Aspects of RW that students like best

To learn effectively, to be exposed to as many different scenarios (cases) and perspectives as possible, communication among peers and with supervisors cannot be overemphasized (Cooper, 2000). While these issues are not easy to achieve in the clinical situation where time constraint is a main concern and where the environment is viewed as threatening, RW was seen as a potentially effective alternative and was therefore used in conjunction with existing CLC assessment. This objective of the RW exercise was realized as over 50% of the student respondents reported increased discussion with peers and supervisors as the aspect of RW that they liked best. Their comments on this aspect included ([...] are corrections by the teacher (PC) to clarify meaning):

"The opportunities to discuss different aspects about CL and hence increase our exposure to different CL problems" (S2)

"Provided chance for me to revise the texts and discuss with others. This in turn gets me used to discussing cases with others." (S8)

"RD is an active learning process.... [lessons are passive], I may forget some points or remember them wrongly even after I read for many times. However, if I write it in my diary, I will search related information in the journals and discuss with my superiors and classmates. Thus, I feel more confident and remember them more easily in my practice." (S10)

Can communicate & discuss between supervisors & classmates to learn more I have never hear or seen." (S16)

Although different descriptive terms were used by the students in their comments, it was clear that RW also encouraged them to develop critical thinking or reflection, another popular aspect of RW that the students liked best, as some students acknowledged,

"Sometimes, we may forget some important issues in our practices. C/L is a quite large field and we will meet lots of patients with different ocular situations. How we can manage depends on our experience and good thorough thinking is a must to have a good management. Besides, we always cannot apply on our learned knowledge into our practice, RW can help me to know more on my weakness and how to improve it." (S3)

"Besides, during doing the reflective diary, this forced or helped us to think how to apply theoretical aspects to become practical aspects. This would increase our impression to such aspects and apply them in our future practice." (S5)

"The feedback given by Dr Cho help us a lot in order to further thinking about things we missed and neglected. It would help us to think more detail and careful in CL session." (S17)

Critical and constructive thinking are important in clinical training and should be encouraged in CLC. Unfortunately, due to various reasons, with only on-site assessment (and no RW), this was not happening to the extent desired, if at all. It was therefore rewarding and encouraging that the incorporation of RW in the new CLC assessment model was successful in facilitating reflective learning.

Timely and regular feedback is essential for the students to learn effectively. In a study on student perceptions of what helped them learn and develop in higher education (Drew, 2001), students rated feedback as one of the most important factors which helped them to learn and develop. Feedback sessions serve not just to inform students what they did well, their strengths and weaknesses, the areas that could be improved and how, but also serve as a channel for students to share their writing and experience. This was also reported by students in Hyland's study (Hyland, 2000).

Another important function of feedback sessions is that they allow clarification of misunderstandings or misinterpretations raised in students' writings. This has also been reported by Ballantyne and Packer (1995). These misunderstandings or misinterpretations could well have gone undetected if it had not been for the RW exercise.

It was therefore not unexpected that feedback was the other aspect that the students liked best about RW. Some examples of what they said about this aspect:

"This exercise was marked by Dr Cho and returned to us with feedback. This was the most helpful aspect. ... Besides, during the feedback session, Dr Cho raised some points from peers' writing. These points may be our common mistakes or that we were not aware of. Thus, during the feedback session, we could learn a lot." (S5)

"I can know more about my strong and weakness in contact lens practice with some revise on my cases procedures and compare them with the management or suggestions from other classmates." (S10)

"The feedback given by Dr Cho help us a lot in order to further thinking about things we missed and neglected. It would help us to think more detail and careful in CL session." (S17)

From the increased interactions with peers and supervisors, consultations with books or journal articles, it was expected that RW would provide an avenue for students to be exposed to more and different perspectives, to learn that it is acceptable to ask for help or advice, and also to give help to their peers where appropriate and to show empathy. According to some educators (Stevenson & Jenkins, 1994; Buehl, 1996; Jasper, 1999; Hiemstra, 2001), when given the opportunity to write down their self-reflection, their frustrations and concerns after extended thinking, after discussion with peers and other teachers, students can see a more holistic picture of the event. RW can also help them to make sense of their experiences and heighten self-awareness (Jasper, 1999; Hiemstra, 2001; Welch, 2000), hence increasing the possibility of gaining new insights not only about their learning but also about themselves. They also learn to be more self-critical and tolerant of others, to learn from each other and be willing to discuss and change their own opinions. Students in the current study also liked these aspects of RW:

"The opportunities to discuss different aspects about CL and hence increase our exposure to different CL problems." (S2)

"Ask second opinions (supervisor, classmates) about the contact lenses problems." (S6)

"It made me think about every CL issue deeply, even some simple one." (S14)

"I had more chances to discuss with my classmates and got some different opinions in some case that I hadn't thought before." (S15)

In any situation where students are being assessed on-site, via direct observation by their supervisors, it can be difficult for students to challenge supervisors' opinions. Stressful situations are therefore more than likely to surface in clinical training, particularly when students are rotated through a few supervisors who may have different individual biases in the way they think the students should practice. Many educators have suggested that RW may also be an important way for students to manage stress arising from their learning environment (Stevenson & Jenkins, 1994; Fulwiler, 1980; Staton, 1980; Cooper & Dunlap, 1991; Gormley, 1997; Peterson & Jones, 2001). In the current study, two students liked this aspect of RW best as they wrote:

"This not only helps us to correct what we thought wrongly, but also encourages us to express ourselves in the diary." (S5)

"I have an opportunity to express some feeling that not only related to the case, but also some misunderstanding between my supervisor and me, and my patients and me. During our CL clinic, we are afraid to disagree with our supervisor, but we can express this in RW. " (S7)

In the current era of education, life-long learning has become increasingly important. The use of RW is likely to encourage students to remember the usefulness of reflection as a means of continuing self-directed learning after they have graduated and when they entered the profession, as expressed by one of the students:

"Besides, during doing the reflective diary, ..... This would increase our impression to such aspects and apply them in our future practice." (S5).

اخر الاخبار

اخبار العتبة العباسية المقدسة

بالصور.. ملايين الزائرين تحيي ليلة زيارة الأربعين عند العتبتين المقدستين

الموكب الثقافي العام ينظم أنشطة فكرية وجلسات حوارية لزائري الأربعين

فريق موسوعة أحيوا أمرنا يجري حوارات توثيقية دولية مع زائري الأربعين

معهد القرآن النسوي يقيم ختمات قرآنية لزائرات الأربعين في الهندية

المزيد

الآخبار الصحية

حجم جزء محدد من الجسم يعكس الصحة العامة ومخاطر الأمراض

تفشي عدوى بكتيرية بفرنسا يحتمل ارتباطها بنوع من الجبن الطري

دراسة حديثة تكشف ما تفعله الشاشات بـ"قلوب الأطفال" !

متلازمة المبنى المريض.. هكذا يتحول تكييف الهواء إلى خطر صحي ؟؟

المزيد

الآخبار التكنلوجية

كيف تتعامل مع حرارة الطقس أثناء القيادة؟

لماذا يجب عليك إيقاف تكييف السيارة قبل إطفاء المحرك؟

دراسة تكشف سببا محتملا وراء زيادة خطر إصابة الأطفال بالتوحد

تشيلي.. العثور على متحجرة حيوان ثديي صغير من زمن الديناصورات

المزيد

مواضيع ذات صلة

Case 2 Online portfolio and group multimedia project

Results, analysis and discussion Case 1 Online role play

Research methodology

The research context

Literature review Characteristics of good assessment practice

Using Online Environments to Promote Assessment as a Learning Enhancement Process

Utilizing an ICT Tool for Moderating, Marking and Managing Assessment in Large Tertiary Classes Conclusions

Response to feedback

Implications for teaching in large classes

Unit coordinator perspective

Tutor perspective

Findings Student perspective