CNE Teaching Strategies & Learning Theories 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A nurse educator wants to promote higher-order thinking in BSN students. Which assessment strategy is MOST effective?
- Multiple-choice questions testing factual recall
- Unfolding case studies requiring clinical reasoning (Correct answer)
- True/false quizzes on terminology
- Fill-in-the-blank medication dosage drills
Correct answer: Unfolding case studies requiring clinical reasoning
Unfolding case studies present evolving patient scenarios that require analysis, evaluation, and clinical judgment rather than recall.
Question 2: The flipped classroom model in nursing education is characterized by:
- Delivering new content during class time and assigning practice at home
- Students reviewing content before class and using class time for active application (Correct answer)
- Eliminating all homework assignments
- Faculty lecturing for the entire class period
Correct answer: Students reviewing content before class and using class time for active application
In the flipped classroom, students engage with foundational content independently before class, freeing class time for higher-level application activities.
Question 3: Which learning theory is the foundation of programmed instruction and behavior modification techniques in nursing education?
- Constructivism
- Humanism
- Behaviorism (Correct answer)
- Transformative learning
Correct answer: Behaviorism
Behaviorism, associated with Skinner and Pavlov, underpins programmed instruction through stimulus-response conditioning and reinforcement schedules.
Question 4: A student consistently struggles to transfer classroom knowledge to clinical settings. This difficulty most likely reflects a deficit in:
- Memorization of facts
- Transfer of learning (Correct answer)
- Reading comprehension
- Attendance consistency
Correct answer: Transfer of learning
Transfer of learning refers to applying knowledge gained in one context to novel or real-world situations, a key goal of nursing education.
Question 5: Mezirow's Transformative Learning Theory is BEST applied when a nurse educator aims to:
- Teach medication calculations through repetition
- Help students challenge and revise deeply held assumptions about patient care (Correct answer)
- Organize content from simple to complex
- Provide behavioral reinforcement for skill performance
Correct answer: Help students challenge and revise deeply held assumptions about patient care
Mezirow's theory centers on disorienting dilemmas that prompt critical reflection and transformation of prior frames of reference.
Question 6: When using simulation in nursing education, which debriefing approach has the strongest evidence base for promoting learning?
- Faculty-led lecture summarizing what went wrong
- Structured debriefing with advocacy-inquiry technique (Correct answer)
- Peer grading of simulation performance
- Immediate written test after simulation
Correct answer: Structured debriefing with advocacy-inquiry technique
Structured debriefing using advocacy-inquiry (stating an observation then asking about the student's thinking) promotes deep reflective learning after simulation.
Question 7: Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences suggests that nurse educators should:
- Focus exclusively on verbal-linguistic instruction methods
- Use varied instructional modalities to reach diverse learner strengths (Correct answer)
- Test only mathematical and logical reasoning abilities
- Prioritize students with bodily-kinesthetic intelligence in clinical settings
Correct answer: Use varied instructional modalities to reach diverse learner strengths
Gardner's theory implies that learners have diverse intellectual strengths, and varied instructional strategies maximize access to learning for all students.
CNE Teaching Strategies & Learning Theories 3
A nurse educator wants to promote higher-order thinking in BSN students.
Which assessment strategy is MOST effective?