Nursing (NURS) 625

Overview

Educators in health education environments collaborate with, mentor and are mentored in their roles as university instructors, clinical teachers, preceptors, continuing education facilitators, staff development educators and client educators. In all contexts successful/effective educators create/facilitate learning environments where learners are engaged and build on what they already know. Further, engaging learning environments focus on the personally relevant learning needs of participants. Being an educator requires specific skills, knowledge and attitudes, which can be acquired in part through experience and educational courses and programs. NURS/MHST 625 is an advanced course designed to support the development of your abilities in these areas. It is both a synchronous and an asynchronous online course. This is one of three courses towards a teaching focus. This course provides opportunities for you to reflect on and extend what you know about teaching so you are able to establish, sustain and maximize the engagement of learners.

Using a variety of e-learning strategies, theory and practice are brought to life. The course provides opportunities to practice and reflect on what you learn, as you learn. Through a series of learning activities and assignments, you will learn about personalizing learning by directing your own learning activities and about collaboration by collaborating. Each element of the course is designed to engage you as a learner, and to challenge you as an educator, both personally and professionally. As you progress through the course, you will gain new perspectives about what it means to personalize learning when working collaboratively with your students (preservice), new employees (orientation), staff members (inservice and continuing education), patients/families, and others. You will also explore the theoretical foundations of self-direction, and of effective collaborative and mentoring relationships so that you can engage in these roles with confidence. Most importantly, beyond generating enthusiasm for personalization of learning, collaboration and mentoring, this course will equip you with strategies and skills for success.

Outline

MHST/NURS 623 comprises the following four units:

• Unit 1: From Personal Learning Needs to Collaboration and Collaborative Relationships (weeks 1-5)
• Unit 2: Mentoring (Including Precepting) as a Collaborative Relationship (weeks 6-8)
• Unit 3: Special Cases in Collaboration and Mentoring/Precepting (weeks 9-11)
• Unit 4: Wrap-Up (week 12-13)

Objectives

By the conclusion of MHST/NURS 625 students will be able to:

1. Assess your own learning needs and the strategies and approaches that will best help you meet these needs,
2. Consider how personal learning needs can be met through collaboration and mentoring (including precepting) in yourself and in your teaching practice,
3. Discuss the importance of self-direction, reflection, collaboration and mentoring/precepting in educational environments and describe their role in teaching practices,
4. Examine theoretical and conceptual frameworks that underpin effective collaborative and mentoring/precepting relationships,
5. Identify the characteristics of successful collaborative and mentoring/precepting relationships and explain how these relationships can be attained, maintained, and/or enhanced,
6. Explore strategies for developing collaborative and/or mentoring/precepting relationships with students (preservice), new employees (orientation), staff members (inservice and continuing education), patients/families, and others,
7. Discuss the ethics and professional responsibilities associated with collaborative and mentoring/precepting relationships,
8. Critically analyze collaborative and mentoring/precepting relationships, identify their strengths and limitations, and suggest ways in which they may be improved, and
9. Reflect upon your personal attitudes, skills, and knowledge related to personalizing learning, collaboration and mentoring/precepting, and make plans for the ongoing use of these attributes and for further professional growth and development.

Evaluation

In the MHS and MN:Gen programs, students must achieve an overall program GPA of 2.7 ( B- or 70 percent), to graduate. The minimum passing grade requirement for each MHS and MN:Gen course is  C- (60 percent).

The following course activities will contribute to your course grade, with the percentage weighting of each activity as follows:

Materials

As self-directed learners, participants in MHST/NURS 625 are encouraged to seek out and share readings/resources that will help them achieve the learning outcomes identified in each unit throughout the course. Importantly, participants are invited to work with material that will be useful in their present or future practice as educators.

Online Resources

Online readings are suggested in the course and students will be asked to locate additional online resources that will assist them in achieving the course objectives. An online study guide is provided.

Technical Requirements

Computer System

In order to successfully complete this course, you must own or have ready access to certain computer hardware and software programs. For complete and up-to-date information on the minimum computer requirements required to complete the graduate nursing courses, visit the Centre for Nursing and Health Studies technical site.

Important links

• Academic advising
• Program planning
• Request assistance
• Support services