Learning theories and how they impact the teaching learning process.
Review the following case study and answer all 3 questions.
You are designing an education session for your colleagues on transitioning to a new electronic medical record (EMR) documentation system that is significantly different from the program used for the past 5 years. Time is of the essence, and you have three 1-hour sessions planned to cover the information they need to incorporate the new EMR system into their daily practice. Several of your colleagues are concerned about their ability to master the new system. Jack, the nursing unit supervisor, confides, “I am terrified. Learning a whole new system of documentation is overwhelming to my staff, given all of their other responsibilities. I worry that this new EMR system will have a negative impact on morale, just at the time when we are feeling pressure to increase the amount of work that we do.”1: Describe how you will structure the educational sessions using two of the psychological learning theories discussed in this chapter. Explain why you chose each theory.
2: Judge which learning theory can best assist you in addressing the issues your colleagues raise about their ability to master the new system and feelings of being overwhelmed. Why did you choose this theory?
3: What can you do to ensure that learning will become relatively permanent?
Sample Solution
For this particular educational session, I would use the Social Learning Theory (SLT) and Cognitive Load Theory (CLT). Both of these theories are well-suited to teaching complex topics like transitioning to a new electronic medical record system as they provide an effective framework for structuring the information in a way that will be easily accessible and understood by learners.
The SLT suggests that people learn best when they are actively engaged with their environment, so I would structure my sessions to make sure that participants have enough opportunities to practice using the new EMR system in order to help them become more familiar with it. For example, during each session I could include activities such as role playing or case examples where learners can try out different functionalities within the program while still being observed by instructors who can provide feedback on their performance. Additionally, having peer-to-peer discussions about any challenges faced while utilizing the program would help create an interactive learning atmosphere which is critical for successful knowledge acquisition according to SLT.
The CLT dictates that teaching strategies should be tailored towards reducing cognitive overload among learners in order for them retain information more effectively (Sweller et al., 2011). To ensure this does not occur as we transition our staff onto a new EMR system, it will be important for me to keep our sessions short and focused on specific topics only. Complementing this approach with diagrams or visuals which demonstrate key concepts related the EMR’s functionality could also go a long way towards helping learners understand how everything works without feeling overwhelmed by too much information at once.
Overall, selecting both SLT and CLT as guiding principles when designing my educational sessions will allow me create an effective learning experience where participants feel comfortable engaging with material related to the new EMR system without becoming overloaded or discouraged due increased work demands.
