Learning Partnerships Research Articles

Learning Trend Methodologies from BC Greek Sophists to 2000s’ Blended Open Source Schooling: A Comparative Analytic Study

The period of recorded history extends to 5,000 years BC, where Sumerian-Akkadian script confirmed the fact of being the oldest discovered record of coherent writing from the preliterate period around the 3000 BC (SE Alcock, 2001; Woods, 2010). Since that date of early basic literacy of human history, B.C pioneers, philosophers, leaderships and professionals exerted every efforts to advance their local environments in politics, state identity, public administration, urban centers, culture and faith, education, innovative thoughts and arts, and civic daily life. Consequently, B.C significant ancient states and civilizations arose and flourished into world sovereign empires, exceeding in several fields their contemporary counterparts the so-called “Big Powers” in the 21st century A.C. Even these “Big Powers” proved helpless in resisting the invisible virus “Corona”, which caused the death of hundreds of thousands of persons, and is threatening millions of others in facing health problems or termination later. The status of world states (powerful or marginal) is determined by the quality of its educational systems. Further, the future of civic and productive students as adults is dependent upon the rigor of schooling methodologies, which encompass: learners who are dedicated to learn; teachers who guide and teach; peers who are collaborative learning partners; curricula, which are served by textbooks and material in the classrooms; methods, techniques and technologies as communicative tools of education and management messages; and school environments, which physically host most education factors, processes and services. Hence, this research article examined the educational methodologies cumulative from BC Sophists to the ICTs revolution at 2000+ A.C. a Comparative analytic review was conducted to specify the advances and setbacks accrued during the extended 500B.C-2000+A.C years in the lives of generations as future crucial professional, leaderships and pioneer assets of society.

Students as partners practices and theorisations in Asia: a scoping review

ABSTRACT Engaging with students as partners (SaP) in learning and teaching is fundamental about quality learner-teacher relationships. It is a growing and contested arena of pedagogical practice that is dominated by western scholarship. Seeking to expand understanding of partnership approaches, we conducted a scoping review guided by the question: what is known from the current literature about SaP practices and theorisations in Asia? The review identified 18 studies with half published in the last two years and a high frequency of citations to a limited number of western scholars. This signals that partnership in Asia is in its infancy and influenced by western practices. Yet, Asian scholars raised distinct cultural considerations that positioned Confucianism as an obstacle to learner-teacher relationships through partnership praxis. We outline implications to guide future research into student-teacher relationships in Asia that evoke broader interpretations of Confucianism that are seemingly more compatible with partnership praxis.

Impact of a work-based feedback intervention on student performance during clinical placements in acute-care healthcare settings: a quasi-experimental protocol for the REMARK programme

IntroductionCurrent perspectives present feedback as a dynamic, dialogic process. It is widely accepted that feedback can have an impact on workplace performance, however, how dialogic feedback is enacted with the...

What students and new graduates perceive supports them to think, feel and act as a health professional in a rural setting

Clinical placements in rural locations are perceived by students to provide positive learning experiences to support their transition to practice. This study explores how clinical placements in a rural health setting might influence students and new graduates to think, feel and act as a health professional. A qualitative study comprising focus group discussions was conducted. The study was conducted in a rural health service in Queensland, Australia. Allied health students (n=12) on placement and new graduates (n=11) working in a regional health service. This study identified allied health student and new graduate perspectives on clinical placement factors which support them to think, feel and act as a health professional. Thematic analysis was used to understand student and new graduate perceptions of how rural placements support thinking, feeling and acting as a health professional. Suggestions for supporting learning included the following: Development of learning partnerships between students and clinical educators with inbuilt expectations and opportunities for reflection and supervision. Creating a culture where students are welcomed, valued and encouraged to take meal breaks with the team supported connectedness. The importance of balancing student autonomy with educating and grading support to increase independence. Findings show clinical placement experiences identified by allied health students and new graduates which support them to begin to think, feel and act as a health professional. Suggestions provided by students and new graduates can be used to inform implementation of clinical placement experiences.

Pedagogical practice preferences among generational groups of learners: Towards effective twenty-first century higher education

Facilitating learning for the students nowadays demands so much from the educators. This makes the role of higher education institutions (HEIs) more challenging as they look upon the needs of the present generation. This study sought answer to that need by determining the most preferred pedagogical practices that have impact on the students’ ability to stay motivated and learn effectively. Randomly selected higher education students including bachelor, masters’ and doctorate students were surveyed. Majority of the students belong to the so-called Net Generation. They prefer pedagogical practices that engage multiple channels of learning and on ways of assessing the learning outcomes. They thrive more on relevant, applicable, active learning and project-based tasks while working with their learning partners including faculty and students of shared interests. Results of correlation analysis revealed a significant relationship between students’ demographics, and their preferences for pedagogical practices. Analysis of Variance indicated highly significant difference in the preferences for pedagogical practices across generational groups of students. Higher education is indeed changing and thus requires continuous change and improvement on the part of educators who find comfort in utilizing the twentieth century pedagogical practices. Now that innovations and technological breakthroughs are inevitable, educators must take a stand and set the bar in promoting effective twenty-first century higher education.

Homophily in the formation and development of learning networks among university students

AbstractStudents’ personal learning networks can be a valuable resource of success in higher education: they offer opportunities for academic and personal support and provide sources of information related to exams or homework. We study the determinants of learning networks using a panel study among university students in their first and second year of study. A long-standing question in social network analysis has been whether the tendency of individuals with similar characteristics to form ties is a result of preferences “choice homophily” or rather selective opportunities “induced homophily”. We expect a latent preference for homophilic learning partnerships with regard to attributes, such as gender, ability, and social origin. We estimate recently developed temporal exponential random graph models to control for previous network structure and study changes in learning ties among students. The results show that especially for males, same-gender partnerships are preferred over heterogeneous ties, while chances for tie formation decrease with the difference in academic ability among students. Social origin is a significant factor in the crosssectional exploration but does appear to be less important in the formation of new (strong) partnerships during the course of studies.

A collective education mentorship model (CEMM): Responding to the TRC calls to action in undergraduate Indigenous health teaching

In this paper, a Collective Education Mentorship Model (CEMM) is described by four non-Indigenous students who co-created and undertook a program with this model for an undergraduate-level university experiential learning experience centred around Indigenous health. This model is framed around shared teaching of students by various collaborators/mentors and built upon the values of collaboration, mentorship, reciprocity, and capacity building. Based on feedback from the students and collaborators involved in this experience, this model appears to be a promising means of better situating students as partners in experiential learning through the redefinition of student-supervisor roles, responsibilities, and the sharing of power. Furthermore, this model appeared to create more diverse experiences for students and minimized supervisor burden. Although this model was created specifically for the education of trainees in Indigenous health, it can be further adapted for other student placements and programs where these assets would be beneficial.

Students as Evaluators of their Learning Experience

Student evaluations of teaching (SET) have been an evergreen topic of passionate debates in higher education. Concerns have been raised about use student feedback in the form of SETs for administrative purposes. Nevertheless, they remain a reality at most institutions and are frequently the sole or key metric on which teaching excellence is evaluated.This session will provide an overview of national trends with the struggle to define teaching excellence in context and the current discussion on what aspects of the teaching and learning can be evaluated with different SET formats. Viewed through the lens of academic development, participants will examine why SETs are so pervasive, how to mitigate the emotional charge that is a barrier to individual growth of instructors within their professional setting, and how students can act as productive partners in institutional learning.

Growing Tomorrow's Teachers Together: The CaBan Initial Teacher Education Partnership

In this paper we outline the philosophy and research foundations underpinning the development of CaBan – an Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Partnership developed for the purpose of educating the teachers of tomorrow for North Wales. CaBan represents an ambitious 'learning partnership' of five partners consisting of regional schools, Bangor University, University of Chester, the regional school improvement service (GwE), and the Collaborative Institute for Education Research, Evidence and Impact (CIEREI). Each partner plays a key role in fulfilling our ambitions to contribute to Our National Mission and achieve our vision of 'Growing Tomorrow's Teachers Together.' At its core, the goal of CaBan is to support our new Associate Teachers (ATs) to become creative, inspiring and highly skilled teachers who will contribute to the delivery of A curriculum for Wales – a curriculum for life (Welsh Government, 2015). In this paper we outline: (i) our basic vision and mission as a learning partnership; (ii) the evidence to support our strategic pedagogical position with respect to growing tomorrow's teachers; (iii) the crucial role of mentoring in the development of our ATs as critically reflective practitioners; (iv) how we integrate research as a fundamental element of all we do; (v) how our programme design is underpinned by the notion of professional enquiry and career long professional learning (vi) the specific modes of learning that help nurture ATs' sense of their 'teaching self '; and crucially (vii) the importance of Welsh culture and the Welsh language in education and the role the CaBan partnership has in building capacity to help realise Welsh Government's vision for a million Welsh speakers by 2050.

Developing Early Years leadership: examining the practice of facilitation in and through action research

ABSTRACT This article examines the use of first-person action research to improve the facilitation of a continuing professional development (CPD) project in Early Years leadership. The intention of this project was to support Early Years Leaders (EYLs) from a diverse range of Early Years settings in NW England to improve their practice and hence strengthen the quality of Early Years provision. The project gave rise to a nested action research inquiry carried out by both EYLs and the lead facilitator of the CPD. As the EYLs used the approaches offered by the facilitator to articulate and evaluate their experiences of leading Early Years provision, their sayings, the articulation of their expertise and burgeoning confidence in using that expertise, challenged the facilitator to find her own locus of knowledge. The article focuses on this process of building respectful partnerships for reflexive learning and how the facilitator, using her own overarching inquiry, developed insights into the process of facilitation itself. The concept of practice architectures was used as a framework to analyse the data. Findings include the importance of recognising diverse forms of expertise and where this lay and the emotional labour of relinquishing control of the process to enable authentic shared enquiry.

Pharmacometrics and Machine Learning Partner to Advance Clinical Data Analysis.

Clinical pharmacology is a multidisciplinary data sciences field that utilizes mathematical and statistical methods to generate maximal knowledge from data. Pharmacometrics (PMX) is a well‐recognized tool to characterize disease progression, pharmacokinetics, and risk factors. Because the amount of data produced keeps growing with increasing pace, the computational effort necessary for PMX models is also increasing. Additionally, computationally efficient methods, such as machine learning (ML) are becoming increasingly important in medicine. However, ML is currently not an integrated part of PMX, for various reasons. The goals of this article are to (i) provide an introduction to ML classification methods, (ii) provide examples for a ML classification analysis to identify covariates based on specific research questions, (iii) examine a clinically relevant example to investigate possible relationships of ML and PMX, and (iv) present a summary of ML and PMX tasks to develop clinical decision support tools.

Developmental Complexity: A Foundation for Character

Developmental complexity, in particular developing an internal voice, is one of the foundations of character development. Here the author describes developmental complexity, its evolution over adolescence and young adulthood, how it links to character development and the five strategies to promote it, and how learning partnerships are one form of practice that could incorporate developmental complexity and character development across the college experience.

Practising change together – where nothing is clear, and everything keeps changing

ABSTRACTThis paper explores the thinking and practice of ‘action inquiry’ an embedded learning practice that can help navigate complexity when practising change together. The paper uses examples from social contexts where there are concerns about community wellbeing and health care. These are drawn from collaborative or collective leadership development programmes within public services that seek to bring new attention to the qualities of how people think, converse and interact, as part of their collective professional practice. This treats social action as a relational and dialogical practice, something that we do together as professionals by engaging in reflective inquiry and action. The paper suggests that action inquiry offers a prospect of rekindling the links between ‘action learning’ and collaborative leadership by developing a co-mission and a mutual commitment to a new type of learning partnership. Action inquiry can be wrapped around and enmeshed within initiatives and programmes that work with complexity, anywhere where effective social action will depend on the quality of relationships that can be developed. This research was funded by two separate Scottish Government commissions, where the author was a learning partner. The paper also draws on the further reflections of some of the practitioners most centrally involved.

The role of mentors in supporting the professional learning of lecturers in further education colleges in Scotland and Wales

ABSTRACTThis article details the findings of a research project that aimed to interpret and understand the experiences of further education lecturers as they undertook initial teacher education. Using rigorous methods grounded in hermeneutic phenomenology, the research situated in colleges in Scotland and Wales structured as two significant case studies revealed that the 20 respondents had a reliance on both formal and informal mentoring from colleagues in developing their practice as lecturers. The support received from mentors supplemented the perceived deficiencies of formal training courses in preparing the respondents for supporting students with extended needs. The article analyses the relationship between formal university provided teacher education and the practicalities of supported work-based practice. The research foregrounds UK further education as a suitable and internationally important model for the broader study of utilised methods of professional learning and the relationships between mentoring and prescriptive qualifications. The paper concludes by highlighting the importance of strengthening and developing mentoring and work-based professional learning partnerships within colleges and foregrounds the pertinence of this in relation to the next phase of FE development in the UK.

Proceedings From a Canadian Nephrology Forum: Nephrology Is Back.

Purpose of conference:On January 18, 2020, the Nephrology is Back learning day forum was held in Toronto, ON, Canada. The objectives of the meeting were to describe recent advances in nephrology for community and academic nephrologists and patients, and to define challenges and opportunities for integration of new data into clinical practice. The intent was to test a unique forum for continuing medical education integrating physician and patient experiences with the goal of encouraging change in practice.Sources of information:Program content was based on current literature and clinical experience. Additional information was provided by patient partners who attended the meeting to provide their perspective on current issues in nephrology.Methods:A steering committee (A.L., A.S., and D.S.) developed goals and an outline for the content to be covered over the course of the meeting and led the recruitment of speakers. Speakers were asked to develop their presentations independently following direction by the committee, based on primary sources, including their own experiences. Presentations were followed by discussion including both physicians and patients, and participants had an opportunity to evaluate the conference and its outcomes.Key findings:We present a unique approach to providing continuing medical education by including both physicians and patients in the learning process. Patient perspectives accompanying presentations around data and other clinical topics provided a much different environment from other knowledge translation exercises. We believe this represents an innovative approach for knowledge translation that allows physicians to address clinical topics in a novel manner, including the integration of new findings into practice and the need to cascade this education to their peers.Limitations:Because the conference was a one-time event, it has been difficult to assess the actual clinical impact of the knowledge translation exercise and whether physician behaviors have changed as a result of the activity. The conference could also have included broader representation from across Canada.Implications:The success of this test forum among both physicians and patient partners suggests that the inclusion of patient partners in learning could have an important role in future educational initiatives.

Delivering a work-integrated learning postgraduate course during COVID-19: Experiences, challenges and strategies.

COVID-19 has had a significant impact on teaching and learning in postgraduate education. In particular, work integrated learning, in health care settings, has been disrupted in many ways negatively impacting student learning. Our Clinical Redesign courses are designed to deliver work-integrated learning in partnership with healthcare organisations to deliver workplace projects in real time, which has been complicated by COVID-19. This reflection examines the challenges that arose in the healthcare redesign teaching and learning space during the COVID-19 pandemic. We explore the experiences of our work-integrated learning students using Johns’ reflection model.1 Our students faced disruption to their education, workplaces and personal lives, and the experiences of our teaching team whose teaching philosophies were challenged. In response to the ongoing challenges, we developed strategies for supporting our students including the development of virtual projects for students who no longer had access to their workplaces or project appropriate resources.

Learning With Patients, Students, and Peers: Continuing Professional Development in the Solo Practitioner Workplace.

Conceptualizations of workplace learning have moved from knowledge acquisition to learning as participation in the practices and cultures of the workplace environment. Along with this has come an appreciation of applicability of sociocultural learning theories, which frame learning as occurring within "communities of practice" or learning being "situated" within a workplace environment where collaboration and social interaction are fundamental to the learning process. These conceptualizations of workplace learning are ideally suited to health professions where learners are supervised in clinical work environments and then continue to work in team-based environments as graduates. However, what happens to workplace learning for novice practitioners who have limited periods of clinical supervision and then graduate into solo or small group practices (which may also be in rural or remote locations) and embark on long working careers without supervision? This paper argues workplace learning needs to be scaffolded and supported to reach its full potential in these environments. Drawing on workplace-based learning theory, we highlight the ubiquitous nature of learning in the workplace, the importance of active engagement, reflection, and individual meaning making. Through this reframing of traditional notions of continuing professional development, we emphasize the importance of patients, students, and other practitioners as partners in workplace learning for solo practitioners. We also focus on the role of educators, professional associations, and regulators in helping solo practitioners recognize, access, and maximize the learning opportunities inherent in relatively isolated practice environments.

SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING CURRICULUM: STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVES OF UNIVERSITY LEARNING EXPERIENCES

Purpose - Self-directed learning (SDL) requires students to be active throughout their learning process by deciding and finding their own learning objectives, learning strategies and various learning opportunities as well as learning resources. This study, which investigates the university students’ perspectives of university learning experiences, aims to shed light on the extent university ecosystem’s support and ensure the effectiveness of SDL implementation. Methodology - Twenty Malaysian public university students were interviewed to obtain their views on SDL, and to explore their SDL experiences. A constructivist grounded theory approach was used to inform the methodological and analytical framework of this study. A ‘backward-and-forward’ approach was used to analyse the interview data. Findings - The findings suggest that abundant university curriculum could potentially inhibit SDL, yet majority of university students acknowledge that SDL can support their lifelong learning journey, and prepare them to be skilful workers. Most research participants suggest that SDL moves beyond educator-designed learning strategies to a type of learning where freedom in learning becomes priority. Significance - As the mastery of SDL skills is very important to ensure that the students are competent in facing real world challenges, this study suggests that for effective implementation of SDL, both students and educators should acknowledge their roles as equal learning partners.

Fostering Partnership Learning Communities: The Impact of Utilizing International Student Field Trips to Facilitate and Co-Create Pedagogic Community Collaborations

ABSTRACTThis article seeks to evaluate the impact of an International partnership between De Montfort University (DMU), a UK-based Higher Education (HE) institution, and Evans High School, a Community Partnership SchoolTM, located in the US state of Florida. Informed by the application of Maslow’s hierarchy of need, the success of Evans High School is illustrated in statistical reports conveyed by the school during DMU’s biannual study visits to the campus. The range of external providers has addressed many of the needs of students who otherwise would refrain from engaging in the learning process due to health, socio-economic, emotional, and cultural barriers. Thus, a disempowered, disadvantaged community has been encouraged to participate in their children’s education. The study visit has furnished ample evidence of the efficacy of the methodologies employed in this partnership initiative. However, the authors contend this success could be further enhanced by extending the partnership to embrace the approach and techniques of informal education, effectively utilized by Hope Community Centre in Apopka, especially in their “Sin Fronteras” project. This approach could be of significant benefit in building self-esteem and self-confidence in Evans’ students, enhancing extra-curricular activities, whilst delivering a co-created curriculum in a fun and engaging manner, drawing those at risk of marginalization, academic failure, or underachievement back into the mainstream. This utilization of Freirean informal education praxis, based on empowering students, would prepare students for a post-school environment which lacks the meritocratic opportunities they may have been socialized to expect, whilst extending Evans’ impact far beyond the parameters of educational attainment.

Gin and tonic: A recipe for success

IntroductionAs members of a profession that supports lifelong learning, faculty and students must both engage in a bi-directional learning partnership that promotes competence, critical inquiry, and a focus on growth and investment in relationships. PerspectiveWe are all part of a profession that ought to develop learners and leaders, help make each other resilient, and create a forum for innovative thinking and putting patients at the center of our care. We cannot solely focus on one job. This article reflects on the power of mentorship and offers a recipe for engaging mentors and mentees as learning partners. Mentors can look to mentees as learning partners and intentionally bring meaning and purpose into discussions through humility and vulnerability. ImplicationsWe can learn as much from our mentees as we can teach them. It is a partnership that requires mutual trust, compassion, and utmost respect.