References
Peer-assisted teaching and learning in paramedic education: a pilot study
Abstract
Background:
Peer-assisted teaching and learning continues to grow internationally as a useful pedagogical strategy in health professional education. Paramedics are continually engaged in teaching students, other health professionals, patients and their families—so experience teaching peers during their university education may increase their confidence when teaching as a paramedic.
Objectives:
This project aims to explore: i) third-year students’ experiences of teaching and assessing junior students, and ii) first-year students’ experiences of being taught and assessed by senior students.
Methods:
A quasi-experimental design was used to investigate peer-assisted teaching and learning among paramedic first and third-years at Monash University using the Peer Teaching Experience Questionnaire and the Clinical Teaching Preference Questionnaire. Both self-reporting measures used a 5-point Likert scale.
Results:
A total of 154 students participated in the study:
Conclusions:
Preliminary results support the utility of peer-assisted teaching and learning in undergraduate paramedic education, and suggest that larger scale studies take place in the future. Consideration should be given for inclusion into existing paramedic curricula nationally.
Healthcare professionals, particularly paramedics, are continually engaged in educating patients, their families, students, other healthcare professionals and the wider community (Edwards, 2011). As a direct result of this shift in focus, there is now greater emphasis on healthcare professional students to obtain a level of proficiency in teaching during their tertiary education (Hudson and Tonkin, 2008). Peer-assisted learning (PAL) allows senior students to assist their junior peers through teaching, learning support and small group conversations. PAL also provides the potential benefit of additional educational discussion which may not occur in the presence of an academic or tutor (Weyrich et al, 2009).
In recent times, there has been a paradigmatic shift in higher education towards a greater emphasis on ‘learning’ rather than ‘teaching’. A greater degree of focus is now placed on the construction and maintenance of high quality, learner-centred environments, with PAL being seen as a crucial component to these learning environments (Hudson and Tonkin, 2008). Other examples include scenario-based learning, and patient-centred learning, both of which provide capacity for PAL opportunities. PAL is also perceived as an option to continue providing interaction-rich learning environments in the face of reduced resources and continual increases in student numbers, through the sharing of experiences from senior peer-tutors to junior tutees. PAL provides a number of advantages over academic-led learning, such as enhanced peer-to-peer relationships, as peers are perceived to be more approachable than academic staff (Hudson and Tonkin, 2008; Christiansen and Bell, 2010).
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