Assessment of learning needs

1. Name: N. Sweetha. Date of presentation:
M. Sc [Nursing]-1st
Year,
SMVNC.
NURSING EDUCATION
SEMINAR ON
UNIT:9 ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING NEEDS:
INTRODUCTION:
The importance of assessment of the learners may seem self- evident, but often only lip
service is given to this phase on the educational process. Assessment of learning is the
assessment undertaken for planning, developing, and transforming future teaching and
learning. Assessment of learning is an approach to teaching and learning process and from
this gain confidence in what they expected to learn and to what standards.
DEFINITION:
Assessment of learning needs might be to help curriculum planning, diagnose individual
problems, assess students learning, demonstrate accountability, improve practice and safety,
or offer individual feedback and educational intervention.
Learning is the process of acquisition of knowledge, habits and attitudes.
-crow and crow.
learning may be defined as a process of internal organization with the learner of a complex of
thought pattern, perceptions, assumptions, skills, habits, attitudes in relation to the problem of
living.
-Shebeer p. Basheer.
According to E.A. Peel, learning can be described as a change in the individual which takes
place as a result of the environmental change.
CHARACTERISTICS OF LEARNING:
1.Learning is unitary:

2.  The learner responds as a total person in a unified way to the ‘whole’ situation or
total pattern. learns responds intellectually, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
2. learning is individual and social:
 Learning takes place in response to the environment which includes physical, social,
and emotional environment. Each learner is a unique person, they have individualized
characteristics in the pattern of living.
3. learning is self-active:
 An individual can learn only through her/his reactions to situations by his own
efforts. It is the process of self-active.
4. learning is purposive and active:
 Learning is active in a specific direction, and self- realization. Self -development is
by self -discipline. Learning is active in a specific direction, goal oriented, goals, and
determined directly by motives and indirectly by incentives.
5. Learning includes a progressive organizing:
 Learning includes a progressive organizing and reorganizing of educative
experiences; learning is goal directed, but the activity in the attachment of the goal is
also directed.
6. Learning is gradual and developmental process:
 The organization and the reorganization of experienced and behaviour are
accomplished through the processes of differentiation, integration and precision.
7. Learning is integration:
 Learning is more over than a process of differentiation and precision, it is also a
process of integration.
8.learning is creative and selective:
 Human be creates the unique things in the world, he/she has own potentialities,
abilities, strengths and actualities. With expertized knowledge, and skills, he will be
able to create purposively whatever he/she intends.

3. 9.learning is personal choice:
 Learning is a process of personal choice making, it is activity in which the learner
through his/her learns only that which he/she choose to learn.
10. learning is transferrable:
 The teacher will transmit with knowledge, learning also affects the conduct of the
individual. True learning takes place only when the learner will acquire the type of
knowledge or a skill or change in attitude will take place.
LEARNING PROCESS:
Kolb’s (1984), “experiential learning style theory” is typically represented by a four stages
of learning cycles in which the learner ‘touches all the bases. Kolb’s experiential learning
theory is learning theory developed by David A. Kolb, who published his model. Kolb’s
theory has a holistic perspective which includes experience, perception, cognition, and
behavior.

4. KOLB’S LEARNING CYCLE:
Concrete Learning:
 Where the learner encounters a new experience or reinterprets an existing experience
or reinterprets an existing experience.
Reflective Observation:
 Where the learner reflects on the experience on a personal basis.
Abstract Conceptualization:
 Where the learner forms new ideas, or modifies existing abstract ideas, based on the
reflections arising from the reflective observation stage.
Active Experimentation:
 Where the learner applies the new ideas to his surroundings to see if there are any
modification in the next appearance of the experience.
Kolb’s learning style:
Kolb’s learning style is base of Two dimensions: they are:
1. How a person understands, and
2. Process the information.
 Diverging: individual of this kind of learning style look at things in a different
perspective. They prefer watching to doing, also they have strong imagination
capacity, emotional, strong in arts, prefer to work in groups, open minded to take
feedback and they have board interests in different cultures and people. The learning
characteristics is of concrete experience and reflective observation.
 Assimilating: People of this kind of learning style prefer good clear information, they
can logically format the given information and explore analytical models. They are
more interested in concepts and abstracts than in people. Characteristics include
abstract conceptualization and reflective observation.
 Converging: Converging type of learners solve problems. They apply their learning
to practical issues. Also, they prefer technical tasks, and they experiment with new

5. ideas. They tend to be unemotional. The learning characteristics are abstract
conceptualization and active experimentation.
 Accommodating: Individuals with this kind of learning style prefer to do things
practically. They are attracted to new challenges and solve problems intuitively. The
learning characteristics are concrete experience and active experimentation.
The educational implications of the experiential learning theory are that ELT:
 helps teachers develop more appropriate learning opportunities for target learners;
 helps teachers design activities that will give opportunities to learners to learn in ways
that suit the learners' learning styles; and
 focuses on activities that enable learners to go through each of the four stages of the
experiential learning cycle
Variables in the learning process:
1. The learner: He is the centre of teaching learning process. The condition of affecting
learning are process. Physiological factors, such as, age, maturation, sex, and fatigue.
psychological factors, such as, mental set, motivation, readiness of the individual to
learn, self -effort.
2. The learning material (content): the content should be according to the mental
level of the trainees. They should be presented in a language that could be understood.
The preparation and presentation of learning materials is of great importance both to
the instructor and to the trainee.
3. The learning methods: comprehensive learning (whole Learning) is better than part
learning.
Modes of learning: self- evaluation, periodical revision, repetition, trial and error, etc
4. The methods of instruction: it affects the learning process. it includes the
instructional objectives, trainee and trainer activities, active participation of learner[
accelerate the absorption of learning] AV aids [for foster learning and help to retain
what has been learn].
5. Environment: provision of conductive environment for learning is essential in
school, campus, outside, hostel.
6. Psychological factors: in teaching- learning process both the teacher and the trainee
should have cordial relationship is needed which provides security and comfort to the
learner and aids in increase the attention.

6. 7. Instructional media for learning: it helps in choosing appropriate methods,
strategies and media for making instruction a congenial process.it makes the learner
for easy learning, remember for longer.
DETERMINANTS OF LEARNING:
 The first and the most important steps in instructional design:
1) Nursing assessment of needs,
2) Readiness, and
3) Styles of learning.
 The effectiveness of nursing interventions clearly depends on the scope, accuracy,
and comprehensiveness, of assessment prior to interventions.
 Many factors must be considered with respect to the three dimensions of learning,
and assessment of all three should be based on the theories, concept, and
principles.
 Assessment prevents needless repetition of known materials, with respect of the
three determinants of learning, and also save time and energy on the learners and
the educator, and helps to establish rapport between the two parties.
 Let have a, look into determinants of the learning:
1.NURSING ASSESSMENTOF LEARNING NEEDS:
Meaning:
Is a set of tools and processes used to collect information about the target
audience’s learning needs.
1.Learning need, [what the leader needs to learn],
2.Readiness to learn [when the learner is receptive to learning],
3.Learning styles [how the learner to became the best learners].
 Of the three determinants, learning need must be examined first because there may be
no reason to assess readiness of learn (or) learning styles if by chances, learning needs
are non-existence.
 Assessment is essential to determined learning needs so that an instructional plan can
be designed to the cognitive, attentive, (or) psychomotor domains.

7.  The purpose of assessing learning needs are to determined the extent of instructions is
necessary of all.
 Are defined as gaps in knowledge that exist between a desired level of performance
and the actual level of performance.
 A learning need is the gap exist between what someone needs to attitude (or) skill.
 Such gaps exist because of lack of knowledge, attitude, and skill.
Purpose Of Learning NeedAssessment:
1.To help in educational planning/future training planning.
2.It encourages trainee to become aware of his/her own limits which provide a sound base for
future.
3.To identify shortcomings in trainee’s performance, that is difference between trainee’s
competence and that required by the task or profession or stage of training.
4.To find out trainees individual learning needs as trainees come different background, they
vary in their strengths and weakness, some need more help to cope.
 Identify The Learners:
 The development of the formal and informal education programs for patients and
their families, nursing staffs, (or) students must be based on the accurate
identification of the learner.
 This includes:
a) Gap or discrepancy analysis-formal method of education compares with
performance stated.
b) Observation-criteria or informally results are discussed and needs
identified.
c) Reflection action-needs identify based on the trainee’s perception on
shortcoming or areas he feels that he has no sufficient ideas.
d) Comparing peers- favourite method.it involvespeers assessing each others
performance.
e) Self- assessment by diaries, journals, and document analysis.
f) By means of critical incident review. Where these incidents are basically
recorded. By means of individual learning needs.

8.  For example: an educator may believe that all postpartum mother need a formal
class on safety issues for the newborn baby.
 Choose The Right Settings:
 Establishing a trusting environment will help learners feel a sense of security in
confiding information, believe their concerns are taken seriously and considered
important, and feel respected.
 Assuring privacy and confidentiality is essential to establishing trusting
relationship.
 CollectData On The Learner:
 Once the learners is identified, the educator can determine characteristics of need
of the population by exploring typical health problems (or) issues of interest to the
population.
 Include The Learners As A Source Of Information:
 Learner themselves are usually, the most important sources of needs assessment
data.
 Actively engaging the learners in defining their own problems and the need allow
them to learn because, they have an investment in planning for a program
specifically tailored to their unique circumstances.
 Involve Members Of The Healthcare Team:
 Other health care professionals may have insight into patients (or) family needs
(or) the educational needs of the nursing staffs (or) students as a result of their
frequent contacts with consumers as well as caregivers.
 Nurses are not the sole teachers, and they must remember to collaborate with other
members of the Healthcare team for a richer assessment of learning needs.
 Prioritize Needs:
A list of need can become endless and seemingly impossible to accomplish. Maslow’s (1970)
hierarchy of human needs may help the educator prioritize identified learning needs.
 The educator can then assist the learner the to meet the most basic need first. Let’s
see the Maslow’s hierarchy theory:

9. DOMAINS: MASCLOW’S
HIERARCHY NEEDS:
ON BASIS OF
EDUCATION:
PHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS Basic survival needs:
Breathing, food, water,
sleep, homeostasis,
excretion.
An education:
Every individual getting the
primary and secondary
education.
SAFETY NEEDS Freedom from harm:
Life, injury, threats.
Security of body,
employment, family, etc,
Safety in education:
Every individual getting
safety in school, teacher,
and resources.
LOVE AND BELONGING Relationships:
Friendship, family, and
belongings.
Relationships:
Communications skills,
enrichment with peers,
among other students.
ESTEEM Image status:
Building confidence,
achievement, respect of
others, respect by others.
Wider schooling:
After completing, high
school, perceiving higer
education schooling.
SELF-ACTUALIZATION To become capable:
External recognition,
morality, spontaneity, and
problem- solving skills.
To become capable:
To perceiving a degree and
qualified as capable
individual and building a
career.
EXAMPLES: A person getting basic
physiological need
fulfilment.
A individual getting
learning skill and obtaining
as fulfilled with a career and
earning.

10. MASLOW’S HIERARCHY THEORY OF NEEDS:IN EDUCATION
 Determined Availability Of EducationalResources:
 A need may be identified, but it may be useless to proceed with intervention, if the
proper educational resources are not available, are unrealistic to obtain, (or) do not
match the learner’s needs.

11.  The educator would work immediately on obtaining the necessary equipment for
the future encounters.
 Assess The Demands Of The Organization:
 The educator should be familiar with standards of performance required in various
employee categories, along with job descriptions and hospital, professionals, and
agency regulations.
 Take Time- ManagementIssues Into Account:
 The educator should emphasize some important points with respect to time
management issues:
1. Close observation and active listening take time, it is much effective to
initial assessment.
2. Discover obstacles to learning that prevent the process of learning.
3. Learners should given time to offer their own perceptions of their learning
needs. If the educator expects them to take charge and become Actively
involved in the learning process.
II. READINESS TO LEARN:
Definition:
Readiness to learn is defined as the time when the learner demonstrates an interest in learning
the type (or)degree of information necessary to maintain optimal health (or) to become more
skill full job.
 P E E K: MNEUMONIC:
 P- PhysicalReadiness:
1. Under physical readiness,
Measures of ability- measuring the ability of the person in the way of understanding things.
Complexity of task-In learning to perform a skill, the nurse educator must take into account
the difficulty level of the subject.
Environmental effects- an environment conductive to learning will help to keep the learner’s
attention and stimulate interest in learning.

12. Health status- assessment of learner’s health status is important to determined the amount of
energy available as well as present comfort level.
 E-EmotionalReadiness:
1.Under emotional readiness,
Anxiety level- anxiety is a factor that influences the ability at a cognitive, affective, and
psychomotor level.
Support system-the availability and strength of a support system also influence emotional
readiness and are closely tied to how anxious someone might level.
Motivation-the motivation and interest on the part of the learner to achieve a task also lead to
more meaningful teaching.
Risk-taking behaviour-educator can, however, help nurses and other healthcare providers
learn how to take risks. Frame of mind-frame of mind involves concerns about the here and
now. for eg: physical needs such as food, warmth, comfort, safety as well as psychosocial
needs of feeling accepted.
 E-Experimental Readiness:
1.Under experimental readiness,
Level of aspirations- the extent to which someone is driven to archive is related to the type of
short and long -term goals established, not by the educator, but by the learner.
Past coping mechanism- the coping mechanism someone has been using must be explored to
be understand by the learners.
Cultural background-knowledge on the part of the educator about other cultures and being
sensitive to behavioural difference between cultures are important to avoid teaching to
opportunities, and orientation about the subject is important.
 K-Knowledge Readiness:
1. Under knowledge readiness,
Present knowledge base- to know about the person regarding the subject before the educator
takes about the task by the learners.
Cognitive ability-the extent to which information can be processed is indicative of the level at
which the learner is capable of learning.
III. LEARNING STYLES:

13. Definition:
 Learning styles refers to the way individuals process information. Each learner is
unique and complex, with a distinct learning style preference that distinguishes
one learner from another.
Six Learning Styles Principles:
 Both The Style By Which The TeacherPrefers To TeachAnd The
Style By Which The Student Prefers To Learn CanBe
Determined:
Identification of different styles offers specific clues as to the way a person learns.
 Teachers needto guard againstover teaching by their own
preferred learning styles:
Nurse educators need to realize that just because they gravitate to learning a certain way.
 Teachers are mosthelpful when they assiststudents in identifying
and learning through their own style preferences:
Making learners aware of their individuals style preferences will lead to an understanding
which teaching – learning approaches work best for them.
 Students should have the opportunity to learn through their
preferred style:
The nurse educator can provide the means by which each learner can experience successful
learning.
 Students should be encouragedto diversify their style preferences:
Learners constantly faced with learning situations where one approach to learning will not
suffice if they are to reach their fullest potential.
 Teachers candevelopspecific learning activities that reinforce
eachmodality (or) style:

14. Nurse educators must become aware of various methods and materials available to address
and argument the different in learning styles.
SUMMARY & CONCLUSION:
 Assessment of learning is powerful, if carried out carefully and thoughtfully,
assessment is always a contentious topic, probably because of its importance in learning
and development. Students are more likely to take control of their own learning. if they
are aware of what they know and need to learn.
 Hereby conclude that, assessment of learning needs includes the definition,
characteristics of learning, learning process, determinants of learning, nursing
assessment of learning, readiness to learn and learning styles, by using these methods
a learners can be assessed. every individual must be in a position to keep learning
throughout in life. education is not limited with schooling but takes place in most work
and life situations.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
 B.T. Basvanthappa,’’NURSING EDUCATION’’ 1ST edition, Jaypee publications,
page no:508-514, 279-280.
 Shebeer p. basheer, ‘’TEXTBOOK OF NURSING EDUCATION ’’2ND edition,
REPRINT 2021, EMMESS publication, page no:307-309.
 KP. Neeraja, ‘’TEXTBOOK OF COMMUNICATION AND EDUCATIONAL
TECHNOLOGY’’1ST edition, Jaypee production, page no:216-224, 207-208.
 KP. Neeraja ,” NURSING EDUCATION”1ST edition, Jaypee brothers medical
publishers (P) Ltd ,2009, page no:171-172.
 B. Sankaranarayanan and B. Sindhu,” LEARNING AND TEACHING NURSING” 2ND
edition, brainfall publications, page no:92-109.
NET REFERENCE:
 http://www.slideshare.net/siddeshwarangadi/learning-need-analysis-for-nursing
 http://www.slideshare.net/thaniya01/assessment-of-Learning-needs
 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC64520/#:~:text=Formal%20needs%
20assessment%20method%20include,used%20to%20identify%20group%20needs
 http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/kolb%27s-experiential_learnig

15. JOURNAL REFERENCE:
 JOURNAL OF NURSING & HEALTHCARE,’’MEETING NURSING STAFF
EDUCATION THROUGH LEARNING NEED ASSESSMENT’’ BY Adel
Harb1*, Elham Al Ateeq2, Abram Barshaid. Published :04/may/2022
Abstract:
Nursing workforce needs continuous education in order to maintain their current
knowledge and skills. Nurses’ learning needs could be assessed through several tools
and strategies. The aim of this study is to identify nurses ‘s (at all levels) deficits in
knowledge and skills through conducting a learning need assessment tool and meet their
educational needs in order to enable them practicing safe, effective, deemed competent
and efficient patient care.
Method:
A descriptive quantitative and qualitative design adapting an Education Needs
Assessment Model. Instrument used was anonymous SurveyMonkey and target
population was all nurses at different levels working at King Fahad Specialist Hospital,
Dammam, and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The survey was constructed through
literatures utilizing multiple database such as Pubmed and CINAHL and then through
meetings the expert educators and stakeholders. The survey contained nine (9)
educational domains that would identify their learning deficits using Likert scale. The
survey was piloted to examine both face validity and content validity and then IRB
approval was granted from the hospital.
Results:
Data were collected and analyzed following descriptive analysis frequency statistics
using Excel Spreadsheet. Response rate was 34% although the targeted response rate
was 67%. Nurses with all levels and from all divisions with various years of experience
had identified their learning needs on the nine domains. The major performance gap
was related to research utilization and Evidence Based Practice. Another gap was found
in Leadership and Management Courses to support their nurse leaders. The study
recommended that nurse educators have to look at the quality of clinical teaching when
they conduct in service educational sessions in terms of when to conduct it, which
learning style to adopt, where to conduct it and for how long.
Conclusion:

16. Survey Monkey is a comprehensive learning assessment tool used to identify current
nurses’ knowledge and skills. Further studies and researches using different designs
and instruments are strongly needed.
 “JOURNAL FOR NURSES IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT” Learning
Needs Assessment, Not Only for Continuing Education, Pilcher, Jobeth EdD, RN-
BC, Author Information , 7/8 2016 - Volume 32 - Issue 4 - p 185-191,
doi:10.1097/NND.000000000000024
Abstract
Medical knowledge is growing exponentially and is constantly evolving. It is often
the role of the educator to assure that new knowledge reaches the end user. A significant
challenge is deciding what educational issues should be given priority. Learning activities are
time consuming and expensive to develop and deliver. As a result, educators must make
informed decisions regarding what and how education should be provided. An assessment of
what needs to be learned and strategies to best meet the need can assist with decision making.
Performing a learning needs assessment (LNA) should be considered as an essential step in
the planning process, as it can help ascertain that educational activities are designed for the
purposes of enhancing learning outcomes, improving patient outcomes, and optimizing cost-
effectiveness of organizational resources.
The purpose of this article is to provide educators with an overview of LNAs, including
definitions, categories, measurement tools, and steps to perform the assessment. The article is
based on a detailed search and review of the literature using healthcare and education
databases. It is important to note that limited current literature was present on this topic. As a
result, this article includes older references and sources from a variety of professions.
 Learning Needs Assessment: Not Only for Continuing Education (medworm.com)
http://journals.lww.com/jnsdonline/Fulltext/2016/07000/Learning_Needs_Assess
ment...
Source: Journal for Nurses in Professional Development - July 1,
2016 Category: Nursing Tags: Articles Source Type: research. Learning Needs
Assessment:Not Only for Continuing Education

17. Abstract:
An accurate assessment of what participants need to learn is a crucial initial step in
planning educational activities. Methods for assessing learner needs can include reviewing the
literature, benchmarking, reviewing documents, seeking learner input, and multiple other data
collection methods. The purpose of this article is to provide nursing professional development
practitioners with an overview of learning needs assessments, including definitions, categories,
measurement tools, and steps to perform the assessment.
GUIDED BY:
GUIDE:1: SIGNATURE:
MRS. NATHIYA.
ASSIST. PROF. IN PSYCHIATRIC NURSING,
SMVNC.
GUIDE:2: SIGNATURE:
MR. PRABHAKARAN.
LECTURER. IN. COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSING,
SMVNC.
SIGNATURE OF PRINCIPAL