Absorb activities are the foundation of learning, where the learner is engaged in reading, watching, or listening. Presentations, videos, audio, visual aids fall into this type of activity. Below is a sample absorb activity in the form of a cartoon to explain SMART goals.
Do activities give the learner an opportunity to practice or discover new facets to the learning, or to reaffirm previously learned materials. As adults, we often learn by doing. Alignment of do activities with the objectives, absorb and connect activities provides the learner with a means to reinforce the learning beyond passive learning. They've read, viewed, or heard the material, now it's their opportunity to practice through various media including puzzles, simulations, A do activity requires action on the part of the learner.
Connect activities are the highest level of activity, and the most engaging. In this type of activity, the learner builds, evaluates or critically questions the information to create a bridge between the absorb activity to application of the learning within the context of their current situation or work environment.
Absorb-Do-Connect Activities Example
Terminal Objective: Write individualized SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely) goals based on the employee’s job description, organization and department goals, and the individual’s development needs. (Cognitive)
Enabling Objectives:
- Identify the components of a SMART goal. (Cognitive-comprehension)
- Revise goals so that the goals meet the criteria for SMART goals (Cognitive-comprehension)
- Given the criteria for SMART goals, create goals for each employee are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timely. (Cognitive-application)
- Given organizational and departmental goals, assess individual goals to ensure alignment. (Cognitive-evaluation)
The ABSORB activity for this terminal objective and its enabling objectives consists of a short cartoon presentation explaining the concept of SMART goals, and how to determine if a goal meets the SMART criteria.
Do Activity |
Once the learner reviews the material, they will then complete an exercise where they will be given incomplete or vague goals. This do activity requires them to modify or rewrite the goals to meet the SMART criteria.
Note: the examples are what would be used for a workshop delivered to hospital leaders. Instructions: Revise the following goal to meet the SMART criteria Goal: Nurse or Aide will conduct hourly rounds. Suggested Answer: The nurse will round hourly (even hour) on every assigned patient. The rounding will include evaluation of the patient for the 5 P's of patient care (potty, pain, position, possessions and peaceful environment), and patient vital signs. Results of rounding will be documented in the patient's electronic medical record. Goal: Learn Excel. Suggested Answer(s): Take a beginner and intermediate Excel course by December 31, 2020. Be able to create a spreadsheet for your family's budget with formulas to average and total. Goal: Sort incoming mail. Suggested answer: Sort all incoming mail correctly by 10:30 a.m. each worked day, placing the mail in the addressee's mailbox. Place mail for unknown addressees in a bin for the post office to retrieve. |
Connect Activity
The final component is to have the learner write SMART goals that are applicable to their work unit or department. In this instance, the learner will use their departmental/unit goals, as well as the organization's goals to ensure alignment from the strategic level to the tactical and operational levels. The intent is to allow the learner to use the information learned in a real-world context that can be applied immediately when completing their employees' evaluations.
Example:
Given this information: Organizational and departmental/unit goal: To be at the 95th or higher percentile on patient satisfaction communication with nurses domain as measured by the patient satisfaction survey (HCAHPS).
Suggested Individual goal: Update the patient's white board when performing shift-change rounding 100% of the time.
Example:
Given this information: Organizational and departmental/unit goal: To be at the 95th or higher percentile on patient satisfaction communication with nurses domain as measured by the patient satisfaction survey (HCAHPS).
Suggested Individual goal: Update the patient's white board when performing shift-change rounding 100% of the time.