Practical Learning Experience Research Articles

Alumni perspectives on interprofessional experiential learning and interprofessional collaborative practice in health care settings.

Interprofessional collaborative practice (ICP) is essential for optimizing patient outcomes in health care settings. Experiential learning (EL) is a method of modeling ICP to students during their education. No studies have evaluated the lasting impact of EL on self-reported clinical practice after students graduate. The aims of this study are to (a) examine what opportunities for ICP are available for alumni in current health care settings and (b) explore the early career impact of interprofessional EL on self-reported current clinical practice. This study utilized a mixed-methods design using descriptive statistics and a phenomenological approach. Participants included Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) and Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy (MAMFT) alumni who previously participated as graduate students in Balanced Families (BF), an interprofessional EL program. Sixty-four alumni were contacted through e-mail, of which 17 (27%) agreed to be interviewed. Quantitative data were analyzed utilizing descriptive statistics to describe demographics and summarize Likert scale responses. Qualitative data were analyzed using an interpretative phenomenological analysis approach. Five major themes were reflected in the transcripts: (a) The impact of interprofessional experiential learning on future clinical practice, (b) The value of holistic approaches, (c) The collaboration in holistic care, (d) The interconnected health care system and family system, and (e) The development of empathy for patients and their families. Interprofessional EL positively impacted DPT and MAMFT alumni, improving interprofessional communication skills and leading to more holistic approaches to care. Study outcomes support continued implementation of interprofessional EL in health care graduate study programs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Zooming in or zoning out: examining undergraduate learning experiences with zoom and the role of mind-wandering

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a systematic change in course modalities due to the nationwide suspension of in-person instruction, resulting in the transition to emergency remote distance learning via Zoom. This transition certainly facilitated affordances of flexibility and continuity, but with it brought issues of unfamiliarity, lack of confidence, anxiety, distractions, and validity from both the instructors and the student perspectives. This in situ study aimed to better understand the students' learning experiences with Zoom by assessing the social, cognitive, and behavioral factors influencing learner's mind-wandering and its effect on online engagement. Undergraduate students from 14 classes across two research institutions in California (N = 633) were recruited to participate in an online survey while distance learning through a pandemic. Structural equation modeling was used to conduct a path analysis to explain the factors impacting students' online engagement mediated by students' frequency to mind-wander. Study findings revealed that (1) self-efficacy and trait anxiety had significant direct effects on students' mind-wandering; (2) self-efficacy, trait anxiety, task-value beliefs, and mind-wandering had significant direct effects on students' online engagement; and finally (3) the frequency of students' mind-wandering partially mediated the relationship between self-efficacy and engagement and between trait anxiety and engagement. Identifying these structural relationships further confirmed our hypotheses on sources contributing to students' mind-wandering while learning remotely, provided insights into potential mechanisms underpinning students' online engagement, and suggests practical pedagogical learning experience design recommendations for instructors to immediately implement while teaching and learning with Zoom..

Outcomes of a US-Sino family medicine leadership program

Background and objectivesThe purpose of this study was to determine the outcomes of a two- week US-Sino Family Medicine Leadership Symposium for medical educators from China and how participants have integrated their learning into their teaching and practice of medicine.MethodsTeaching topics emphasized principles of family medicine, teaching methods, assessment, and curriculum development. Each cohort received a wide range of practical, didactic and hands-on learning experiences. Online surveys were distributed anonymously to participants from the 2013–2019 cohorts to assess learner opinion and learner behavior change as a result of the leadership symposium. Quantitative measures assessed their level of integration of the topics into teaching and clinical practice and their satisfaction in the areas of teaching and leadership. They were also asked to provide qualitative feedback regarding incorporation of the content into their work.ResultsThe survey response rate was 47.6% (39/82). Respondents stated that they incorporated topics such as basic interviewing skills and information on the patient-centered medical home into their teaching in China. The most applied clinical skills they were able to incorporate into their clinical environment in China included: Breaking Bad News, Simulations Sessions with practice, One-Minute Preceptor, and Interprofessional Education.ConclusionsResults indicate that participants have demonstrated behavior changes that have led to the incorporation of the content into teaching and clinical practice. We demonstrated effectiveness of the curriculum in cultivating the teaching and practice of family medicine. The program appears to be a positive experience that has led to embracement of the roles as trainer and leader. 100% of the participants who completed the survey felt that the program improved patient confidence in their ability as a family doctor. Future assessment on barriers to their progress as teachers and leaders in family medicine would be helpful to explore.

Pre-Service Teachers’ Academic Identity and their Lived Experiences in Remote Learning: The New Normal in Curriculum Practice

The Ministry of Tertiary Institutions of South Africa charged post-secondary institutions to implement measures to achieve the government’s social distancing policy. Institutions shifted to remote learning to sustain their core business of teaching and learning. However, there were concerns with the implementation of these measures. For instance, pre-service teachers were seen as ill-equipped and poorly supported during remote learning. This paper aims to contextualise the identity of pre-service economic and management science teachers and reflect on their experiences of curriculum practice during remote learning. Architecture theory was used as the main lens for this study. Furthermore, the goal is to reflect on their adaptation to remote learning as the new normal. Participants’ experiences and factors that affected them are discussed as data collected using the critical participatory action learning and action research (CPALAR) approach as a form of critical education science. Critical discourse analysis was used to arrive at the following broad findings: firstly, higher learning institutions are obligated to create practical learning experiences for pre-service teachers. Secondly, participants were directly affected academically, socially, and psychologically. This paper concludes with the recommendation that hybrid learning as the new normal is the future of teaching and learning and should be embraced. Keywords: Pre-service teachers, New normal, Curriculum practice, Architecture theory

Full-stack Development and Soft Skills: An Agile-based Learning Framework

Full-stack software development skills are highly sought after by the tech industry. These skills are often obtained through hands-on experience in addition to learning the fundamental knowledge. Therefore, in order to provide effective training to software engineering students, it is important that educational institutions invest in innovative and practical training strategies. constructivist teaching and learning activities such as Project-based learning (PBL) can serve as effective strategies to provide hands-on and practical learning experiences for software engineering students. However, given the complexities of software development life-cycle, it would be highly beneficial to tailor a PBL approach that supports student learning and provides effective training. This research proposes an agile-based learning framework to facilitate learning of full-stack software development and the soft-skills that complement it. This framework has been applied to a software development and architecture course at the University of Calgary in fall 2021. The student perception of the delivery of the course and their performance is presented through survey, and the analysis of their Git repositories.

Perception of Faculty teachers towards OSCE in Public Nursing Colleges of Peshawar

There are different methods of evaluating clinical competencies in medical field students, among which the objective structured clinical examination is considered the most reliable and effective way of assessing clinical skills. Most popular method for assessment of clinical skills in Nursing Education. Objective: The study aims to explore and compare the perceptions of nursing faculty members regarding objective structured clinical examination application in the evaluation and assessment of the clinical skills of the nursing students. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used to collect data from 46 Faculty teachers through simple random sampling. Content validity of the adopted questionnaire was verified by (5) experts in the field of nursing education and the internal consistency of the scale was found to be excellent (Cronbach's Alpha =0.949). Results: The mean age of study participants was 38.23±9.69. The majority of Participants 82.6 % (n=38) were females Half of the participants were Post RN BSN in qualification (n=23). Perceptions were categorized into positive and negative by the median cut-off value. 93.5 % faculty teacher’s express positive attitude regarding training and conducting of Objective Structured Clinical Examination. Conclusions: The study concluded that, the faculty teacher’s knowledge skills and attitude were positive regarding the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) exam. The study revealed that OSCE is an appreciated practical learning experience and maximum of the faculty teachers agreed that OSCE facilitated the assessment and develop their psychomotor skills. P=0.05 so there is no association found between age group, gender, level of education and perception

Exploring the effect of teacher ontological and epistemic cognition on engagement with professional development

ABSTRACT Personal epistemological beliefs play a key role in teacher engagement with professional learning, so consideration of epistemic cognition is integral to the designing of sustainable professional learning. This qualitative study uses Chinn et al’s (2014) model of epistemic aims, epistemic ideals and reliable epistemic processes (the AIR model) as a theoretical scaffold from which to understand how teachers’ ontological and epistemic cognitions affect their engagement with a professional development focused on mathematics anxiety and metacognitive questioning. To cater for the complex situated nature of epistemic cognition, semi-structured interviews were conducted throughout the programme of teacher learning. Thematic analysis identified common influencers on teacher professional learning whilst highlighting conflicts between conceptions of the nature of mathematics and what they had been taught about mathematics teaching. Findings indicate that teachers engaged most fully with situated, practical learning experiences in collaborative learning spaces as they allowed for greater alignment between professional learning content and personal epistemic beliefs. Recommendations for future professional learning and adaptations to the study’s epistemic research methodology are provided in the light of the findings.

Academic program recommendations for graduate degrees in medical physics: AAPM Report No. 365 (Revision of Report No. 197).

Academic program recommendations for graduate degrees in medical physics: AAPM Report No. 365 (Revision of Report No. 197).

Spatial Justice Education Through Experiential Learning: The Case of AuroraLab in Turin (Italy)

ABSTRACT The empirical study of spatial inequalities and forms of injustice can be considered a fundamental asset in the academic curricula of spatial planning schools. Several methods and techniques have been experimented worldwide. This paper presents the role of experiential education in relation to spatial justice, applying this frame and methods to a real urban context. The experience of AuroraLAB, a project of action research and university third mission in Turin (Italy) is presented to show the relevance of experiential learning practices, its various methodologies, outcomes, and challenging conditions.

Examining Instructional Technologies in Hospitality and Tourism Education: A Systematic Review of Literature

ABSTRACT This paper reviews the state-of-art articles on instructional technologies for hospitality and tourism education. The types of technologies, roles in instruction, theoretical underpinnings, assessments, benefits, and challenges are synthesized. Education context, knowledge, skills, and attitudes developed through instructional technologies are also explored. Virtual reality, virtual games, social media, online courses, and simulations have been primarily used. Instructional technologies were applied to facilitate content delivery, practice, communication, assessments, feedback, and authentic learning experiences. Most studies did not ground their educational technologies in defensible learning theories. Only a limited number of studies employed adoption theories to examine the intention of using technologies. Further studies should investigate whether certain instructional technologies provide significant benefits to learning relative to their costs.

The Role of English and Technology on Human Performance in International Business

Our aim is to investigate concepts in previous research regarding English Language Education through Human Performance and International Business. We used Content Analysis to compile scientific articles from Emerald, Science Direct and Korea Science as well as books written by experts in the field of English Education. We find that teachers and students alike must acquire sensitivity, emotional awareness, understanding of the teaching and learning process, and understanding of practical learning experiences. English can improve students' academic achievement and can improve their job prospects after graduation. English can also have a social and cultural impact. Culture can play an important role in life in various disciplines, not only in education but also in the world of work; culture has a significant direct impact on work motivation and performance of human resources. English also plays an important role in international business relations because English is an international language. Improving the quality of education, international business and human performance can also be affected by technology. One of these technologies is Artificial Intelligence helps the need for translation of English into the mother tongue used by teachers and students in learning English. Artificial intelligence has a significant impact on business performance.

Capability of Extension Agents in Disseminating Climate Change Information in Delta State Nigeria

The study assessed the capability of extension agents in disseminating Climate Change (CC) information in Delta State, Nigeria. A multi-stage procedure was used in selecting 60 respondents. Data were collected on respondents’ capacity for outreach to farmers; existence of linkage on CC and sources of information on CC, constraints to building capacities for outreach and strategies to strengthen capacities. Mean, percentage, were used for analysis. Findings showed the existence of training on CC (23.3%) and practical learning experience on CC adaptation (20.0%). Lack of human resources (𝑥̅= 3.30) and training programmes on CC (𝑥̅= 3.23) were constraints to building capacities for outreach. Organization of seminars, workshops (𝑥̅= 3.58), proper staffing (𝑥̅= 3.57), provision of incentives (𝑥̅= 3.55) were suggested as strategies to strengthen capacity for outreach. Extension agents in the state lack the requisite facilities for outreach to farmers on climate change agricultural adaptation. Also, there are inadequate human and material resources necessary for effective coverage of the farming population. Government and development organizations should hire qualified extension personnel and provide weather observatory for CC outreach in Delta State.

Exploring Interprofessional Learning in Collaborative Care Teams

This study focuses on interprofessional learning and education in collaborative care teams in primary health care. Using a case study methodology, the researcher collected data through semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Through purposeful sampling, the study explores the experiences of five diverse health professionals (two nurses, two dietitians, one physician) working within collaborative care. A critical incident framework approach was used to identify interprofessional learning themes, which were classified as collaborative, continuous, and reflective. The study identified enablers to interprofessional learning as supportive time and space, trusting relationships, and shared values among team members. The interpretive framework of this study aligned experiential learning, situated cognition, and reflective practice learning theories to support the interprofessional learning process within collaborative practice teams. The study affirms the importance of informal interprofessional learning among health-care professionals.

A model of empathic reflection based on the philosophy of Edith Stein: A discussion paper

BackgroundEmpathy development is an integral aspect of nurse education in several countries. Empathy supports person-centred care provision by aiding effective communication and promoting feelings of wellbeing by helping people feel understood. AimThe development of empathy in nursing students is best facilitated through experiential learning and reflective practice, although to date, there are no reflective models specifically designed for this purpose. It is the aim of this paper to present a model designed to promote reflection on the development of empathy. DesignThe authors have developed an approach to empathic reflection based on the philosophy of Edith Stein. MethodsIn this paper we outline the Empathic Reflection model which emphasises the need for educator support and an appreciative approach. We then present a narrative example of the model in action in an acute care setting. ResultsWe have developed a three-stage model to support experiential learning about the development of empathy for nursing students. ConclusionsThis discussion paper explores an interesting area for future nursing research about empathy development through experiential learning and reflective practice. Educators can contribute to the promotion of empathy by working in partnership with students to explore previously held beliefs which might act as barriers to empathic care provision.

Evaluating the Health of Community/University Partnerships: Experiential Learning Practice with an Aim Toward the Public Good

This article looks at campus and community partner relationships, and how they can be assessed. Specifically, readers will find the results of a case study that explores the “health” of the relationship between an urban university and its local nonprofit partners. Additionally, the Community Partnership Health Assessment Framework (CPHAF) is introduced, which is a six-step process that practitioners engaged in service learning, internships aimed at the public good, and volunteer programs can use to evaluate the “health” of their relationships with community partners for community-based learning (CBL). For our current purpose, CBL includes academic service learning, internships, and volunteer work, however the CPHAF process is a general evaluation framework. A general tool is valuable because many universities have partnerships where students arrive from various programs such as volunteers, service learners, interns, or other. The discussion section provides a detailed description of the Community Partnership Health Assessment Framework (CPHAF), and the case study is provided as an example of its use.

The application of the peer assisted learning method in laboratory skills of newborn physical examination learning in diii midwifery students

Introduction: Learning methods are used to realize the applied learning strategies. Each learning method has its most prominent learning domain, such as cognitive (change of knowledge), affective (change of behavior), and psychomotor (change or improvement of skill). Midwifery is a profession that requires specific knowledge, attitudes, and skills that must be possessed and mastered. The process of achieving good competence of midwives starts with midwifery education. In achieving competence, midwifery students need theoretical and practical learning experiences in laboratory clinical skills. The Learning Pyramid developed by the National Training Laboratory shows that most students remember 90% of what they learn by teaching others. Objective: Determining the effect of the peer-assisted learning method application in laboratory skills for the physical examination of newborns learning. Method: This research used a Quasi-Experimental design with a pretest-posttest design. The sample was 30 students taken through the quota sampling technique, and the analysis used was the Wilcoxon Test. Result: The Peer-Assisted Learning method affected the learning outcome of skills in the physical examination of newborns with a significance level of P = 0.000 < 0.05. Conclusion: The Peer-Assisted Learning method improves the physical examination skills of newborns of DIII midwifery students.

Reimagining Responsible Research Innovations Regarding Professional Teaching Standards for Curriculum Practice

Applying teacher capabilities is widely considered to be a technique for enriching the quality of teaching in all teaching spaces, worldwide. Education reformists have a responsibility to ensure that education accommodates the best interests of all learners. Standards depend largely on teacher capabilities and the context of a country. This paper reflects on responsible research innovation techniques that are crucial for improving teacher capabilities and advancing professional standards that are needed to improve education in South African schools. An architecture theory, which draws heavily on the famous quotation of Adolf Loos, was used as the main lens for the study. Critical participatory action research (CPAR) was used to generate data. CPAR was preferred, since it pilgrimages three principles of responsible research innovations, that is, recognising participants, establishing professional learning communities, and engaging in critical reflection that deliberately embraces capabilities, to address the inequalities that characterise the context of the South African education space. Critical discourse analysis was used to arrive at the following broad findings: (i) A practical learning experience must be created for all teachers; and (ii) Teacher training institutions are central to edifying teacher capabilities. The paper concludes with a recommendation that the preconfigured standards for professional teaching practices should be reconfigured to involve a de-hierarchical list, and to avoid decontextualized performance and false dichotomies.

Virtual Game Jam: Collaborative Pathway to Serious Games for Health

Game jams are collaborative competitions where participants make games from scratch within a short period of time. Occasionally, these games aim to promote meaningful learning outcomes by embedding functional knowledge into entertaining and engaging gameplay. We wanted to understand if a game jam during a global pandemic could be used as an effective method to facilitate a collaborative, multidisciplinary team’s ability to design, develop, and implement a serious game on a health-related topic (i.e., COVID-19). We examined the 2020 game jam hosted by the National Academy of Sciences to evaluate one method to organize a serious virtual game jam and provide a roadmap for implementation using qualitative and quantitative data collection methods to evaluate its efficacy. In addition to identifying best practices and lessons learned from our tools and processes, our results demonstrate that a virtual game jam can in fact be a powerful tool for creating a scientifically sound, population-level, big picture–thinking serious game used for health education, facilitate collaborative multidisciplinary teams and be a practical learning experience for game jammers.

Perspectives on How 1.5 Years of the COVID-19 Pandemic Have Impacted Biophysicists at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions

Perspectives on How 1.5 Years of the COVID-19 Pandemic Have Impacted Biophysicists at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions

Apprenticeship Pedagogy for Teaching Indigenous Popular Literary and Multi-Media Genres

Apprenticeship Pedagogy for Teaching Indigenous Popular Literary and Multi-Media Genres Brenda Vellino (bio) As I am writing this chapter on unceded Algonquin Anishinaabe territory in the Kiji Sibi (Ottawa River) watershed of northern Turtle Island, I am teaching an Indigenous drama course to fifteen students on Zoom. Recent encounters with teachings from Algonquin Anishnaabe educators, scholars, and performance practitioners are rearranging my learning and teaching practices.1 These will indelibly shape how I teach my next offering of a seminar in Indigenous Popular Literary and Multi-Media Genres, the subject of this essay. The teaching story I offer here is thus a continual work in progress, changing even as I teach and write in this semester. I was raised in settler culture without knowing that an ethical existence depends upon respecting the Indigenous territories I was living in. I also passed decades of my life before learning what John Borrows, Aaron Mills, Zoe Todd, and Anna Kanngieser have taught us: that stories arising from these lands and waters teach kinship relations principles and responsibilities for the humans and more-than-human beings dwelling there. Although I was in high school more than forty years ago, this is still true for those settler students present in many of our Indigenous literatures classrooms. Learning more about how to learn beyond the simple fact of a land acknowledgment has rearranged my brain, just as rethinking my address from the point of view of being a citizen of the Kiji Sibi watershed has done.2 An ongoing practice of decolonial land and territories apprenticeship-based learning informs how I encourage diverse student engagement in my Indigenous Popular Literary and Multi-Media Genres course.3 While key discussions of Indigenous literary pedagogy are foundational,4 my thinking draws particularly on multidisciplinary [End Page 163] Indigenous perspectives with pedagogical implications. An Indigenous literatures course can be productively informed by Indigenous-led conversations from performative storywork methodologies, legal studies, and decolonial place-based studies. The confluence of these overlapping areas is an informing matrix for the development of this course. Key emergent contexts for my teaching include storywork priorities as theorized by Jo-Ann Archibald (Stó:lō) and Brunette-Debissage (Mushkego Cree iskwew/French) and Pauline Wakeham for engaging Indigenous literary studies from the perspective of relational respect and responsibility. John Borrows (Chippewas of Nawash) and Aaron Mills (Anishinabe) further emphasize the ways that oral stories carry legal principles governing responsible relations between all elements of the multispecies world. This is augmented by experiential learning practices that pay careful attention to decolonial land and territory positioning where land is not taken up solely as an abstract literary theme, setting, or metaphor (Tuck and McKenzie, 134, 148). To have an inkling of how to engage with relational kinship priorities manifest in the "animacy" of land, plants, trees, and beings in oral, written, and performance texts (Watts; Todd and Kanngieser; Cariou), it is important to have a tangible sense of the lands and waters where one resides and the laws arising from them. Anishinaabe legal scholar Aaron Mills advocates for settlers to "respect and live by" Indigenous laws arising from the territories where one lives: "to understand that you are … always in relationship with everybody there, including all those non-humans who fly, walk, crawl, swim, reach, and rumble" (20–24). His call to "do much more than simply make space for our voices," invites reflection on what it might mean for instructors and students to live in a way that reflects principles of territorial Indigenous laws. What might it mean to read and respond to texts from this perspective? This question can be productively applied to engagement with all forms of literary, visual, and performative storywork, augmented by attention to performance studies priorities for embodied and multi-sensory engagement (Archibald-Barber, Ravensbergen, Lachance). My apprenticeship journey began and continues through experiential learning from diverse Indigenous knowledge holders, educators, and artists at public gatherings like the CACLALS Aboriginal Round Tables (http://caclals.ca/about-us/), community events, lectures, art shows, and performances. Informed by these, I began to teach selected Indigenous [End Page 164] fiction, poetry, and drama as key texts in a Canadian literature survey course, oriented...