. The first step is to read the assignment prompt carefully to identify the topic, the length and format requirements. You should go through the rubric provided so that you can understand what is needed to score the maximum points for each part of the assignment. 

It is also important to identify the audience of the paper and its purpose so that it can help you determine the tone and style to use throughout. You can then create a timeline to help you complete each stage of the paper, such as conducting research, writing the paper, and revising it to avoid last-minute stress before the deadline. After identifying the formatting style to be applied to the paper, such as APA, you should review its use, such as writing citations and referencing the resources used. You should also review how to format the title page and the headings in the paper.

How to Research and Prepare for NURS-FPX6105 Assessment 1 Learning Theories and Diversity

The next step in preparing for your paper is to conduct research and identify the best sources to use to support your arguments. Identify the list of keywords from your topic using different combinations. The first step is to visit the university library and search through its database using the important keywords related to your topic. You can also find books, peer-reviewed articles, and credible sources for your topic from PubMed, JSTOR, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, and Google Scholar. Ensure that you select the references that have been published in the last words and go through each to check for credibility. Ensure that you obtain the references in the required format, for example, in APA, so that you can save time when creating the final reference list. 

You can also group the references according to their themes that align with the outline of the paper. Go through each reference for its content and summarize the key concepts, arguments and findings for each source. You can write down your reflections on how each reference connects to the topic you are researching about. After the above steps, you can develop a strong thesis that is clear, concise and arguable. Next you should create a detailed outline of the paper so that it can help you to create headings and subheadings to be used in the paper. Ensure that you plan what point will go into each paragraph.

How to Write the Introduction for NURS-FPX6105 Assessment 1 Learning Theories and Diversity

The introduction of the paper is the most crucial part as it helps to provide the context of your work, and will determine if the reader will be interested to read through to the end. You should start with a hook, which will help capture the reader’s attention. You should contextualize the topic by offering the reader a concise overview of the topic you are writing about so that they may understand its importance. You should state what you aim to achieve with the paper. The last part of the introduction should be your thesis statement, which provides the main argument of the paper.

How to Write the Body for NURS-FPX6105 Assessment 1 Learning Theories and Diversity

The body of the paper helps you to present your arguments and evidence to support your claims. You can use headings and subheadings developed in the paper’s outline to guide you on how to organize the body. Start each paragraph with a topic sentence to help the reader know what point you will be discussing in that paragraph. Support your claims using the evidence conducted from the research, ensure that you cite each source properly using in-text citations. You should analyze the evidence presented and explain its significance and how it connects to the thesis statement. You should maintain a logical flow between each paragraph by using transition words and a flow of ideas.

How to Write the In-text Citations for NURS-FPX6105 Assessment 1 Learning Theories and Diversity

In-text citations help the reader to give credit to the authors of the references they have used in their works. All ideas that have been borrowed from references, any statistics and direct quotes must be referenced properly. The name and date of publication of the paper should be included when writing an in-text citation. For example, in APA, after stating the information, you can put an in-text citation after the end of the sentence, such as (Smith, 2021). If you are quoting directly from a source, include the page number in the citation, for example (Smith, 2021, p. 15). Remember to also include a corresponding reference list at the end of your paper that provides full details of each source cited in your text. An example paragraph highlighting the use of in-text citations is as below:

The integration of technology in nursing practice has significantly transformed patient care and improved health outcomes. According to Smith (2021), the use of electronic health records (EHRs) has streamlined communication among healthcare providers, allowing for more coordinated and efficient care delivery. Furthermore, Johnson and Brown (2020) highlight that telehealth services have expanded access to care, particularly for patients in rural areas, thereby reducing barriers to treatment.

How to Write the Conclusion for NURS-FPX6105 Assessment 1 Learning Theories and Diversity

When writing the conclusion of the paper, start by restarting your thesis, which helps remind the reader what your paper is about. Summarize the key points of the paper, by restating them. Discuss the implications of your findings and your arguments. End with a call to action that leaves a lasting impact on the reader or recommendations.

How to Format the Reference List for NURS-FPX6105 Assessment 1 Learning Theories and Diversity

The reference helps provide the reader with the complete details of the sources you cited in the paper. The reference list should start with the title “References” on a new page. It should be aligned center and bolded. The references should be organized in an ascending order alphabetically and each should have a hanging indent. If a source has no author, it should be alphabetized by the title of the work, ignoring any initial articles such as “A,” “An,” or “The.” If you have multiple works by the same author, list them in chronological order, starting with the earliest publication. 

Each reference entry should include specific elements depending on the type of source. For books, include the author’s last name, first initial, publication year in parentheses, the title of the book in italics, the edition (if applicable), and the publisher’s name. For journal articles, include the author’s last name, first initial, publication year in parentheses, the title of the article (not italicized), the title of the journal in italics, the volume number in italics, the issue number in parentheses (if applicable), and the page range of the article. For online sources, include the DOI (Digital Object Identifier) or the URL at the end of the reference. An example reference list is as follows:

References

Johnson, L. M., & Brown, R. T. (2020). The role of telehealth in improving patient outcomes. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 35(2), 123-130. https://doi.org/10.1097/NCQ.0000000000000456

Smith, J. A. (2021). The impact of technology on nursing practice. Health Press.

NURS-FPX6105 Assessment 1 Learning Theories and Diversity Instructions

  • Create a 5-7-page high-level teaching plan for a diverse learning environment that is designed around an appropriate educational theory.

Introduction

When beginning to design a course, nurse educators need to identify the learning theory or theories that will form the foundation of a course’s design, and to consider the needs of the population of learners who will take the course. Have a look at NURS-FPX6105 Assessment 2 Management and Motivation.

Note: Assessments in this course build on each other and must be completed in sequential order.

It is important to consider the role of diversity and learning environments when selecting appropriate theories and approaches for a desired learning outcome. For this assessment, you will implement these considerations in an educational environment of your choosing.

Preparation

  • Take time to review educational theories that you have studied in prior courses or used in your work. Do additional research on educational theories and approaches as necessary.
  • Optional: Practice implementing these considerations in the Vila Health challenge provided in the Resources before beginning your work here.

As you prepare to complete this assessment, you may want to think about other related issues to deepen your understanding or broaden your viewpoint. You are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of your professional community.

Note that these questions are for your own development and exploration and do not need to be completed or submitted as part of your assessment.

  • Think about some of the most effective educators you have learned with and from. What characteristics made these educators “good”?
  • How can nurse educators tailor their teaching methods in order to foster student engagement across multiple generations?
  • Have you ever completed a learning style inventory? If so, do you feel like it adequately assessed your learning style? Why or why not? (If you have not completed one, you might want to search for a free inventory online to see how its results align with your self-knowledge.)
  • How can you prepare yourself to be a culturally competent educator?

Instructions

For this assessment, you will create a 5–7-page high-level teaching plan in which you do the following:

  • Select a topic for a course that you would like to teach in an educational environment. (For example, maybe you would like to be a nursing instructor in an institution of higher learning, a staff development educator in a clinical facility, or a patient educator in a hospital.) Briefly describe your course and the environment that you will utilize for teaching. Also describe the intended audience for your course.
  • Select an educational theory that you could use to guide the development of your course. Describe the key points of the theory you selected and explain why you think this theory fits the topic, audience, and context of your course.
  • Be sure to cite textbooks or articles from peer-reviewed journals to support your choice.
  • Identify and discuss potential diversity in the group that you anticipate teaching. (Diversity can include multiculturalism, age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, Limited English Proficiency (LEP), or other cultural barriers that you feel could impact your learning environment.)
  • Use current research to describe how you will address these issues in your learning environment.
  • Describe how you will manage conflict in the classroom that may arise from the anticipated diversity among learners.
Additional Requirements
  • Format: 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font, double-spaced in Microsoft Word.
  • Length: 5–7 pages, plus a title page and a references page.
  • Use correct APA format, including running head, page numbers, and a title page.
  • Writing should be free of grammar and spelling errors that distract from content.

Competencies Measured

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:

  • Competency 1: Appraise the influence of learner’s culture, gender, and experiences on teaching and learning.
  • Describe the diversity of an intended group of learners.
  • Competency 2: Apply educational theory and evidence-based teaching practices when implementing teaching strategies.
  • Identify a learning theory that applies to a selected educational topic and audience.
  • Competency 3: Apply a variety of teaching strategies appropriate to diverse learner needs, content, and desired learner outcomes.
  • Justify the application of a learning theory in a particular context.
  • Competency 4: Integrate best practices for classroom management
  • Describe evidence-based strategies for managing conflicts that could arise in a diverse classroom.
  • Competency 5: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with the expectations of a nursing education professional.
  • Support a position with effective written communication; use correct spelling, grammar, punctuation and mechanics, and APA style and formatting.

NURS-FPX6105 Assessment 1 Learning Theories and Diversity Example

Learning Theories and Diversity

Learning theories explain how knowledge is created and transferred from the educators to the learners through the learning process. These learning theories direct educators to make instructional choices and develop personal philosophies of teaching, which guide their instructional designs. An educator’s philosophy of teaching should consider potential diversity in the learning environment involved and develop ways to manage conflicts that may arise from the diversity. This paper presents a teaching plan detailing a topic from a course I am interested in teaching in an educational environment and the educational theory that I could use to guide the development of the course. Additionally, the paper will explore potential diversity in the anticipated teaching group, describe how these issues can be addressed in the learning environment, and describe ways of managing conflict in the classroom.

Anticipated Topic, Course, and Educational Environment

The anticipated topic of instruction is ethical decision-making in nursing practice. The topic is derived from the course introduction to clinical ethics in nursing. The course is offered to nursing students to develop ethical, legal, and moral principles used in nursing practice. It also prepares nursing learners to assess and deal with ethical issues during practice. Therefore, the intended educational environment that I will utilize for teaching is an institution of higher learning, specifically a nursing college. The anticipated audience for the course is nursing students from the institution of higher learning.

Constructivism Learning Theory

Different learning theories aim to describe the knowledge-creation process and learning. Constructivism is one of the major learner-centered learning theories that stipulates that the learner has an active role in building their knowledge and understanding. Learners actively participate in their learning theory; knowledge is constructed based on their social or individual experiences, hence the term constructivism.

According to Muhajira (2020), the primary idea of the theory is that critical thinking and meaningful knowledge are constructed actively in a cognitive, cultural, emotional, and social sense, whereby the individual learns through active involvement and engagement in the classroom. Additionally, the theory acknowledges the role of prior knowledge in learning new concepts based on the belief that individual learners interpret new concepts based on what they already know. Learners also build knowledge from social constructs such as common beliefs and shared expectations on values and behavior. More so, active engagement and participation in the classroom entail the educator facilitating learning through the development of a supportive environment and activities aimed at building on what the learners already know.  

The constructivism learning theory was selected due to its appropriateness in teaching nursing students in the higher learning institution educational environment. Epp et al. (2021) note that constructivism is an effective theoretical basis for developing courses in the innovative nursing curriculum. The topic of ethics is also widely known to nursing learners as it is offered in other core units, such as philosophy. Therefore, the application of ethics in nursing practice will entail building on the already existing knowledge of general ethics.     

Justification of the Constructivism Learning Theory in the Intended Context

Research shows the constructivism theory’s effectiveness in informing the nursing curriculum’s teaching (Epp et al., 2021). In addition, nursing ethics is an application topic that will require critical reasoning and thinking abilities. Therefore, the students will be required to relate to their previous individual experiences in dealing with ethical issues in the process of learning to assess and deal with ethical issues in future practice. Relating the new concepts to the previous knowledge on ethics and ethical issues will provide a platform for the students to participate actively in the classroom, thus boosting the learning process.

However, alternate theories that would apply in this context include behaviorist and cognitive learning theories. Muharija (2020) notes that behaviorism theory stipulates that learning depends on the learner’s interaction with the external environment and that the learning process occurs when the learner experiences the consequences of interacting with the environment. The theory is less applicable in the context of learning ethics in a nursing classroom environment since nursing students may have limited experience with ethical issues particularly related to nursing practice. The cognitivism theory, which emphasizes the importance of memory and recall in learning, is also less applicable in this context since it entails teaching approaches such as retrieval practice, which may be challenging to apply in learning ethical issues in nursing practice.   

Potential Learners’ Diversity

Educators should consider the diversity factors in a learner group while developing the teaching philosophy and identifying the approach that will best suit the group. The anticipated learner group of nursing students is diverse. The diversity factors in the intended learner group are age, gender, multiculturalism, and ethnicity. The age diversity factor occurs when learners in a group have an age range that spans across different age groups. Age is a significant diversity factor in the intended learner group since the group is likely to include young students from high school and older students advancing their nursing studies.

Furthermore, the learner group is expected to be composed of students across all genders, thus a significant diversity group (Cary et al., 2020). Gender as a diversity factor is an essential consideration in developing the educational content and selecting the instructional approach since a diverse learner group should be taught in a gender-sensitive language, and the examples and activities provided during learning should be gender sensitive. Fuentes et al. (2021) note that educators should address the gender diversity factor in a learning environment by ensuring gender inclusivity and sensitivity in the teaching process and participation activities.

The other diversity factors in the anticipated learner population are multiculturalism and ethnicity. Cary et al. (2020) note that nursing schools, especially in the international space, mostly have students from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, thus forming diverse cultural and ethnic learner populations. These populations require educators to consider developing course contents that are inclusive and culturally sensitive, thus promoting effective learning for all learners. Leidl et al. (2020) also note that nursing educators dealing with a diverse learner population group should consider the learners’ needs based on the different diversity factors involved and use the considerations to inform the selection of teaching approaches and strategies.   

Evidence-Based Strategies for Managing Conflicts in a Diverse Classroom

Following the differences that may arise from the diversity factors, conflicts may be inevitable in a diverse learning environment. Educators should, therefore, identify ways of managing these conflicts, thus enhancing learning. Among the strategies used to manage conflicts arising from diversity in a learning environment include cultivating a culture of respect and having common rules/classroom expectations, actively involving the learners in solving problems emanating from diversity factors, and encouraging a sense of clinical and classroom community for all the learners (Valente & Lourenço, 2020).

 According to Valente and Lourenço (2020), the educator plays a crucial role in setting the pace to address conflicts and manage the diverse classroom by setting up common rules and enhancing respect for one another in the classroom. The educator should discuss the common class rules during the first class with the learners and encourage the learners to abide by them to create a safe and inclusive learning environment. In addition, the educator should encourage respect for all by emphasizing the importance of respect in developing a safe and inclusive learning environment and guiding learners in mentioning their expectations in relation to the class.

 Furthermore, the educator can actively involve the learners in solving issues that result from diversity, thus preventing further conflicts. Valente and Lourenço (2020) note that the active engagement of learners in problem-solving builds their capacity to solve similar issues and encourages them to prevent conflicts as much as possible. More so, the problem-solving process usually makes the learners realize that the classroom environment should be safe for all learners to enhance learning, hence empowering them to prevent other conflicts. Most importantly, educators can make the learners understand the essence of clinical and classroom community in promoting learning and developing a safe learning environment.

Conclusion

Learning theories guide the selection of teaching philosophies and strategies. The constructivist theory is appropriate for selecting instructional strategies for the course and topic identified above. The theory notes that knowledge is built on already-existing experiences and new concepts. It is vital to recognize potential diversity factors in a classroom environment and develop strategies to manage the diversity and conflicts that may result from the same.

References

Cary, M. P., Jr, Randolph, S. D., Broome, M. E., & Carter, B. M. (2020). Creating a culture that values diversity and inclusion: An action-oriented framework for schools of nursing. Nursing Forum, 55(4), 687–694. https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12485

Epp, S., Reekie, M., Denison, J., de Bosch Kemper, N., Willson, M., & Marck, P. (2021). Radical transformation: Embracing constructivism and pedagogy for an innovative nursing curriculum. Journal of Professional Nursing: Official Journal of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 37(5), 804–809. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2021.06.007

Fuentes, M. A., Zelaya, D. G., & Madsen, J. W. (2021). Rethinking the course syllabus: Considerations for promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion. Teaching of Psychology, 48(1), 69-79. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628320959979

Leidl, D. M., Ritchie, L., & Moslemi, N. (2020). Blended learning in undergraduate nursing education – A scoping review. Nurse Education Today, 86, 104318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2019.104318 

Muhajirah, M. (2020). Basic learning theory:(behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, and humanism). International Journal of Asian Education, 1(1), 37-42. https://doi.org/10.46966/ijae.v1i1.23

Valente, S., & Lourenço, A. A. (2020). Conflict in the classroom: How teachers’ emotional intelligence influences conflict management. Frontiers in Education, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.00005