Needs Assessment

Needs Assessment D Rubosky EDUC 533 – Spring 2012

Innovation Model • Creating an instructional foundation based on how individuals acquire knowledge and skills • Supplement lecture based instruction with student engaging activities such as concept maps • Creating an instructional method that improves student ability to apply theory in clinical context • Explore assignments such as concept maps to improve conceptual connections which leads to solid clinical reasoning.

Instructional Need • Clinical Instructors concerned with student ability to: • Critically think through possible patient diagnosis • Recall common pathology from sonographic images • Develop sound differential diagnosis based on clinical evidence and sonographic images • Student frustration with responsibility for instant recall of such large body of knowledge - pathology of multiple systems • Create links for concept pathways • Simplify pathology recall • Adopt additional instruction in problem-based learning

Clinical Feedback • Clinical Instructor Discussions • Frequent contact with Clinical Instructors indicate opportunity for improvement in clinical readiness to reduce staff and student frustrations. • Demonstrates need to enhance instruction for improved clinical reasoning prior to clinical internship. • Employer & Graduate Surveys • Annual surveys indicate employers satisfied with level of performance. • Demonstrates learned concepts through 10 months of clinical internship. • Annual surveys indicate graduates indicate clinical performance would benefit from additional critical thinking instruction. • Demonstrates need to enhance instructional techniques prior to attending clinical internship.

Instructional Needs • Integrate greater variety of instructional activities • Employ visual learning tools as a complement to lecture based instruction and assessment • Concept maps provide graphical and visual methods for student learning • Develop assessment methods which simulate patient care activities • Employ teaching strategy for the development of critical thinking • Concept maps have potential of providing an opportunity for student to organize and link information in a systematic manner

Non-Instructional Needs • Instructor awareness of current literature • Implementation scenarios to assure positive results • Access to computer lab for student to complete assignments

Learning Environment • Teacher/Trainer • Program Director and Instructors to develop examples for student instruction • Positive instructors with passion for well educated and competent sonographers • Share process with Clinical Instructors for reinforcement at the time of clinical internship • Curricula • Compare literature review to sonography courses for most opportune application of concept map assignments • Modify course assignments to implement concept maps • Assess student improvement in clinical skills

Learning Environment • Learning Resources • Perform literature search and provide students with medical based applications of concept mapping • Provide instruction in development and adoption of concept maps as a learning / assessment tool • Class Characteristics • 17 First year Diagnostic Medical Sonography students • Learning Community Philosophy • Literature review supports the utility of concept maps in medical education – physician and nursing • Concept maps encourage critical thinking, problem-solving, and connection of theory with practice

Learners • Students • Desire to reduce learning frustrations • Desire to apply knowledge in meaningful manner • Desire to gain competency • Clinical Instructors • Gain appreciation for learning process • Innovate on instructional concepts with a wide variety of diseases • Supplement classroom instruction with similar clinical process

Conclusion How it works Structures Benign Anatomy & Physiology Malignant Vascular Pathology Surgery Pain Fever Treatment Clinical Presentation Radiation Chemo X-Ray CT, MRI ??? Lab Tests Differential Diagnosis Normal Abnormal ??? Blood Urine Sonography

References • Beyer, D. (2010). Reverse case study: to think like a nurse. Educational Innovations. Doi: 10.3928/01484834-20101029-06 • Daley, B., Torre, D. (2010). Concept maps in medical education: an analytical literature review. Medical Education. 44: 440-448. • Freedman, A., et.al. (2011). Better learning through instructional science: a health literacy case study in how to teach so learners can learn. Health promotion practice. DOI: 10.177/1724839911432928 • Kumar, S. (2011). Benefits of testable concept maps for learning about pathogenesis of disease. Teaching and learning in medicine, 23(2), 137-143. • Mcmillan, W. (2010). Teaching for clinical reasoning – helping students make the conceptual links. DOI: 103109/01421591003695303 • Pottier, P., et. al. (2010). Exploring how students think: a new method combining think-aloud and concept mapping protocols. Medical Education. 44:926-935

Needs Assessment