FOSTERING DIALOGICAL COMMUNITY THROUGH A LEARNING-EXPERIENCE

Dialogue and community are two common foci of the recent nursing education literature. The author came to a new understanding of these concepts while teaching a capstone seminar course for registered nurses who were obtaining a baccalaureate degree. In this paper, this transformation is discussed in the context of one particular learning experience for the capstone course. The philosophical basis for fostering dialogical community through this learning experience is explained. The experience is described, and students' comments about the experience are cited. Finally, conclusions drawn as a result of the experience are compared to the themes of dialogue and community in the recent nursing education literature.