Faculty development: learning from the student whilst developing the higher order thinking skills of right-to-try adult learners within the higher education setting: a self-directed reflective process

Abstract

Two members of the Operating Department Practice (ODP) lecturing team were surprised to receive poor National Student Survey results surrounding student assessment feedback despite positive remarks from the external examiners. A studentcentred intervention was sought that would encourage meaningful engagement with their assessment feedback by employing self-directed and reflective learning that would aid in the development of the higher-order thinking so vitally needed in the students’ pursuit of providing quality perioperative patient care. A learning activity involving positive reinforcement of the feedback through the use of the Reflectionfor-Learning model (Beckwith & Beckwith, 2008) was created. This intervention asks students to engage in this Reflection-for-Learning process and articulate their personal action plan based upon their assessment feedback. This method has led to improvements in learner engagement with the assessment feedback and a 100% overall satisfaction rating from the students in a subsequent National Student Survey. An unexpected development has been the movement toward a mutually supportive relationship between lecturers and students as students transform into empowered learners willing to shape their own learning experiences.