New Perspectives in Science Education

Healthcare administrators in the 21st century need to be equipped with multiple skills in the complex healthcare industry. In preparing students to enter the industry, a student-centered approach has been adopted to develop problem-solving skills and critical thinking skills in Republic Polytechnic (RP). One of such approaches is Problem-based learning (PBL) where students to collaborative learning in small groups. However, with more students entering higher education, another viable alternative, Interactive Seminars (IS), to accommodate larger student-classes has been explored. This study documents the used of an IS approach in comparison to PBL. 123 first-year students from a healthcare administration diploma participated in this study. Data were collected on students' academic outcomes, attendance, and perceptions of a module using IS approach, and compared with another module taken by the same group of students using the PBL approach. Qualitative data were collected via student focus group discussion, class observations, and staff interviews. Quantitative data indicated that students valued the organisation of the IS as well as their learning. They were engaged in different activities during the lessons. Overall, the results suggest that IS can be a useful way to implement student-centered learning with a larger group of students without compromising student learning.

Keywords: Interactive seminar, healthcare administration education.

References:
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