Concept Based Learning

Introduction

Concept-based learning is a teaching method in which students are put at the center of the learning process. They gain a deeper, more holistic understanding of course content - and with that, comes an easier transition to ‘thinking like a nurse’ and the ability to pull bits of clinical content from practice to use in real situations. Plus, faculty gets to watch students practice in a safe classroom environment where lives aren’t on the line. The nursing students will appreciate it, and it will be reflected in higher student course completion and satisfaction rates. Students who participate in these concept-based courses will feel more comfortable and confident dealing with the common diseases and situations they are likely to face in the workplace.

Definition

1. Concept Based Learning is a guided approach to study nursing care concept. Concept-based learning activities provide a way for learners to study specific important aspects of nursing care regarding the concept being studied (Nielson, 2009).

2. Concept-based learning is a pedagogy that places emphasis on deep learning of specific concepts and de-emphasizes rote memorization of factual information (Nielson et al., 2013).

Meaning of Concept Based Learning

1. The world is changing. Knowledge is changing. The ability to view the world with a more flexible mind is invaluable.

2. Concept based learning is about big transferable ideas that transcend time, place, situation.

3. Content just focuses on facts while concept focuses on making sense of those facts in the world around us.

4. Content based teaching may not get beyond information transmission/superficial learning.

5. Concepts are a way to organize and make sense of learning.

6. We cannot possibly teach everything that is important, but we can teach the big ideas.

7. Concept based learning is a framework to study everything. Content can change, concepts stay the same.

8. Information is useless unless you can do something with it.

Components of Concept Based Learning

1. Comprehensive: All concepts and exemplars are covered through nursing education resources including the latest, evidence-based content.

 2. Customizable: Customizable to meet the curriculum’s specific needs, our flexible platform enables you to tailor the content you trust for the concepts you teach.

3. Adaptive, measurable: Adaptive learning, powered by PrepU, helps each student master course concepts while giving you powerful data to measure your students’ progress every step of the way.

4. Training services and personalized support: To ensure your success, our dedicated educational consultants and training coaches will provide expert guidance every step of the way.

Concept-Based Learning Challenges

1. Concept-based learning challenges students to think more critically about the new subjects and situations they encounter by applying prior knowledge and experience.

2. Students must think beyond the facts and connect factual knowledge to ideas of conceptual significance and find relevance.

3. Nursing leaders are recognizing the merits of a concept-based curriculum to accommodate students’ diverse learning styles, to efficiently deliver increasing amounts of instructional content, and to help them develop the critical thinking skills they need to succeed as nurses.

4. A concept-based curriculum provides the structured framework to help create the learning outcomes, the instructional delivery and lesson objectives, and the student assessments.

5. A concept-based curriculum in nursing involves examining concepts that link to the delivery of patient care.

6. During the course of study, students focus on key, prevalent examples, and their interconnected nature.

7. Students learn to recognize features of a condition and begin to apply what they have learned to a variety of situations.

Benefits of a Concept-Based Curriculum in Nursing Education

The potential benefits of a concept-based curriculum are extensive. Here are just a few:

1. Helps students take a more active role in their learning using the “flipped classroom” model of instruction.

2. Streamlines content and eliminates content redundancies across courses.

3. Helps students apply concepts from one situation to another—and make connections between those concepts.

4. Encourages students to see patterns across concepts and use those patterns to deliver care and anticipate risks.

5. Supports systematic observations about events or conditions that influence a problem

6. Encourages students to think at more elevated levels

7. Causes higher levels of retention

And students are not the only ones who benefit from making the transition to a concept-based curriculum in nursing. Faculty can reap the benefits as well. Faculty benefits include:

1. Reduces content overload

2. Faculty becomes less concerned with “covering everything” and can provide more in-depth guidance to students

3. Enables faculty to teach clinical reasoning skills more easily

4. Faculty can meet the needs of diverse learners more effectively

5. Faculty can concentrate on preparing learners for professional success

Conclusion

Nursing educators continue to struggle with designing undergraduate nursing content that addresses the constant transformations in the healthcare industry. With traditional curriculum lending itself to difficult long-term retention, information overload is at an alltime high, and disengaged students with varied learning styles, nursing school instructors and administrators have been turning in droves towards a concept-based learning approach to their nursing curriculum.

Conflict of Interest

None.