Clinical teaching

1.1        Assessment details

Assessment 1:                      Essay

Weighting:                               40%

Word count/duration:              1500

Due Date:                                Wednesday 6 September 2017 at 2400 hours

Submission details: Refer to Submission Requirements (p.11)

Marking criteria and standards:  See page 19

Aim of assessment

This essay requires you to explore ideas and theories about teaching and learning and to critically examine their application in teaching and learning in the clinical setting.  Writing critically requires you to develop your argument so that your work is not simply descriptive.  It requires that you take a position in regard to the topic and develop your argument in support of that position. This assessment addresses learning outcomes 1, 2, 4, 5.

Details

Essay:

With reference to learning and teaching in the clinical setting, critically analyse and discuss the factors that enable nurses to learn in the practice setting as they respond to the needs and challenges of a rapidly changing health care environment.

 

Your discussion should draw upon different contemporary learning theories and teaching practices in order to examine these factors and to support your argument.

 

Important Essay Information

To prepare and write this assessment task effectively, you should ensure that the essay is:

·       Well researched – you must refer to at least ten (10) relevant, reliable and current sources to support your ideas. These sources may be accessed from any or all of the following: course readings, relevant electronic databases such as CINAHL and MEDLINE, and / or library shelves. They could include reports and peer reviewed journal articles.

 

·       Logically structured – you should organise your response following the conventional essay format that comprises an introduction, a body and a conclusion.

 

In the introductory paragraph, introduce those aspects related to the topic you will discuss, and present your thesis statement, which clarifies your position on the topic and outlines the main points that support this claim that will be discussed in the body of the essay.

 

In the body paragraphs, you should develop your position on the topic and support your ideas with evidence (e.g. references to authorities in the field, explanations and / or examples from your own experiences or observations). You should also ensure that your paragraphs are logically sequenced, that they show clear paragraph structure – main idea is introduced in the topic sentence, then explained and elaborated in supporting sentences, there should be clear links between ideas both within and between paragraphs.

 

In the concluding paragraph (about 10%), restate your thesis, summarise the main points that support this, and conclude with a final statement on the topic.

 

·       Accurately referenced – you must:

a)      Acknowledge all the sources of information within the essay (in-text referencing) and in a Reference List at the end of your essay.

b)     Ensure you have created a reference list not a bibliography. A bibliography contains all readings done in preparation for writing an essay. However, only material that is cited in text in your assignment should appear in the final reference list. References must be correctly and adequately given in the American Psychological Association (APA) (6^th ed.) referencing style as per the Western Sydney University (2014) American Psychological Association referencing style guide, 

·       Use of non-academic literature is not acceptable. Further, it is not acceptable to copy any information from other sources, including Websites or other electronic sources, other students, books, journals, etc. and present it as your own work please see Student Misconduct Rule Policy:  

·       Appropriately expressed – you should write clearly using a formal academic style, and ensure grammatical accuracy.

 

Student Directions

The marking criteria and standards have been developed to guide you through the assessment process. Please read the criteria and standards carefully.

 

There is a word limit of 1500 words. Use your computer to total the number of words used in your assignment. However, do not include the reference list at the end of your assignment in the word count. In-text citations will be included in the additional 10% word count. If you exceed the word limit by 10% the marker will stop marking at 1500 words plus 10%.

Resources

       i.         Examples may be available on the vUWS site.

      ii.         There are a number of textbooks and resources available through the Western Sydney University Library that may assist you. Please refer to the unit’s vUWS site for specific unit resources

 

Assessment 2:          Professional Portfolio – focusing on clinical learning & teaching competence

Weighting:                   60%

Word count/duration: 3000

Due Date:                    Wednesday 18 October 2017 at 2400 hours

Submission details: Submission Requirements (p.11)

Marking criteria and standards:  See page 21

Aim of assessment

This assessment comprises two parts.

 

Part 1 of the assessment enables you to develop your knowledge about competency assessment and feedback through researching the topic, applying this knowledge in practice and writing a paper demonstrating your understanding of these concepts and their application in clinical teaching.

 

Part 2 of the assessment facilitates the student’s skills in developing evidence of their expertise in conducting workplace competency assessments.

 

This assessment addresses learning outcomes 3-8.

Details

This assessment task has two parts:

 

Part 1  Discussion Paper – 2000 words

 

Part 2 Professional Portfolio – 1000 words (Complete an entry only using template provided)

 

Part 1

Using educational theory from the literature write a discussion paper to

      I.         Examine the advantages and disadvantages of competency assessment in nursing.

     II.         Identify the strategies used to assess knowledge and competence in the workplace.

   III.         Discuss the principles and challenges associated with giving feedback to staff after assessments.

Your paper should also incorporate the following points:

      I.         Describe the process/procedures/ strategies that you used to assess knowledge and competence.

     II.         Justify your choice of method /s and discuss the major advantages and disadvantages of this method with reference to published literature.

   III.         Explain any challenges that occurred when conducting the assessment and suggest strategies to overcome these.

   IV.         Discuss the feedback you received from the senior staff member as well as the person you assessed.

    V.         Identify personal goals and strategies to further develop your confidence, competence and credibility as a clinical teacher / assessor.

In order to be able to complete this assessment you are required to consult with your Manager to seek approval to undertake a competency assessment of a staff member incorporating feedback on their performance.

In addition to the discussion paper you are required to submit 3 pieces of feedback for this task:

               I.         Arrange for a senior staff member (clinical nurse specialist /clinical or nurse educator / clinical nurse consultant or NUM) to observe you undertaking the assessment and to provide you with feedback about your performance as an assessor (use template provided in vUWS).

 

              II.         Ask the staff member whom you assessed to provide you with feedback about your performance (use template provided in vUWS).

            III.         Reflect back on the competency assessment that you performed and complete a self-assessment about your performance as an assessor and the provision of feedback to the assesse (use template provided in vUWS).

Part 2

The aim of Part 2 is to enable the student to reflect on professional activities such as performing assessments as part of everyday professional education practice.

Using the information and evidence gathered so far and your own ability and what you have learned in Part 1 of this task, you are required to make an entry into your professional portfolio (template provided on the vUWS site). Using the feedback provided and your own self-assessment you are also required to identify any learning needs from this activity and how you will seek to address these.

 

Student Directions

The marking criteria and standards have been developed to guide you through the assessment process. Please read the criteria and standards carefully.

 

There is a word limit of 3000 words. Use your computer to total the number of words used in your assignment. However, do not include the reference list at the end of your assignment in the word count. In-text citations will be included in the additional 10% word count. If you exceed the word limit by 10% the marker will stop marking at 3000 words plus 10%.

 

 

1.2        Submission requirements