Community Teaching Plan: Teaching Experience Paper
Assessment Description
The RN to BSN program at Grand Canyon University meets the requirements for clinical competencies as defined by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), using nontraditional experiences for practicing nurses. These experiences come in the form of direct and indirect care experiences in which licensed nursing students engage in learning within the context of their hospital organization, specific care discipline, and local communities.
Note: This is an individual assignment. In 1,500-2,000 words, describe the teaching experience and discuss your observations. The written portion of this assignment should include:
1. Summary of teaching plan
2. Epidemiological rationale for topic
3. Evaluation of teaching experience
4. Community response to teaching
5. Areas of strengths and areas of improvement
You are required to cite a minimum of three sources to complete this assignment. Sources must be published within the last 5 years, appropriate for the assignment criteria, and relevant to nursing practice.
Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
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Community Teaching Plan: Teaching Experience Paper
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Community Teaching Plan: Teaching Experience Paper
Introduction
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) or sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are infections that are passed from one individual to another through sexual contact. STIs are caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites. The disease can be passed through vaginal, anal, or oral sexual contact. There are several types of sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia, genital herpes, human papillomavirus, syphilis, trichomoniasis, gonorrhea, and others. Sexually transmitted infections affect both men and women, as long as one is exposed. More than 30 different viruses, bacteria, and parasites are known to cause STIs. The illness can manifest or fail to manifest symptoms depending on several factors. Some of the common symptoms of sexually transmitted infections include urethral discharge, vaginal discharge, painful urination, genital ulcers, and abdominal pain. The disease affects individuals worldwide, however, every country, region, and local government must put in place measures to reduce the incidences. Community education is one of the ways for addressing increasing rates of STIs. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the teaching plan, epidemiology of the issue, and evaluation. Community response, and areas of strength and weaknesses.
Summary of Teaching Plan
The teaching plan was about educating adolescents and young adults (between the age of 14 and 24). The educational program was conducted in different places within the community. Members participated in several groups of a maximum of 150 individuals. Community churches were used as classrooms for the members. The main topic discussed was sexually transmitted diseases. The detailed information related to the topic included definition, signs and symptoms, causes and transmission, risk factors, treatment, and prevention. The educators also enlightened participants about the need to address and try to reduce the incidences of sexually transmitted diseases. The teaching plan relates to Healthy People 2030 which focuses on preventing and treating STIs, as well as improving the health and wellbeing of individuals who already have them. Adolescents and young are sexually active and have the highest risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases.
Community education can enhance positive behaviors such as protected sex, and having a limited number of partners, to prevent STIs. The teaching/presentation began with an introductory session whereby the instructor and the students introduced themselves to improve communication throughout the sessions. The session began with an icebreaker exercise as a humanistic teaching approach and to make students feel safe and free. Additionally, a humanistic approach was also shown by offering breakfast and lunch (food and beverages), including fruits to improve the efficiency of teaching and learning. Then during the presentation, the instructor addressed the objectives of the learning, which included reducing incidences of STIs and improving the knowledge of people regarding sexually transmitted diseases. The educator assessed participants’ understanding of sexually transmitted diseases and related knowledge about them. The teaching was done one on one with the participants.
Epidemiological Rationale for Topic
Changes in the U.S healthcare system have allowed children to remain dependent on their parent’s health insurance plans until 26 years of age. Below this age, children are covered for many illnesses including STIs without cost-sharing for most plans. Although these changes facilitated access to healthcare, adolescents and young adults might not seek care when suffering from STIs due to shame and confidentiality issues. For instance, between 2013 and 2015 12.7 of sexually experienced youths (between 15 and 25 years of age) did not seek medical services due to fear that their parents might find out. Therefore, it is necessary to educate youth and young adults about the importance of seeking medical intervention after contracting the illness.
Even though most sexually transmitted diseases are preventable, there are more than 20 million and above estimated new incidences every year in the United States. According to, more than 1.2 million individuals in the United States have HIV/AIDS. The CDC data indicate that 133, 945 cases of all stages of syphilis were reported in 2020. Incidences of syphilis have increased almost every year. The disease increased by 6.8% from 2019-to 2020. Similarly, gonorrhea cases were reported in 2020 by CDC as the second most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States. The rates of Gonorrhea have increased by 111% since 2009. During the period between 2019 and 2010, the overall cases of gonorrhea increased by 5.7%. The rates of gonorrhea increased among both males and females in the United States. Almost half of those suffering from sexually transmitted diseases are people of ages 15 to 24 years. More adolescents aged 15-17 years, who spend time alone with a health care provider tend to feel free to receive sexual risk assessment than those who do not spend time alone with a care provider. Based on the epidemiological information, youth might be lacking much knowledge regarding sexually transmitted infections, including the importance to seek medical attention and prevention. Therefore, community education will help address the incidences. Evaluation of teaching experience
The teaching experience was amazingly good and encouraging. Participation was good due to the efficient and effective relationship between the participants and their educators. The evaluation of the teaching experience was based on the objectives of the program. One of the objectives was to improve the participants’ knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases. Another objective was to change their sexual behavior. The last but not least objective was to reduce the rates of new reports of sexually transmitted diseases. The first two objectives are short-term while the last one is long-term. Different methods were used to evaluate the teaching experience. They include formative assessment, summative assessment, and questionnaires to assess particular areas.
Regarding formative assessments, students were asked questions during the sessions. They were able to answer most things confidently and correctly. Students were able to participate effectively throughout the sessions. Answers provided during the lesson indicated that participants were learning the correct content and goals were being achieved. The summative assessment was provided towards the end of the class to assess students’ entire knowledge about the learning. Students were provided with a 20-minute sitting paper, in which their number of correct answers reflected their understanding of the teaching content. The results of the study showed that participants gained adequate knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases.
A questionnaire was provided to investigate students’ satisfaction with their learning experience. Students provided feedback through the questionnaire, which indicated high satisfaction with the teaching experience. Most students were happy with the method of teaching (lecture, presentation, video, and the tests). The teacher-learner relationship was good per students’ feedback. Additionally, students agreed that the teaching content was helpful and that they were convinced to practice safe sex and seek medical attention in cases of infection. Based on the evaluation of the teaching experience, it is right to conclude that the teaching experience was excellent.
Community Response to Teaching
Community response indicated that the teaching was successful. The community members complimented the teachers for educating young adults and adolescents about the important topic. Both the adolescents and young adults (between ages 15 and 25) agreed that the topic was relevant to their age and behavior. Parents were interviewed to give their thoughts regarding the program. Most parents admitted that the program was beneficial to their children. They were optimistic that the teaching will bear positive fruits and contribute to the reduction of the rates of sexually transmitted infections. The community demanded more teaching programs on the topic of sexually transmitted diseases as well as other topics such as diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and others. Parents showed their commitment to any further evaluation to assess the behavior change of their children. The students agreed that the learning was good and the teachers were friendly. Community response is very essential to understand the importance of the topic in that community. It also helps understand areas of weakness and strengths to improve subsequent teaching initiatives.
Areas of Strengths and Areas of Improvement
There are several areas of strength and weakness in this educational initiative. Beginning with the areas of strengths, the teaching forum was honest and friendly. Free communication between the teacher and the student is very important to enhance effective teaching. Furthermore, the learning program was very informative as the participants reported to have gained a lot of knowledge regarding the topic of study. The participants also demonstrated their knowledge through summative and formative assessments. Another area of strength is that the power pint presentation, the lecture, and the reading and learning materials used a language that is simple, clear, and precise. The learners were able to read and understand study materials easily without struggle. Furthermore, different methods of teaching (lecture, PowerPoint, video, and others).
On the other hand, one area that needs improvement is the lack of a stipend or sitting allowance for participants. A stipend would improve their motivation to attend and learn about community health concerns, which then helps in reducing such incidences. Subsequent educational forums can identify ways to motivate learners. Another area of improvement includes ways of passing information regarding the program to the community. The advertisement did not reach everyone, hence, some were not aware of the existence of the community education program. This issue should be addressed in the coming community educational programs.
Conclusion
Sexually transmitted diseases are passed from one person to the other through sexual contact. Some of the STDs include chlamydia, genital herpes, human papillomavirus, syphilis, trichomoniasis, and gonorrhea. Community education is aimed at teaching adolescents and young adults (ages from 15 to 25 years) about sexually transmitted diseases. The teaching experience was good as learners showed utmost satisfaction. Adolescents and young adults between the ages of 15 and 25 make up the largest group contracting STDs. Community response indicated that the educational program was useful. Areas of strength and weakness were identified to be improved in subsequent programs.
References
Barrow, R. Y., Ahmed, F., Bolan, G. A., & Workowski, K. A. (2020). Recommendations for providing quality sexually transmitted diseases clinical services, 2020. MMWR Recommendations and Reports, 68(5), 1 https://doi.org/ 10.15585/mmwr.rr6805a1
CDC. (2021). Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Adolescents and Young Adults. https://www.cdc.gov/std/life-stages-populations/adolescents-youngadults.htm
Cowburn, W. (2017). Class, Ideology and Community Education. Milton: Routledge.