Nick Napper
With over 30 years’ experience of creating innovative training, Nick passionately promotes evidence-based education in healthcare. His research specialism is visual support for learning.
Location UK
Activity
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@AngelaLambert Perhaps you could let us know how it goes?
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Nick Napper replied to Sarah Rudd
@SarahRudd From the positive learning experiences you outlined in Step 3.5 and the topic you mention teaching in Step 3.6, we imagine you undertake formative assessments in some way?
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@SarahRudd Perhaps start by just making one significant change, something that you feel you can evaluate fairly easily.
It may also be worth speaking with your manager with a view to making it a personal appraisal objective. In this way you might receive some support. -
@TheresaNamaalwa In the context of this course, 'Does' relates to what the learner performs in the workplace after training, when they are not observed (or not formally at least).
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@BarbaraBarton From the date of Megan's comment it's possible she has completed the course and may not see your question.
Here are a couple you may find helpful:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-evidence-based-education-podcast/id1269102364
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-edtech-podcast/id1107282759
and fascinating, albeit at a more... -
@BarbaraBarton Key is that the learners (rather than the trainer) do the recapping at the start of the next session. If it's known that the trainer in question is likely to ask for this, there may be an added benefit of the learners anticipating and retrieving before the event.
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@karenteasdale Nothing has come through yet. If you make contact via the link highlighted 'this page' in step 5.14 (just below the book image), I'll respond - you can then reply with your plan as an attachment.
(Sorry if it sounds complex, but I can't put my email address here as trawling bots will pick it up) -
@BethTapster One small, but deceptively effective change for many trainers is to move from thinking about 'delivery' to 'helping them learn', 'retain', etc (ideally in your own words).
At first glance this may appear to be just semantics, but it can positively impact the way we think and plan. -
@BethTapster One approach that may help is to try running one such session as a tutorial instead of fixed teaching. You could ask attendees to complete questionnaire beforehand about their knowledge and needs - then plan tailored tasks for each one (or for small groups if some have similar needs). During the session you would move about providing support as...
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@stephenmoore Absolutely. Some seniors also ask conference delegates to run a later session for colleagues who were unable to attend
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@stephenmoore I've changed the link to a downloadable pdf - should be available now.
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@stephenmoore VARK and VAK (along with other similar 'styles' theories) were discredited in 2004 by Coffield et al in their influential report. Interestingly, VAK and VARK contradict each other in the area of visual support for learning. About 20 years ago I wrote to Fleming (of VARK fame) a couple of times on this aspect, but he never replied.
Research... -
Nick Napper replied to Ousman Jah
@OusmanJah @ You ask a highly relevant question. Assessment should take place in circumstances appropriate to the learning outcome. If an assessment has the potential to differ significantly from the learning environment, training may include a simulated assessment to prepare the student – both for the environment and the potential stress (as in much sim...
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Nick Napper replied to Emily C
@EmilyC Re: (I don't go for that weird 'imagine them naked' lark, though), neither do we. It seems utterly bizarre, and if anything (as with other questionable suggestions such as imagining people on a toilet) may risk making a speaker even more nervous.
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@EmilyC Re '70% presenter and 30% active learner', you might find it enlightening to 2 weeks later evaluate retention of the content which was presented, and that which was actively learned. In the event that former was poorly retained, you would have evidence to support a new brief.
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@ceceAkinyele Interleaving involves a trainer inserting a carefully planned activity in a session, in which a different but associated element is learned. When learners return to the the original element, retrieval must be undertaken in order to continue, and the original memory is consequently strengthened.
We explore interleaving in more detail in Week 4,... -
@SarahRudd Perhaps you could consider (maybe trial) tailoring training to short individual sessions which cover just what a given participant needs at the time (and are thus more likely to retain), with just-in-time guides available for other areas they might need in the future?
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@EmilyC Aphantasia, as it’s known, has only been widely investigated since Zeman’s 2015 study. As a result, there is still much we don’t know about how it affects learning. Although aphantasics are unable to summon mental images, it seems they can compensate in many situations (although not all). one theory is that they possess visuo-spatial ability but are...
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@TessaBurnard Agreed. The physicist Ernest Rutherford once said that if you truly understand something, you can explain it to the person who serves you a glass of beer. (I've modernised that quote a little)
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Nick Napper replied to Tessa Burnard
@TessaBurnard To answer your question, it might help to consider the levels of learning as shown in Bloom's Taxonomy. We haven't had the space on this course to explore this, but perhaps look at the graphic at the top of the page here: https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/.
Which of these levels do you think best fits the outcomes of... -
@TessaBurnard All the approaches you suggest can help. On the course we also mention interleaving; its careful application can be a great aid to retention.
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@StuartNickerson Re the visual learner notion still being heard, twenty years after being discredited it sits on some University websites as guidance for new undergraduates (although admittedly not those of University Schools of Education). And is taught on a small (hopefully diminishing) number of FE Cert Ed courses.
There seem to be two camps; one... -
@karenteasdale Creating a short memorable video can be a truly engaging and rewarding experience(s). Perhaps use a different patient story for each. Even if they are not very long, we'd recommend using the storyboard approach to test the ideas with a sample before recording. And follow up to explore how they have been received.
There will likely be a separate... -
@FaithWilliams From your brief description it sounds as though you are asking educationally pertinent questions of the session quality. A key issue would be whether it is teacher centric or learner centric, for example, are the timings stated for the trainer or the learners?
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@Marie-LouiseEdouard-Betsy If you have paid for the course or enrolled via the NHS, the end test should be accessible.
As Educators we cannot view this data. If it is still a problem, please contact Support via the button on the bottom right of the screen. -
@EmilyRowe Re [putting it down on paper for themselves some way], absolutely. There is a lot of evidence to suggest such activity has a positive impact on lasting learning.
However, it can be a challenge to persuade learners that this approach is beneficial because many conflate understanding with learning. Because of this, it can be helpful to explain the... -
@IkramMohamedMusthapha We would suggest perhaps 'often' rather than 'always', as it is not inevitable with thoughtful planning.
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@SuKeill We hope as you progress through the course, it will become apparent that most learners retain more through storytelling and interaction than when these elements are absent.
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@AmbreenSalman As educators we are unable to see the assignments, but if you make contact via the link at the end of the course, I’ll respond and you can email it to me if that helps?
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@AmbreenSalman It's true they are similar. A lesson plan aims to organise the teaching process for the benefit of learners, by first organising the thoughts of the teacher.
Whereas the function of a storyboard is to share a proposed teaching structure with others for thoughts & suggestions. A storyboard's highly visual structure allows this to be... -
@karenteasdale Realistically, in a standalone session as you describe, there will only be two or three items at most that will be remembered. Perhaps start with a short discussion between participants and the person next to them in which they answer a question posed by you. Then illustrate the three most important points you want them to remember with...
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@SusanHollingsworth Re [have found it hard to think how to give the correct feedback to the learners], perhaps try approach explained here: https://biomedgrid.com/pdf/AJBSR.MS.ID.002542.pdf
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@AmbreenSalman Re your second para, agreed it is not an easy task. We recommend evaluating an existing course which is suspected not to perform well, for example by testing (unannounced) recall after a delay. Then carry out an intervention study using an educationally functional variation; evaluated after a delay. Then (assuming there is an improvement)...
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@karenteasdale A key consideration is to have a mentor or professional friend with whom to share and talk through a difficult moment. Often a trainer may undergo self criticism after a challenging event which was not of their doing or could not have been anticipated. A chat over a coffee can transform such an experience into a learning point as well as...
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@karenteasdale Agreed. We didn't have space here but a larger section will be devoted to this in the book.
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@AmbreenSalman Key to meaningful feedback is involving the learner and their own perceptions. Many teachers follow the principles outlined by Pendleton, see for example https://biomedgrid.com/pdf/AJBSR.MS.ID.002542.pdf.
There is a helpful article on giving and receiving feedback here: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5709796/ -
Nick Napper replied to Ambreen Salman
@AmbreenSalman Agreed quizzes are a simple way, ideally using learners own words
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@SujoyMukherjee Bear in mind that a well-told patient story also activates the visual part of the brain and as such, is a visual aid in itself (as distinct from a text list of symptoms).
We would emphasise that a visual aid should be educationally functional, and not merely a relevant picture. Educated healthcare professionals who have experienced pictures... -
@stephenmoore One of the challenges in corporate training is that the lesson format is borrowed from school/university, but the other elements that would ordinarily support it are often stripped away, such as homework, assignments, tutorials, revision, spaced examinations, etc.
We sometimes compare an isolated lesson with taking only the first dose of a... -
@EsiC It’s difficult to advise accurately without more detail (i.e did the participant have some/any validity to their reasoning).
One technique would be to say something along the lines of, ‘That’s an interesting viewpoint. Before I answer, what do the rest of the group think?’ If the participant’s view is an outlier, there is a good chance the group will... -
@stephenmoore Thank you for posting this. It was interesting to read the line, ‘As online learning can have a negative impact on students’ sense of belonging (Cohen and Viola, 2022), we designed learning resources and activities to avoid this, as well as to enable staff members to get to know the students.’
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Nick Napper replied to Kerry Wilson
@stephenmoore We would suggest the trainer should know as much about their learners as is 'reasonably' possible. In the event that they will be teaching a totally unknown group, at the very least a coffee with or phone call to one or two members is likely to make a huge difference to how well the session is pitched.
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@stephenmoore There is no doubt that cadaver labs have a strong role in supporting learning. That said, so do simulations, 3D images, etc. The increased cost and time factor of cadaveric dissection suggests it should ideally be reserved for the learning elements that benefit most, compared with, for example virtual dissection.
Ultimately the most informed... -
@stephenmoore It depends to some extent on the learning element(s) in question. For example, if a psychomotor skill is seen to be performed incorrectly, immediate remedial feedback may be required, followed by positive feedback when undertaken correctly. Positive feedback on a skill performed well is likely to elicit a dopamine response that can strengthen...
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@EravananAppavu Thank you, this is a helpful point, as you say the term has been adopted to have different meanings outside of psychology - we'll look at making this clearer in the text.
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@ChrisO'Connell It may also be that they did understand, but didn't form long-term memories. It's one of the reasons we don't use the word understand in learning outcomes - understanding is necessary but rarely sufficient.
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Nick Napper replied to Chris O'Connell
@ChrisO'Connell We would not suggest this applies to all eLearning as there are many variables. Nonetheless, the example given in this step of physicians' recall after time had passed does appears to be an indictment of that particular form.
To answer the question regarding modules in your Trust, perhaps take a random sample and check retention of key... -
@stephenmoore It's an app that allows a trainer to present pre-prepared questions on screen via a laptop. Learners each login to mentimeter.com via their mobiles, enter a code, and they can then individually answer the questions presented. Results (anonymously or otherwise) appear on screen. Another common app is slido.com
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Nick Napper replied to Manjinder Singh
@stephenmoore One approach would be to try classroom methods such as those offered on this course, and evaluate their effectiveness re lasting retention and transfer to practice (as opposed liking immediately post-session). The effort invested in gathering information in this way can result in more impact on a teacher/evaluator's mental models.
In the late... -
@IqraSiddiqui Evidence suggests it is due to the pictorial nature of characters being, in part at least, processed by the visual part of the brain.
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@SethForster We hope this course will provide ideas for you to use. However, if you still have questions in this regard in Week 5, please ask and we'll offer more suggestions.
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@SethForster As per the video included Step 2.6, this form of training becomes much more immersive for the learner when observers are watching a feed in a separate area.
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@OluwatoyosiDurowaiye Re your first question, we hope you will find lots of ideas as you go through this course.
Re breaking the ice, one option is think of it via a different metaphor, perhaps as a 'thaw'; in which activity is gradually introduced and increased as the session develops. -
@OluwatoyosiDurowaiye It's spacing of the learning process that aids retention - this could be through the course design, or by the individual's own revision and reflection, or supervised/mentored practice in the workplace, etc.
If there is no spacing by any means, learning is less likely to stick. -
@LianneHarrison Re [learners often wish for some material to take away that they can read again/revisit], as mentioned by other participants, a helpful facility within PowerPoint is Speaker Notes, which allows learners who download the presentation to also benefit from additional text which accompanies individual slides.
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@SophieTurner As you suggest, this is a really helpful approach and the additional text does not distract learners during the session. Unfortunately few teachers/trainers seem to use this facility - we've never really known why, as most PPt courses recommend doing so.
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@GemmaDonaghy Re ensuring your team all cover the same material, we hope you'll find the next steps of this week helpful, as lesson plans should help in this regard
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@MatthewJenkins Re your last para, absolutely. We make an almost identical point in Week 2, Step 2.3
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@SherylElsaAbraham In the way we've used these terms in this course, ALS CASTests represent 'shows how'; Does would for example, be running a real arrest.
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@SheryllKamat Absolutely. We are not sure the 'one' aspect was ever intended to be taken literally. See for example, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4785880/
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@NigelBedayse many thanks for identifying this, and in particular for taking the time to find an excellent replacement.
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Points at which comprehension needs to be established before moving to the next element or ‘chunk’ are known as ‘hinge points’; at which a teacher may ask ‘hinge questions’ to check understanding and application.
Sometimes a hinge point occurs naturally, at other times a trainer may suspect some learners are falling behind; from facial expressions, silences,... -
@LuqmanSalami That's our point in this activity - when there is no anticipation of a test - very little language is retained.
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@FredAbdelrazakmusa Please use the course language so that others may read your comments
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@LianneHarrison True - it's more often full-time trainers and designers with a new course to be taken by a large number across a Trust.
Nonetheless, valuable insight can be gained from informal follow-ups over a coffee or a phone call a week or two later; re recall, transfer to practice, etc -
Nick Napper replied to Hidden user
Hi, may we recommend you add a name to your profile so it makes your comments a little more personable.
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@CharlotteAdjeponYamoah As educators we can only see comments from course participants, and we cannot find any made by yourself apart from the above.
To find out more about your record on the course, please contact Support via the pink tab on bottom right of this page. -
@Dr.VaishnaviSunilJoshi A lecture with no accompanying activity, notetaking, later revision, etc. may reach that point in a few minutes depending on interest, motivation etc. (witness comments on this course re mandatory training lectures).
Were you thinking perhaps of how to ensure comprehension (as opposed to retention) before moving on to the next step or... -
@KithsriKarunatilake Re research around learning from mistakes, there is quite a lot, accompanied by a general consensus that mistakes leave a lasting impact which is often strengthened by an emotional component.
Some research has been done into deliberately crafting a learning experience to make the occurrence of a mistake more likely - in the hope the... -
@AntonyStott You raise an interesting point (and one we unfortunately did not have the space to do justice in this course).
We would agree to an extent, although the correlation is not as clear as one might intuitively expect. See for example, Carpenter et al 2013, 'Appearances can be deceiving: Instructor fluency increases perceptions of learning without... -
@JerrySam There's no easy answer to this problem. In the normal run of things social pressure should help alleviate the situation, and waiting until a break to have a quiet word. One technique is to (carefully) make the person aware of the effect they may be having on others present.
The difficulty with attempting to 'dismiss' someone is that they may not go... -
@JerrySam We're not sure exactly what you're asking - is it that you believe the research, but it's not sufficient to change your practice?
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@ElsuhaElgassimAliMohammed Re your last para, this is what we mean by 'Does' (or 'Does not' as the case may be). In this way, rather than being a learning step, Does is the practical reality.
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@DinaSakr Which quiz are you referring to? Your question appears to be posted in Step 1.2, there are no answers that require to be saved up to that point as far as we are aware?
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@EllieAnderson You may find that, as you explore approaches to teaching advocated on this course, nerves begin to fade.
In addition, towards the end of Week 5 there is a 'contact us' link. Feel free to ask any questions regarding specific situations in which nerves may be an issue and we'll do out best to respond. -
@MouazAlkasem In the context of this course, we take 'Shows how' to represent the learner demonstrating that they are able to perform a given task. 'Does' describes them perform it correctly in their future practice.
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@AhmedDawud As far as I recall we found it via a Google search for local construction sites.
Perhaps a more revealing question would be, how much time did we spend creating items that didn't make the final cut... -
@GillRiley Some conferences warn speakers their microphone will be switched off at the given finish time, although it is a little draconian (and obviously of no help if there's no mic).
Perhaps easier is to explain you'll give signals by holding up coloured cards, i.e. yellow when they have two minutes left, red when time is up. (Even better, get your... -
@RobertWojdyn Thank you for bringing this to our attention - link restored now.
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@EstibalizGarcía Many educationalists believe AI offers enormous opportunities for personalised learning. However, in some form the system employed needs to either be, or become aware of the skill level of each learner; through an initial assessment of some form, or ongoing learning from an individual's progress. In that way it would adapt accordingly, much as...
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@ApurvaPatel From your description, perhaps it was just hybrid telling?
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@FfionBeasley Re presentations and text for further reference, the approach favoured by many lecturers is have a single presentation with additional text in the 'Notes' section of PPt. If the learner later opens the presentation they can access (or print if required) the additional information.
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@JerrySam This phenomenon has been analogised by Laurillard as students who 'know how to remove a stone from a hoof, but would not recognise a limping horse' (Rethinking University Teaching, 2002).
Key to avoiding this is situating learning activities in the context of the overall objective, rather than a single chunk.
That said, it may not be... -
Nick Napper replied to Jerry Sam
@JerrySam Many experienced trainers simply press 'B' on the keyboard (or the appropriate button on the remote) and the screen goes blank. Learners then automatically look at you.
For the same reason, some trainers insert a number of blank slides with a black background which appear at appropriate points. -
@FfionBeasley Absolutely. Quality teaching and learning is often inversely related to the amount of on-screen text.
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Nick Napper replied to Becky Houlihan
@BeckyHoulihan Even better, perhaps recall as much as possible (even if difficult) first?
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@FfionBeasley Do you think you could improve even more, perhaps by replacing 'discuss' with something more specific & measurable?
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@TeirahFroud Good! Although perhaps deduct one point, not sure 'Thinking' was there...
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@JerrySam Re teams not wanting to learn or cooperate, resolution may be beyond the gift of a trainer if motivation is completely absent. For example, it is not unknown for a manager to avoid introduction of some new element to the workplace, and instead leave it to the trainer to explain and (hopefully) enthuse; often an unrealistic demand. If a team arrives...
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@LydiaKniazewycz It’s usually productive to first establish whether the person is aware they are getting it wrong; for example by probing how well they believe they are performing the task. If they know, and are motivated to improve, you can explore the cognitive and/or psychomotor processes that are taking place, and together establish exactly what & where...
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@AamirAziz It may well be enlightening for the training body you mention to undertake some assessments 2 weeks post-learning?
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@AdelaideF @LydiaKniazewycz Unfortunately, as with any teaching method, if a user disregards or discards key elements, it is unlikely to work as it should (regardless of its labelling).
To be fair, sometimes the teaching concept may have been misunderstood, or simply taken at face (as in nominative) value. -
@DebraSmith It's instructive to try something similar among attendees after a text-only PowerPoint lecture, as long as they don't know beforehand they'll be asked.
As with participants here, attendees often seem to remember relatively little, but with particular sections of text recalled more commonly. -
@LydiaKniazewycz We could go back to Piaget who cautioned against [relative] experts and their potential for negative impact on novices. You sometimes see this in, for example, a new IT trainer who, in trying to be helpful, keeps offering the answer - when if instead they encourage the learner to retrieve it, the learner is much more likely to remember. Or for...
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@LydiaKniazewycz Absolutely. Like teaching a learner a new section of music that is challenging to them; a chunk would be understanding how to play it, probably slowly. Many more spaced retrievals and practices would be required before they are able to play it well. But the music lesson would likely also contain other rhythms, scales, etc. which would require...
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@LesleyHawes Perhaps more effective when created by a learner themselves through retrieval?
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@LydiaKniazewycz In chunking, a trainer groups elements together in manageable amounts; they ensure each 'chunk' is understood before moving on to the next. However, in itself, this is not usually sufficient to ensure adequate formation of long term memories.
Spacing deliberately allows periods of time for earning to be consolidated during sleep and yet also... -
@JonathanEntwisle Absolutely, although it depends on how much retrieval the learners have practised between sessions.
We mention elsewhere on the course that the ideal gap is just when the memory begins to fade and retrieval requires some effort. It's noticeable that experienced trainers encourage this during follow up sessions, whereas sometimes those new to... -
Thank you!
