Healthcare Learning Community and Student Retention

Abstract

Teaching, learning, and retention processes have evolved historically to include multifaceted techniques beyond the traditional lecture. This article presents related results of a study using a healthcare learning community in a southwest Georgia university. The value of novel techniques and tools in promoting student learning and retention remains under review. This study includes a healthcare learning community as a cutting-edge teaching and learning modality. The results of an introspective survey of 22 students in a learning community explore strategies to enhance culturally relevant teaching, learning, and retention. Although learning and retention studies have been conducted at numerous universities, few have included feedback from students in a healthcare learning community. Frequencies from student responses were tabulated using five thematic factors: social support, career knowledge/opportunities, academic support, networking and faculty rapport/relationship building. Of the five theme areas, social support was identified most frequently by students as a means to support their learning and retention in the university setting. An emerging trend in higher education is the formation of learning communities. Learning communities came to the forefront in the late eighties and early nineties (Browne & Minnick, 2005). Learning communities in their most basic form begin with block scheduling that enables students to take courses together. In some cases, learning communities link students by tying two or three courses together (Tinto, 2000). Such was the case with a healthcare learning community at a four-year southwest Georgia university. Three courses were linked together using a healthcare theme. The courses were Healthcare Administration Practicum, Human Resources Management, and Quality Management in Healthcare. Each course was taught by a faculty member in their area of specialty. Two faculty members had a specialty in health administration, and one faculty member had a specialty in human resources management. Each faculty member hoped to resolve a dilemma in the teaching and learning process during the learning community, while promoting student retention. The dilemmas were as follows: to minimize the lecture teaching format and thereby encourage critical thinking among the students; to modify the teaching pace and delivery methods so as to enhance student comprehension; and to successfully transition from industry to academia with positive student responses and adaptation. The learning community was specifically designed to provide healthcare management students with an overview of human resources and quality functions in the healthcare setting. Another goal of the healthcare learning community was to increase interdisciplinary learning by reinforcing communication in all three of the linked courses. To facilitate the activities in the learning community, group sessions were held on a monthly basis for one semester. The group sessions are used to present guest speakers, facilitate group activities, and to obtain feedback from student participants. All members of the healthcare learning community were assigned to a community healthcare agency and a student project team. Each student and project team assisted a local healthcare agency in the resolution of a quality management problem. This article focused on the value of the learning community to support learning and student retention. The healthcare learning community merged varied faculty backgrounds to integrate creative teaching methodologies. As a result of the healthcare learning community, faculty members united to strengthen the students’ writing, critical thinking, professional skills, and adaptation. Due to the networking and interaction between students and faculty, long-term effects of the healthcare learning