All Ireland Society for Higher Education
| Name: | Sylvia Huntley-Moore |
|---|---|
| Email: | shuntley@tcd.ie |
| Institution: | (blank) |
Panter, John, panterj@tcd.ie
Sociology is not usually perceived by undergraduate nursing students to be central to their studies in the same way as clinically-based subjects. The challenge for lecturers is to motivate students to engage with sociology in ways which will enhance their nursing practice which involves the acquisition of generic skills as well as subject specific knowledge. Undergraduate Nursing classes at Trinity College Dublin often exceed 200 students. These students are a more diverse group than the University norm in terms of their previous educational attainment, ethnicity and age range.
This paper is part of a larger project which aimed to evaluate first year undergraduate nursing students' perceptions of a group project as a strategy for learning and assessment. The specific objective reported here, is students' perceptions of the potential benefits and limitations of group work as a means of developing generic skills as well as discipline-specific knowledge.
A mixed methodology was used including a questionnaire administered in a lecture towards the end of the course (n=79) and semi-structured interviews conducted with 50 project groups after the final assessment. The pass rates were also examined in conjunction with tutorial attendance figures.
The assignment guidelines, clarity of aims and objectives, the time available for the project and adequacy of support and feedback were rated highly. A significant preference for group projects over individual assignments and examinations was noted. Groups reporting a generally positive experience were more likely to specify generic skills developed and to articulate the value of sociology to their future practice. Larger groups were less likely to opt for group projects again while those who failed the course attended fewer tutorials than those who passed. Lessons to be learned include the importance of clear guidelines and adequate supports, the effect of group size and the value of classes focusing on process.