Learner Influence the Role of the Educator

¶ … Learner Influence the Role of the Educator as Learning Facilitator

The nature of the subject matter will invariably impact how it is approached in the classroom. Quantitative subjects demand the ability to manipulate numbers accurately; learning how to play an instrument requires hands-on practice and performance. A teacher may take into consideration the strengths and weaknesses of students' multiple intelligences to convey knowledge but the ultimate aim of the educational process cannot be forgotten. When teaching nursing, educators can be sympathetic to the learning preferences of students, but nursing by its very nature is a discipline which draws upon multiple intelligences. A nurse may technically understand the material from a scientific basis, but have little of the necessary interpersonal intelligence to translate this into practice. Conversely, someone who is a 'people person' but lacks the kinesthetic intelligence to provide care or the mathematical intelligence to understand the science of nursing will also be ill-prepared to work as a nurse. Nursing must hone all of the students' intelligences -- including the intrapersonal component of self-knowledge so the nurse can self-monitor when he or she is feeling 'burnt out' or encounters a patient with a different cultural worldview of health than him or herself.

The learning facilitator thus must understand the students as a class, use instructional materials that enable the students to be engaged, but also push students out of their learning 'comfort zones.' According to Gardner, "mitigating overlooked talent, eliminating unfilled or poorly filled niches present within organizations and in our society, and guiding the leaders with the right skill sets for the right role are challenges addressed by the theory of multiple intelligences" (Wilson & Mujtaba 2010). Gardner stresses the need for the educator to cultivate the unique talents and sensibilities of the student -- the nursing educator must do so, but also be mindful of the need for the student to conform his or her final learning goals to the requirements of the nursing profession.

Q2. Describe the basic functions of an institutional review board (IRB).

The existence of an IRB is legally required to protect the human subjects involved in research and to ensure that research is conducted through legally and ethically acceptable means. The IRB has the responsibility of reviewing modifications or prohibiting certain types of research involving human subjects, as well as to ensure that participants in research give informed consent in a documented fashion. It must "notify investigators and the institution in writing of its decision to approve or disapprove the proposed research activity or of modifications required to secure IRB approval of the research activity" and give an explanation why (IRB, 2012, Cornell University). Its review actions are continuing for long-term research, "appropriate to the degree of risk" and it can "suspend or terminate approval of research that is not being conducted in accordance with the IRB's requirements or that has been associated with unexpected serious harm to participants" (IRB, 2012, Cornell University).

Q3. Select a nursing research problem that you would like to get paid to resolve 2-5 years from now. Why?