The Utilization of Adult Learning Models to Increase Course Evaluation Scores in a Historically Poorly Evaluated, Graduate Level, APRN Pharmacology Course

Abstract

Title:  The Utilization of Adult Learning Models to Increase Course Evaluation Scores in a Historically Poorly Evaluated, Graduate Level, APRN Pharmacology Course.

The online Pharmacological Principles of Clinical Therapies- N543, a foundational course for Nurse Practitioner students at the UNM College of Nursing, had been a historically poorly student evaluated course.  Student IDEA scores were consistently low in all areas, and the course was consistently identified by UNM College of Nursing faculty as a course in need of significant improvement.

Co-Instructors Drs. Keith Haynie & Roy Addington strategically employed two models of adult learning.  The two models utilized were; the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning Objectives (Krathwohl, 2002), and the Adult Learning Models (Pawlak & Bergquist, 2013).  Students were asked to read the text in preparation for the online learning activities-factual and conceptual knowledge.  Each student was then assigned a specific drug class/topic to create an informative paper or power-point presentation to engage their peers and facilitate their learning- procedural knowledge and metacognitive knowledge.  Another student was then asked to respond to the presenters’ information by teasing out alternative points of view, therapies, and any additional information they believed their peers would benefit from- procedural and metacognitive knowledge.  Test questions were derived exclusively from these paired presentations, which encouraged all students to read and stay abreast of the shared knowledge and even ask their peers for any needed clarification-metacognitive knowledge.  The instructors managed the course through supervision, additional information, knowledge or practice caveats.  This type of learning environment is respectful of Adult Learning Models 3 & 4 where an environment is created for learning transformation to occur, it is created and allows the adult learner to give “voice” to their existence knowledge base and wisdom with application to new topics.