Theme
Student as teacher
INSTITUTION
University of Oxford
The mission of the University of Oxford is to achieve and sustain excellence in every area of its teaching and research, enriching communities through the fruits of its research, the skills of its alumni, and the publishing of academic and educational materials. Our initiative was closely aligned with the University’s mission: to develop an innovative and high quality programme in teaching and learning by drawing on the skills of alumni to enhance the educational experience of current Master of Science (MSc) students. The overall aim of this initiative was to embed a new skills training programme in an established MSc course to develop essential practical public health skills that complement the traditional theoretical teaching for students undertaking a masters in Global Health Science, and to enhance the teaching skills of their ‘near peers’[1], the doctoral students.
The near-peers (doctoral students) who supported the development of the curriculum had graduated from the MSc Global Health Science within the previous three years and had identified a ‘gap’ in the teaching of practical skills - skills important for their future careers as researchers or policy-makers. They also identified the need for doctoral students to develop teaching skills, critical for their careers in academia. The result was the development and implementation of a ‘Practical Skills Training Programme’ designed to meet the needs of both the MSc and the doctoral students. It was built on existing work, the ‘Public Health in Practice’ (PHIP) project which has been described elsewhere [5]. Two new strands were added to the pre-existing PHIP to create the new practical skills training. These strands included oral presentation and writing skills, and debating, advocacy and media skills - skills important to future global health leaders. Doctoral students who had recently undertaken the MSc were ideally placed to participate in the curriculum development of this programme, although support for the implementation of the initiative was open to all doctoral students and not limited to the MSc GHS alumni. However, it was stipulated that all participating doctoral students must have completed two basic teaching skills training courses run by the Medical Sciences Division of the University, totalling three days of training.
The doctoral students delivered a coherent and integrated programme of practical skills training for masters students. Doctoral students developed not only teaching and facilitation skills, but also gained valuable skills in organisation and leadership.
The quantitative findings are reported in more depth in the 'details' section. Qualitative feedback has also been largely positive. Some of the comments are described below:
“Being involved in Students as Partners was extremely rewarding - it gave me responsibility to contribute to the public health education of junior students. I took this responsibility very seriously and as a result developed my teaching skills and gave me a new insight into how students learn and the efforts that teachers put in to make that possible.”
Doctoral student
Doctoral student
The MSc students valued the training programme and, despite a pressurised course, felt it a worthwhile use of their time. They appreciated the input of their near peers; they readily identified the benefits of peer-tutoring: doctoral students were friendly and approachable, had a good understanding of their learning needs and of the constraints on their time. This is in line with other research which has described the value of such ‘cognitive congruence’ [6].
“Students felt that the doctoral student tutors were friendly, available and approachable.”
MSc student representative
“It was helpful to learn from people who have gone through this before. They [doctoral student tutors] were able to make the students see what you do and don’t need to do.”
MSc student representative
Doctoral students who have recently graduated from a master’s programme are in an excellent position to identify the immediate student needs on the course as well as skills necessary for future careers, and advocate for and support the changes in the curriculum. Furthermore, having participated in appropriate training and then having opportunities to participate in the implementation of their initiative by teaching their ‘near-peers’, these doctoral students were not only able to gain confidence in teaching skills but also to enhance their own learning and to obtain additional valuable skills, for example, organisation and management skills. Such skills are important preparation for their future careers [7]. However, it is not just the doctoral students who benefited; the MSc students gained immensely from this programme, both in the short term by gaining skills that complemented their theoretical learning including improved team working and collaboration, and in the longer term by the development of skills relevant to future professional practice. This initiative in the future will be a valuable component of the MSc course.
This initiative provides further evidence regarding the effective use of ‘near-peers’. Both the masters students and the doctoral students were able to identify clear gains from their participation in this skills development programme. Those with responsibility for curriculum development at masters level should regard alumni as an important resource - they can play an important role in curriculum development. Alumni are a unique, cost-effective and under-used resource. The participating doctoral students were highly motivated by loyalty and proved themselves to be great assets to the institution.
1. Whitman NA: Peer Teaching: To Teach Is To Learn Twice. Washington: ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Reports; 1988.
2. Topping K: The effectiveness of peer tutoring in higher and further education: A typology and review of the literature. Higher Education 1996, 32(3):321-345.
5. McHardy K, Ariana P, Plugge E. Public Health in Practice: translating theory into action. Medical Education 2011; 45(11):1142.
All those involved in the Higher Education Academy ‘Students as Partners’ Change Programme 2012-13 and in particular, Luke Millard from Birmingham City University, UK
Doctoral students: Caroline Huang, Aniel Jaswal, Kopano Mabaso and Atulya Saxena
MSc cohort of 2012-13 especially Praveen Basaviah, Anushree Shiroor and Lawal Yusuf
Anna Wilson, the Oxford Learning Institute, University of Oxford
Ray Fitzpatrick, Professor of Primary Care and Public Health, University of Oxford, UK
Sasha Shepperd, Professor of Health Services Research, University of Oxford, UK