Six-Point Mastery Learning Model: 3 Things Staff and Faculty Want You to Know

Prospective nursing students are attracted to our Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program for a number of reasons, one of which includes our Six-Point Mastery Learning Model. Designed to accommodate all types of learning styles, our Mastery Learning Model provides students with the right tools and clinical training needed to succeed in the nursing profession.

Whether you’re still searching for the right nursing program, or are preparing to enroll in our Accelerated BSN program, our Mastery Learning Model can lead you toward the nursing success you’ve been searching for.

What Is the Six-Point Mastery Learning Model?

The Model is made up of six, effective learning components to help you succeed in the ABSN program. From day one, you will be immersed in an engaging and supportive academic setting that will encourage you to reach your full potential.

The heart of our Six-Point Mastery Learning Model is the belief that many nursing programs place too much emphasis on grades while overlooking what’s really important: the real-world application of critical skills. Becoming a great nurse takes more than just memorizing facts. That’s why instead of highlighting grades, our instructors focus on how well you learn, apply, and master the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of the professional nurse. They will hone in on your achievements and identify areas where you need help to ensure full comprehension of core nursing concepts and skills.

Our Six-Point Mastery Learning Model will prepare you for a successful career in nursing by:

• Focusing on one subject at a time
• Fostering active, collaborative learning
• Measuring knowledge and skills against specific criteria
• Regularly assessing your understanding (and stepping in to help when remediation is needed)
• Providing real-world learning experiences early on
• Encouraging active participation in the classroom

Now that you understand what the Six-Point Mastery Learning Model is and how staff and faculty use it to measure your success, here are the top three things they want you to know.

1. Our block curriculum mimics the real world

While the traditional college experience requires that you take multiple classes during a quarter or semester, we group our Accelerated BSN courses into 15 blocks. This lets you focus on one block at a time. Each block covers a specific area of nursing, from fundamentals of nursing to community and mental health nursing. Courses can range anywhere from approximately two to eight weeks, depending on the topic, nursing labs, and clinical rotations involved.

What makes us unique is that we don’t have a traditional grading system; instead, every block is pass or no-pass. To gauge how well you are learning the material, your instructors will give frequent assessments. You will be responsible for achieving a score of 90% on each assessment in order to “pass” a course. If you do not pass, you must remediate that portion of the curriculum, which we’ll explain later.

Our high achievement standard will differentiate you from other nursing students. That’s because as a new nurse, you will be expected to keep up with new procedures, technologies, treatments, and processes. Your ability to achieve 90% or higher on every subject you’ve studied proves to employers that you have the capabilities to succeed at learning new, complex tasks in the real world.

“We really do hold ourselves to a high standard here, and that sets a tone, and I think that’s why the hospitals around here love Roseman students.” – Liz, Accelerated BSN Student, Class of 2018

2. You have more than one opportunity to achieve 90%

Thanks to our remediation efforts, if you’re unable to satisfy the 90% or higher on each assessment, you will have a few chances to relearn the material and pass with confidence – as long as you are putting in the effort.

Step 1: Individual Exam

In this step, you will use your critical thinking skills to complete your exam, individually, to the best of your abilities.

Step 2: Team Exam

In this step, you will be paired with team members of your cohort to complete the same assessment as a group.  The team must agree on the correct answer for each question. These individuals also make up your clinical group, so it’s important that you get to know each other’s strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles.

Step 3: Evidence-Based Rational

In this step, your instructors will provide you with the opportunity to use your textbooks, lecture notes, or other assigned instructional material to provide evidence-based rationale to support a review of assessment items that may have an alternate correct answer. Using critical thinking skills, you will need to explain how you came up with your answer. If you do not achieve a 90% in this step, then you will have the opportunity to come back within a few days and repeat the assessment testing the same concepts and outcomes, using different questions.

Step 4: Remediation exam

In this step, you will be given a new assessment, on the same concepts. You will be completing this assessment on your own as there are not team assessment processes during any remediation period. Prior to taking a remediation assessment, faculty review concepts with you to help clarify and understand the material you have not mastered. If you are unsuccessful at achieving a 90% or higher on the remediation assessment, you will have a final opportunity to demonstrate mastery during the scheduled comprehensive remediation periods.

As with didactic assessments, clinical courses also provide for remediation opportunities in some instances.

3. You will find your learning style

As you can see, our Accelerated BSN curriculum is extremely collaborative. As you work with the students in your cohort, you will learn how to articulate ideas and understandings, uncover misconceptions and assumptions, and find your true learning style. For example, you may think you are a notecard learner, but that may not be the case. You may find that you learn best while negotiating with group members to reach a final answer, or perhaps you learn best while role-playing with cohort members during simulation lab.

Regardless of how you learn best, you will find that our Six-Point Mastery Learning Model embodies a team environment that mirrors today’s healthcare settings. “It’s not a competition, it’s really a teamwork environment,” says Liz, Accelerated BSN Student, Class of 2018.

Your Accelerated nursing school journey will not only shape you into a competent healthcare professional, but will prepare you to work well with others in any type of setting.

How You Get Started

If there’s one thing we can say about the Six-Point Mastery Learning Model, it’s this: nursing knowledge isn’t just about book learning, it involves interaction with other human beings. The most successful nurses ask questions, make mistakes, and learn from fellow nurses. They communicate clearly and remember that “listening” is 50% of open and interpersonal communication. As an Accelerated BSN student at Roseman, you have the opportunity to exemplify all these things and more.

If you’re ready to embark on your nursing education, contact an admissions advisor to learn more about how our Accelerated BSN program can play a key role in your success as a registered nurse.