Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

INSTRUCTION

The critical incidents that have led up to learning

• The situation in which the learning occurred
• How the learning took place
• What was actually learned
• Artifacts that would validate the learning
• and… How that learning has been or might be applied in other scenarios
• Reflect upon your learning in terms of Kolb’s model. As you consider your competencies that relate to each of the learning objectives, consider how the four stages of Kolb’s model apply to each of them.
• Again, it is critical that the narrative focuses on learning and not experience.

1) Where the learning took place travel, workplace, volunteer experience, etc. (or any combination of the aforesaid).

2) The length of time spent involved with the learning.

3)The extent to which and level at which the student was involved.

4)The credentials of others associated with the learning.

5)Any publications or other learning materials that supported the learning, if appropriate.

6) Concrete examples regarding the application of the learning.

7) If the student’s performance was evaluated, reference should be made to the evaluation.

 This is learning objective structure.***

            With each of the learning objectives, you will need to discuss how you are meeting that learning objective with your prior knowledge.  This knowledge can come from work experiences, volunteering, even research.  It is vital that you give examples of how you have met the objective.  Normally, for each objective, you should have at least 2-3 paragraphs, if not 2-3 pages.  Remember, the more information that you provide the more likely you will convince the assessor that you are an expert in this field.  I find that it is great to use citations to help support your prior learning. You will proceed in this manner until you discuss all the learning objectives.  Please make sure you label the objectives and they correspond to the rubric at the beginning of the portfolio.  Also, remember to provide a conclusion paragraph of at least 5-8 sentences summarizing your prior learning.  I hope this helps.

Example of one learning objective:

LO 1:  Discuss the three components of burnout

            Working at Family Preservation Services, a community-based program, I was fortunate to attend a seminar concerning burnout in 2005.  This workshop was a weeklong learning process as we reviewed the three different components of burnout.  The presenter was Salvador Maslach who was has done several studies concerning burnout within the mental health field as well as nursing and the teaching profession.  Dr. Maslach holds degrees in Psychology and is the founder of the Burnout Institute in Greensprings, Maine.  During our seminars, we were told about the different levels of burnout as well as was able to learn how to implement the Maslach Burnout Inventory, which is used globally to detect burnout.

Maslach (1981) determined that burnout is multidimensional with three main components: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and self-efficacy. Further research suggests that even though the three burnout facets are empirically linked they are conceptually distinct (Maslach & Jackson, 1984). Initial research focused on the psychological conditions of burnout as a long-term response to recurring stressors on the job (Leiter & Maslach, 2005).  More contemporary research suggested that burnout components are interrelated dimensions to this continuum:  exhaustion-energy, depersonalization-involvement, and inefficacy-efficacy (Maslach & Leiter, 2008).

At the end of the seminar several individuals were asked to participate in a research study concerning the different burnout areas.  I was very fortunate to be selected to help interview ten individuals concerning their levels of burnout.  From these interviews, I was able to assess the consequences of burnout among mental health professionals and learned that many companies had high turnover rates, low salary advancement, and lack of work satisfaction.  The research that was accomplished was published in the Mental Health Magazine, Volume II (Addendum A).  Those participating also became certified in burnout indication (Addendum B).   As a certified Burnout Indicator Specialist (BIS), I am able to train others on the three components of burnout.  In the last five years, I have spoken to twenty-eight agencies concerning burnout within their specific fields.

Remember: the objective of the narrative is to demonstrate that you have mastered the learning objectives of a specific course.

Before you begin to write….

• Refer to the syllabus of the course you intend to petition for credit with your portfolio, and consider the learning objectives.
• If there is a final course project described in the syllabus, consider the requirements and how they would demonstrate attainment of the learning outcomes of the final course project. This could provide insight regarding how best to organize your narrative.

• Look at the types of assignments required on the syllabus to see what is emphasized in the class.
• Consider the level of the course for which you are petitioning for credit in terms of Bloom’s taxonomy. Be sure to use appropriate level verbs.
• Remember your narrative should contain a strong introduction, a section for each learning objective, a body, and a conclusion. It should be double spaced, times new roman 11pt font, and in APA format (see PLA Student Handbook and Announcements on Portfolio guidelines).

Writing detailed descriptions

Tips:

• Use, in appropriate context, terms that are commonly used within the academic discipline.
• Describe your knowledge, skills, and abilities in detail to demonstrate mastery of learning objectives.
• Make specific reference to your documentation.
• Describe the critical incidents that led to learning.
• Demonstrate problem-solving and critical thinking ability.
• Show progress of learning.
• Use action verbs that help tell a story.

Consider the following two examples of a portion of a narrative written to support a petition for credit in Public Speaking. The learning outcome in question was “A student who successfully completes this course will be able to demonstrate effective delivery techniques.”

While employed with ABC Corporation as a training manager, I was called upon to make a lot of presentations to various constituencies among our staff. I prepared my notes in advance of each presentation, but I made sure not to rely on them too heavily. I made sure to scout out the room prior to the beginning of the presentation. I always made sure to gauge the audience reaction. No one ever appeared bored. I always made sure to leave enough time for questions and answers, but I covered the material so well that there rarely were any.

OR

Every day I worked as a Training Manager for ABC Corporation, I learned something new about effective presentations. The day of my first training workshop I arrived just ten minutes before we were set to begin due to traffic congestion. The room contained rows of table with chairs behind each table. Because the training module required participants to do some work in small groups, the room set up would have been more effective if the tables were separated with the chairs around them. This configuration also inhibited my ability to move about the room. I noticed that more participants seemed to day dream when I stayed in one place. That day, I did not have time to reset the room and learned my first lesson about arriving early and the importance of the configuration of the audience seating. Over the next week I went to the library and found several articles that discussed the best ways to set up rooms for various presentations. Several of these articles are listed in the bibliography at Exhibit A. The video clips at Exhibit B and C show how I have set up rooms for two different types of presentations.

Note that the second example describes the critical incident that triggered the learning and directs the reader to the evidence. The student may have gone on to discuss more specific things they learned about setting up a room for a presentation to demonstrate the progression of learning, or even how the learning was applied in different situations. They might also integrate the theory behind the need to set up a room in a specific manner in terms of group interaction or psychology theories. In doing so they will demonstrate they understand the “why” behind their actions.

Narrative Template

Your narrative should be in Times New Romans, 12-point font, and double spaced.  Before you start your narrative, you should probably provide a one to two paragraph introduction of the course information as well as a summary of your prior knowledge.  After which, you will then utilize the learning objectives that are highlighted in your syllabus.  Please make sure that you write the learning objective in the below manner.

Specifically, the following should be addressed:

Note that it is insufficient to describe what has been done; the focus of the narrative should be on what was learned. Additionally, all points of the APUS course description should be addressed

to the extent possible. The narrative is written in the first person, clearly and concisely, and must demonstrate clear analysis and good writing skills.

Again, the learning objectives come from the syllabus and need to be written just like this within your narrative after the introduction paragraph.