Student Focus Groups and Curricular Review

Hendershott, Anne; Wright, Sheila P.

doi:10.2307/1318636

Cited by 16 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Focus group interviews Focus group interviews are an established method to obtain qualitative information for orientation studies of new fields (Morgan, 1988;Hendershott & Wright, 1993;Mutha et al, 1997). They can elicit a variety of opinions.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Junior Doctors' Opinions about the Transition from Medical School to Clinical Practice: A Change of Environment

Prince

Wiel

Vleuten

et al. 2004

Education for Health: Change in Learning & Practice

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Junior Doctors' Opinions about the Transition from Medical School to Clinical Practice: A Change of Environment

Prince

Wiel

Vleuten

et al. 2004

Education for Health: Change in Learning & Practice

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“…This approach to incorporating student voice also addresses some of the concerns discussed by Fielding (2001), allowing students to speak about their needs and innovative ideas in an empowering way and then providing a venue for faculty to truly listen. Focus groups further allow students to have a dialogue with each other (Hendershott & Wright, 1993), again an aspect of student engagement that is not promoted with traditional course evaluations. Unlike end-ofsemester course evaluations, focus groups also provide students a sense that faculty genuinely care, connecting with the Hawthorne Effect (see Hamilton et al, 2002), which states that when workers feel that their managers are concerned about their welfare, they feel more cohesive and are more productive.…”

Section: Approaches To Incorporating Student Voicementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Unlike end-ofsemester course evaluations, focus groups also provide students a sense that faculty genuinely care, connecting with the Hawthorne Effect (see Hamilton et al, 2002), which states that when workers feel that their managers are concerned about their welfare, they feel more cohesive and are more productive. Student focus groups have been proven effective in evaluating teacher effectiveness (Kramer & Pier, 1997) and have also been shown to be more informative than survey data when evaluating departmental curriculum (Hendershott & Wright, 1993). Virtual focus groups have even been used to evaluate online courses, providing faculty with feedback that was used to revise online instruction (Fitzgerald & Corazzo, 2013).…”

Section: Approaches To Incorporating Student Voicementioning

confidence: 99%

Using focus groups to enhance student voice: a work-in-progress exploration of student learning experiences in large classes

Finlayson

2014

Enhancing Learner Experience HE

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While course evaluations are traditionally used to gauge teaching effectiveness and provide an outlet for student voice, this metric does not integrate students as collective partners in the teaching and learning process. In promoting a shared learning experience between teachers and students, this project uses a focus group approach to solicit student feedback and ideas, and disseminate the results to faculty. This paper explores the results of a qualitative pilot focus group study related to student engagement in large classes and demonstrates that a focus group approach is an effective and empowering way to prioritise student voice.

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“…27 They have been used effectively in curriculum review to improve basic science courses and in evaluating the process of training basic clinical and procedural skills. [27][28][29] In a study of curriculum redesign, focus groups were the chosen methodology when researchers wished to obtain as much information as possible about student perceptions and attitudes so that faculty could make meaningful programmatic changes. 28 A noted strength was the ability of the focus group to tap unanticipated responses, such as the behavioral impact of a course or the specific influence of the course instructor, whereas survey data provided considerably less insight.…”

Section: Focus Groups In Evaluation and Medical Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Focus Groups to Engage Veterinary Students in Course Redesign and Development

Coe¹,

Darisi²,

Satchell³

et al. 2012

Journal of Veterinary Medical Education

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Students' perceptions about the quality of teaching have been shown to influence their approaches to learning and studying. The literature suggests that understanding student perceptions is critical to making informed decisions about curriculum development so that courses meet objectives, enhance engagement, and, ultimately, improve learning. However, the assessment of students' perceptions of their courses and the quality of teaching is frequently limited to an end-of-term course evaluation survey. While these course evaluations may be useful in providing a summative assessment, they do not typically provide insight into the reasons and influences that underlie student ratings. Achieving this type of understanding can be accomplished through qualitative methodology, which is a process of investigation used to reveal the depth, complexity, and nuances of perceptions and experiences. In the current article, we report the use of focus groups as a method of gaining in-depth understanding of student perceptions for course redesign. We present the redesign of the Art of Veterinary Medicine II course, a second-year core offering within the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine curriculum at the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph, Canada. A series of student focus groups were held to gain greater insight into student perceptions of the course objectives, format, and content. Findings were then considered in the redevelopment of the course to better engage students and their various learning styles. Summative course evaluations as well as informal feedback before and after the focus groups indicate a notable improvement in student experiences and perceptions of the course format and content following the focus-group informed course redesign.

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Student Focus Groups and Curricular Review

Cited by 16 publications

References 9 publications

Junior Doctors' Opinions about the Transition from Medical School to Clinical Practice: A Change of Environment

Junior Doctors' Opinions about the Transition from Medical School to Clinical Practice: A Change of Environment

Using focus groups to enhance student voice: a work-in-progress exploration of student learning experiences in large classes

Using Focus Groups to Engage Veterinary Students in Course Redesign and Development

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