Course Description
The major emphasis of this course is on health teaching for prevention. Participants examine a variety of teaching/learning theories, perspectives, and strategies that underlie meaningful interactions with individuals, families, and groups. They explore and critique primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention programs and basic concepts of epidemiology. They examine the nurse’s role in prevention and the significance of interdisciplinary collaboration within a variety of contexts.
Course Content
The focus of this course is prevention. Course concepts are addressed in relation to the four foundational concepts (ways of knowing, personal meaning, time/transitions and culture/context), integrating the metaconcepts, health promotion and caring. Participants’ experiences, interests, and choices are considered. The nurse’s role in prevention is emphasized. Course concepts and essential content are as follows:
- Prevention
- with individuals, families, and groups
- primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention
- health promotion
- community
- community as context/culture
- community as resource
- transitions between institutional and community care
- epidemiology
- “at risk” and target populations
- epidemiological data systems
- informatics
- interdisciplinary collaboration
- teaching process
- theoretical perspectives in teaching and learning
- teaching across the lifespan
- teaching processes (assessment, strategies, and resources) with a focus on prevention
- teaching with different cultural groups/contexts
- influence of the environment on teaching/learning
- critical examination of learning theory and strategies, including teaching/learning styles
- awareness of congruence between teaching processes and people’s differing learning processes
- teaching/learning challenges (e.g., impaired communication)
- life-long learning through time/transitions
- innovative health education strategies
- teaching assessment
- awareness and sensitivity to learning needs and styles
- personal meaning (e.g., readiness to learn, health beliefs)
- teaching strategies (e.g., storytelling, group discussion, informatics, web-based information)
- ethical dilemmas in teaching for prevention (e.g., victim)
Learning Activities
Learning activities are designed to engage participants actively in achieving an understanding of the concepts, theories, and skills of this course. Participants have a variety of learning experiences pertaining to health teaching for prevention at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. Through discussion, debate, presentations, case studies, teaching sessions, and critical reflection, participants have opportunities to understand teaching for prevention and to develop a critical perspective of teaching/learning and prevention.
Means of Assessment
Course evaluation is consistent with Douglas College Curriculum Development and Approval policy. An evaluation schedule is presented at the beginning of the course. There is a minimum of three assessments which typically include exams, quizzes, papers, and/or student presentations. Respect for individual choice and an openness to negotiation guide decisions about methods of evaluation.
This is a graded course.
Learning Outcomes
In this course, participants have opportunities to:
- build on teaching/learning concepts introduced in previous courses
- critically examine educational theories in relation to health and healing practices within the context of prevention
- develop personal perspectives of teaching/learning
- develop a repertoire of teaching/learning strategies appropriate to “at risk” groups and target populations
- develop an understanding of community resources
- examine the client transitions between institutional and community care
- develop a critical perspective of existing prevention programs (primary, secondary, tertiary)
- examine different aspects of nurses’ roles in relation to prevention with families and groups in a variety of settings.
Textbook Materials
Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Participants [and other Learning Resources]
- Planned Praxis Experience
- personal experience
- nursing practice experience in pediatric and mental health settings
- community agency or service visit with a focus on infants, children, or adolescents
- community agency or service visit with a focus on family support
- Textbooks and Material to be Purchased by Participants
- A list of recommended textbooks and materials is provided for students at the beginning of each semester.
- Other Resources
- selected readings
- selected audiovisual and computer resources