Practicum Project Goals, Objectives, and Justification

Week 3 - Discussion

Practicum Project Goals, Objectives, and Justification

A project without a critical path is like a ship without a rudder. —Daniel B. Meyer, Illinois Construction Law

In Week 2, you collaborated with your practicum Faculty Member and Preceptor to identify a focus for your Practicum Project.

This week, you begin to develop a Practicum Project Plan (PPP), which includes your overarching goal for the project and measurable objectives. The PPP incorporates a meaningful review of the literature and related standards to provide justification and support for the project. This Discussion provides a starting point for developing your written plan, as indicated in Assignment 1 this week.

To prepare:

Reflect on the focus of your proposed Practicum Project, which you identified through discussion with your practicum Faculty Member and Preceptor last week.

View the Practicum Project Plan (PPP) Overview document provided in this week’s Learning Resources. Consider the project planning guidelines included in the document as you prepare for this Discussion.

Address the following to help you develop your plan for the Practicum Project:

• Review the scholarly literature, specialization standards, and/or regulatory standards that validate and shed light on your Practicum Project focus. Which professional organizations would you contact in relation to your topic? What regulatory standards would you address? As you proceed, you will continue to gather evidence from a combination of sources for your project as part of your written Practicum Project Plan.
• Identify the overarching goal for your Practicum Project.
• Consider how you can achieve your Practicum Project goal through the development and fulfillment of objectives. Based on your Practicum Project goal, develop two or three objectives that are specific, measurable, attainable, results-focused, and time-focused. Incorporate higher-order verbs from Bloom’s taxonomy (i.e., Application-level and above) as you create the objectives. You may wish to review last week’s Learning Resources related to developing objectives.

Contemplate any questions or concerns you may have about your Practicum Project or the planning involved. What kind of support could your colleagues offer to help you move forward?

Note: Be mindful of privacy concerns as you engage in this and future Discussions. Do not identify any organizations or individuals by name.

By tomorrow 3/14/17, Post a minimum of 550 words in APA format with at least 3 references (see list below), which include the level one headers as numbered below:

1)    A description of your proposed Practicum Project.

2)    Provide a brief rationale for your selected focus that incorporates references from the literature, specialization standards, regulatory standards, and/or other sources you have used to validate this project.

3)     Explain the overarching project goal, and list two or three measurable objectives that will help you meet the goal. Also, share any questions or concerns that your colleagues may be able to help you address as you proceed with planning for your Practicum Project.

Required Readings

Reminder: Review resources from previous courses as necessary.

McCurry, M. K., Hunter Revell, S. M., & Roy, S. C. (2010). Knowledge for the good of the individual and society: Linking philosophy, disciplinary goals, theory, and practice. Nursing Philosophy, 11(1), 42–52.Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

The authors address the use of middle-range theories to translate knowledge into practice and achieve nursing’s goal of promoting the individual and common good.

Armstrong, P. (2013). Bloom's taxonomy. Retrieved from http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/pedagogical/blooms-taxonomy/

Vanderbilt University provides this overview of Bloom’s taxonomy. This site also presents the original and updated versions of the taxonomy along with verb suggestions for each level.

Clark, D. (2013). Bloom’s taxonomy of learning domains. Retrieved from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html

 This article addresses three domains of learning: cognitive, affective, and psychomotor.

University of Central Florida, Office of Experiential Learning (n.d.). Writing SMART learning objectives, Retrieved from http://explearning.ucf.edu/registered-students/tips-for-success/writing-smart-learning-objectives/195

 This blog post focuses on the distinction between learning outcomes and objectives. Consider this information as you develop your practicum professional development objectives this week.

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Center for Teaching & Learning. (2013). Writing objectives using Bloom's taxonomy. Retrieved from http://teaching.uncc.edu/articles-books/best-practice-articles/goals-objectives/writing-objectives-using-blooms-taxonomy

 This resource outlines elements of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

McKimm, J., & Swanwick, T. (2009). Setting learning objectives. British Journal of Hospital Medicine, 70(7), 406–409.Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

 This article clarifies the terminology associated with learning objectives and explains how learning objectives relate to professional development and the transformation from novice to expert. It also introduces common pitfalls when setting learning objectives and provides suggestions for avoiding them.

Boulos, M. N. K., & Berry, G. (2012). Real-time locating systems (RTLS) in healthcare: a condensed primer. International journal of health geographics, 11(1), 25.