Essay Example on Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education

Introduction

Undergraduate education may be a challenge to the students pursuing it, there is more complex content to be learned, and the students have other activities that they need to fulfill. As an educator, the task of ensuring that nursing students will be able to offer the required services to their patients relies on how good they understood the concepts taught in class. To ensure that the quality of education offered is high, an educator has a list of activities that they have to do including encouraging contact between students, the creation of reciprocity and cooperation among students, encouraging active learning and even providence of quick feedback (Amestoy et al., 2017). In this text, the focus will be given on how developing reciprocity and encouraging active learning are essential in developing a well round student that can provide effective care.

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Developing Reciprocity and Cooperation

Reciprocity entails creating a method through which student can exchange information and knowledge for mutual benefits; this is more on the privileges and knowledge that one can gain as when working with others. Basically, student collaboration can bring about a reduced burden on the tutor and increased performance among the students.

Benefits of Students Reciprocity and Collaboration

With the reciprocity program, there is an increased thinking and reasoning capacity among the students. This is derived from the fact that those with a lower capacity can work with peers to raise their reasoning. Moreover, groupthink is eradicated since the teacher will always bring in new ideas to the students (Bristol et al., 2019). Reciprocity and collaboration are essential tools to build self-esteem. The guiding principles require that everyone within a group should bring in their contribution to the subject under study. When this happens, poor students can gain confidence, conduct the required research and present it before peers (Capa-Aydin., 2016). It is evident that confidence is gained over time; working with others will be essential in helping gain the required confidence.

Strategies that Promote Reciprocity and Collaboration

Having a well outlined leadership program is essential in the development of collaboration and reciprocity. The teacher can act as the leader, or a planning team can be developed to ensure that reciprocity is upheld. With the team in place, having a shared vision will go a long way in driving the group motive. With a great team and a shared vision, it will be easy to sell the idea and bring all the participants on board (Hwang, Wang, Tu, Chen, & Chang, 2014).

If the program is being conducted online, user orientation will be essential to ensure that there is collaboration among the far placed members. Members can get to know each other learn how to react when they are close to others. Moreover, they will learn the tools to use in their research (Hwang et al.,2014). Protocols and skills are essential elements of a successful collaboration among the various players. For instance, in student's forums, the participants should know how to address others, give replies, emphasize on important points and polite ways to dismiss invalid points given by other students (McSparron, Vanka & Smith, 2018). With such measures in place, it will be easy to develop a sense of community that helps improve performance.

It is essential that the developed community can grow; seeding of the community will ensure that depth among the students is developed; the minor issues fade away and create a learner-centered focus. By working with timelines, the student will be able to know what is expected of them at certain times, reducing the strain that they may have on their learning. For online collaboration, time is essential as it will help cater for the different time zones that the students may be in; it will also facilitate the convenience of those sharing computers. Lastly, the instructor should provide feedback regularly; this is essential as it keeps the students on check and reduces the cases of dropout.

Ways to Develop Reciprocity and Collaborations

Harding & Mawson (2017), state that the use of online discussion forums is a great way of developing reciprocity and collaboration. The tutor will provide the topic of discussion and also give guidelines on how it should be done. From this, the students will give their feedback on the same and through it, they will improve (Harding & Mawson, 2017; Tran, 2014). For instance, if the topic is on hospital-acquired infections, students can shed their thoughts on the same while peers will review them. Based on the information provided, correction can be done to help everyone be at par.

Tran (2014), in his work, shows that the instructor may opt to adopt positive strategies such as affirming what has been properly done, explore the students understanding and opinions regarding the teaching method adopted. From the various threads, the instructor can identify the areas that need more work done and help do it, for instance, a student may require an explanation regarding a certain aspect in the unit being taught, the instructor may offer to clarify to ensure that the students are at par. With this, the student will be provided an opportunity to respond and even reflect on what has been learned (Young, Bakewell-Sachs & Sarna, 2017).

Another method to develop reciprocity and collaboration is through brainstorming. The tutor may opt to brainstorm the students, especially when introducing a new topic. Through this, the existing ideas or knowledge by the students will be aired and their current understanding regarding the issue gauged. From here the tutor will get a ground to provide continuous learning to the students. Brainstorming can be done through a series of questions, explanations or even stating personal view to various issues regarding the topic being learned.

The method is ideal as it can take various identities and approach. Role storming as an approach gives the students the roles of others, with new identities, new ideas can be got, and their understanding of an issue can be gauged. The tutor may opt to use various other methods such as Charlete brainstorming and reverse procedure to increase the output of the group. However, the effectiveness of the methods applied depends on the creativity and diligence of the leader.

Evaluation Method

For reciprocity and collaboration, the aim is always to reduce the instances of general thinking and bring about an elevated thinking method through the use of peers (Blakely et al., 2019; Bristol et al., 2019). To do this, the use of case studies will go a long way testing the effectiveness of reciprocity and collaboration. Case studies enable the students to view an issue from a new dimension and the tutor can tell how effective the teaching method adopted is as they will focus on critical points by the students (Majeed, 2014). Well throughout answers are indications of the methods success.

Active Learning

Active learning entails the students engaging in activities like writing or problem-solving to promote and synthesize the evaluation of class content. According to the University of South Australia, active learning helps to get more results as compared to passive learning. In passive learning, [people can accomplish the basic task such as describing, explaining and demonstrating apply practice while active learning enables them to go deeper, they can analyze, create and even evaluate.

When students are fully engaged, they can think deeper about the content that they are learning and also enjoy their learning. Activities such as group work, project works, peer teaching, and interactive online forums are essential in promoting active learning activities. With the students fully participating, it becomes possible for the students to create enhanced learning and thinking capabilities.

Strategies that Promote Active Learning

Creation of tasks that are relevant to the students will help enhance active learning. In active learning, student remembers 70% of what they say and write and recall 90% of what they do (UNISA, 2019). Based on the level of learning, a tutor will have to be innovative and create learning strategies that align with the student's level of education. Besides being relevant, active learning ensures that students can independently reflect on the meaning of what they learn; this is because they took part in the lessons and they were essential in forming it.

Active learning is ideal since it ensures that students are in a position to negotiate the goals and the learning methods with the teacher. They can decide if the teacher will have a minor or major role. Grading is an essential part of the leaning process, with the student's participation, it will be possible to tell whether the method was successful based on the criterion-referenced grading method. According to Melrose, Park, & Perry (2015), criterion referenced grading shows personal accomplishments, since the students accomplishment will be tested based on their ability to demonstrate clinical skills, there is a higher chance that nursing students will choose the method over any other and work to ensure that they attain top grades based on the grading criteria (Melrose et al., 2015).

The ability of the student to negotiate the goals and methods of teaching or learning with the instructor help to promote active learning. By giving the students the power to evaluate the different methods of learning that are there, it becomes possible to gauge the content and settle on the most effective method. Giving the students an understanding of the complexity of the learning task and an opportunity to compare it with real life put them ahead. They are more likely to understand the topic; furthermore, the method is situation driven meaning that the needs of the task are taken to consideration long before the learning task begins.

Why Active Learning

The method is of much relevance to health educators since it employs questioning strategies to enhance the student's critical thinking. Moreover, other areas in nursing such as decision making and problem-solving in students will be of much relevancy in the practical field (Waltz, Jenkins, & Han, 2014). With the method, the instructor is in a position to word the questions directed to the students in a way that challenges the students and ensures that they use an improved notch of cognitive development. In a typical teaching situation, a tutor would ask the students to define the type of X-ray, and this can easily be done since it tests on their remembering capability. However, testing the students on whether they can tell when to perform the x-ray based on a set of given symptoms will make them think deeper regarding the issue.

Ferguson, (2017) states that active learning helps enhance self-evaluation. In most cases, the students involved in active learning set the grading criteria, and they are therefore able to determine personal performance. With the results, they become independent, and they can point out what they know and their weaknesses. Self-evaluation assists the students in pointing out their strengths and the areas where they need to improve in their learning, therefore more satisfied with the entire process (Ferguson, 2017; Qanbari Qalehsari, Khaghanizadeh & Ebadi, 2017). Active learning is all around ensuring that clinical and professional needs are met, on the negative end, the method may make the students critical of their performance.