Benefits of Group Learning As a Collaborative Strategy in a Diverse Higher Education Context

Wyk, Jacqueline Van; Haffejee, Firoza

doi:10.1080/09751122.2017.1305745

Cited by 13 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Recent studies indicated that group work is beneficial to students in the health sciences, with students gaining an enhanced understanding of the subject matter when working with their peers. [18,19] Group work may also be beneficial in time management. Brief activities or larger assignments of a collaborative nature will make learning enjoyable [19] and hence alleviate stress.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors causing stress among first-year students attending a nursing college in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Langtree

Razak

Haffejee

2018

AJHPE

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ResearchIn South Africa (SA), higher education students exhibit progressively poor success rates.[1] The Council on Higher Education (CHE) observed that only 35% of all first-year entrants graduate within 5 years.[1] In KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province, SA, the majority of nurses are trained at a college of nursing, which has satellite campuses throughout the province. [2] There is, however, a high failure rate among these students, mostly in the first year of study. Because of academic failure, 22% of students leave the training programme after the first year [3] -a precarious situation, considering the shortage of professional nurses faced by the country. [4,5] In an attempt to address this high attrition rate, the admission criteria for entry into the programme were increased, but this did not have a noticeable influence on the pass rate.Students entering SA higher education institutions usually come from a wide range of cultural and social backgrounds, with resultant varying life experiences and educational opportunities, including different expectations, needs and academic potential.[6] Academic success does not entirely consist of one's application of intellectual capacity. There are many other factors that directly or indirectly affect academic success. These include the transition from secondary school to university, student motivation, study methods, teaching strategies, interaction between students, academic and social systems of the university, cultural expectations, psychosocial factors and lack of finances. [7][8][9][10] One or more of these factors could lead to stress, which could hinder academic potential by distracting students' focus from their studies. [11] Research has shown that self-concept positively affects the success of nursing students' ability to manage anxiety and stress related to studying.Specifically, if a student is confident in his/her ability and remains motivated, he/she is more likely to succeed academically, resulting in lower dropout rates. Whereas the overwhelming stress associated with test anxiety has a negative relationship with academic achievements, this could lead to a decrease in the academic success of students. [12] The nursing programme also contains both intensive coursework and practical components at hospitals, which may become overwhelming and stressful with regard to a student's ability to cope with examinations. [12] Attrition rates among nursing students remain high, irrespective of attempts by institutions to provide strategies such as selection in line with quality of students, and implementing student mentoring and tutoring.It is unknown whether the stress factors that affect students attending a large university with many different faculties are different from those of students who attend smaller tertiary institutions that train them in one particular course only. In nursing, stress factors related to the clinical learning environment are well documented. [10,13,14] The increased stress of nursing students is due to the simultaneous learning in both academ...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors causing stress among first-year students attending a nursing college in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Langtree

Razak

Haffejee

2018

AJHPE

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“…In addition, 93% (211) indicated that the poster preparation and presentation had encouraged interaction within the group. Researchers in other contexts have similarly recognised the value of posters to promote team work and learning from one another [25, 30]. Mellor identified group work as a way of supporting effective student learning [22], and highlighted benefits such as collaboration and socialisation [22] as they share their ideas, clarify differences, and develop conflict management skills that are develop during group interactions [12, 22].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using poster presentation to assess large classes: a case study of a first-year undergraduate module at a South African university

2019

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BackgroundThe massification of higher education is often associated with poor student engagement, poor development of their critical thinking, inadequate feedback and poor student throughput. These factors necessitate the need to devise novel, innovative methods to teach, assess and provide feedback to learners to counter the restrictions imposed due to the large class learning environments. This study was conducted to ascertain the perceptions of 1st year medical students and staff at the Nelson Mandela School of Medicine regarding the value of poster presentations as a strategy to enhance learning, assessment and feedback.MethodsThis was an exploratory observational, descriptive cross-sectional, case study. Data was collected through separate student and staff questionnaires that required participant responses on a five-point Likert scale. The data was extracted into Excel spreadsheets for quantitative analysis.ResultsTwo-hundred- and-thirty (92%) student questionnaires were returned (N = 250). Most students indicated that the design and presentation of the poster had helped them to select important material (92%), understand and describe disadvantage (86%) and to make a difference in the community (92%). The students agreed that the poster assessment was an efficient (81%) and fair method (75%) that provided opportunities for meaningful feedback. Ten staff members responded to the questionnaire. Most staff members (90%) indicated that the poster presentation had allowed students to demonstrate their engagement in a meaningful and appropriate way around issues of disadvantage and HIV and agreed that the poster presentations allowed for immediate and effective feedback.ConclusionStudents’ interactions in the tasks promoted active engagement with others and course material; the development of higher order thinking and skills which added to students’ accounts of transformative learning experiences. They could describe and illustrate the difference that they had made in their chosen community. The poster presentations allowed for quick and efficient marking, immediate feedback and an opportunity to validate the students’ participation.Poster presentations offered an innovative way to encourage deep meaningful engagement and learning amongst peers and facilitators. Poster presentations should be more widely considered as an innovative way of encouraging deeper engagement and learning in a large class setting.

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“…Researchers in other contexts have similarly recognised the value of posters to promote team work and learning from one another. (26,31) Mellor identified group work as a way of supporting effective student learning, (23) and highlighted benefits such as collaboration and socialisation (23) as they share their ideas, clarify differences, and develop conflict management skills that are develop during group interactions. (13,23) Effective communication is another essential skill for HCPs to demonstrate.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using poster presentation to assess large classes: A case study for first year undergraduate module in a South African University

Ross

Dlungwane

Wyk

2019

Preprint

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Background The massification of higher education is often associated with poor student engagement, poor development of their critical thinking, inadequate feedback and poor student throughput. These factors necessitate the need to devise novel, innovative methods to teach, assess and provide feedback to learners to counter the restrictions imposed due to the large class learning environments. This study was conducted to ascertain the perceptions of 1st year medical students and staff at the Nelson Mandela School of Medicine regarding the value of poster presentations as a strategy to enhance learning, assessment and feedback. Methods This was an exploratory observational, descriptive cross-sectional, case study. Data was collected through separate student and staff questionnaires that required participant responses on a five-point Likert scale. The data was extracted into Excel spreadsheets for quantitative analysis. Results Two-hundred- and-thirty (92%) student questionnaires were returned (N=250). Most students indicated that the design and presentation of the poster had helped them to select important material (92%), understand and describe disadvantage (86%) and to make a difference in the community (92%). The students agreed that the poster assessment was an efficient (81%) and fair method (75%) that provided opportunities for meaningful feedback. Ten staff members responded to the questionnaire. Most staff members (90%) indicated that the poster presentation had allowed students to demonstrate their engagement in a meaningful and appropriate way around issues of disadvantage and HIV and agreed that the poster presentations allowed for immediate and effective feedback. Discussion and conclusions Students’ interactions in the tasks promoted active engagement with others and course material; the development of higher order thinking and skills which added to students’ accounts of transformative learning experiences. They could describe and illustrate the difference that they had made in their chosen community. The poster presentations allowed for quick and efficient marking, immediate feedback and an opportunity to validate the students’ participation. Poster presentations offered an innovative way to encourage deep meaningful engagement and learning amongst peers and facilitators. Poster presentations should be more widely considered as an innovative way of encouraging deeper engagement and learning in a large class setting.

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Benefits of Group Learning As a Collaborative Strategy in a Diverse Higher Education Context

Cited by 13 publications

References 15 publications

Factors causing stress among first-year students attending a nursing college in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Factors causing stress among first-year students attending a nursing college in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Using poster presentation to assess large classes: a case study of a first-year undergraduate module at a South African university

Using poster presentation to assess large classes: A case study for first year undergraduate module in a South African University

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