Bridging the gap to first year health science: Early engagement enhances student satisfaction and success

Thalluri, Jyothi

doi:10.5204/ssj.v7i1.305

Cited by 13 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 10 publications

(9 reference statements)

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“…The workshops achieved the objectives outlined at the outset. While there were many findings reported (Thalluri, 2016), the results highlighted in this paper relate to the psychosocial and emotional impacts of the workshop on students. Three themes emerged, and these were Increased preparedness and confidence; Networking and friendships that enhanced support, and Reduced anxiety to study sciences.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…The findings relevant to the topic of this article were drawn from this larger study. The result of the 2015-2018 evaluation showed that the workshop "improved students' confidence and enthusiasm in starting university (56% pre-and 95% postworkshop), and 97% considered the workshop effective overall" (Thalluri, 2016).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The outcomes of the workshop have been evaluated and reported (Thalluri, 2016). In the main, the workshop assisted students' university transition into health science programs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Transition to First Year University Study: A Qualitative Descriptive Study on the Psychosocial and Emotional Impacts of a Science Workshop

Thalluri

Penman²

2019

IISIT

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Aim/purpose The purpose of this article is to discuss the psychosocial and emotional outcomes of an introductory health science workshop designed to support and assist incoming health science students before starting their university study. Background For the past two decades, a South Australian university offered an on-campus face to face workshop titled ‘Preparation for Health Sciences’ to incoming first-year students from eleven allied health programs such as Nursing, Physiotherapy and Medical Imaging. While many were locals, a good number came from regional and rural areas, and many were international students also. They consisted of both on-campus and off-campus students. The workshop was created as a new learning environment that was available for students of diverse age groups, educational and cultural backgrounds to prepare them to study sciences. The content of the four-day workshop was developed in consultation with the program directors of the allied health programs. The objectives were to: introduce the assumed foundational science knowledge to undertake health sciences degree; gain confidence in approaching science subjects; experience lectures and laboratory activities; and become familiar with the University campus and its facilities. The workshop was delivered a week before the orientation week, before first-year formal teaching weeks. The topics covered were enhancing study skills, medical and anatomical terminology, body systems, basic chemistry and physics, laboratory activities, and assessment of learning. Methodology In order to determine the outcomes of the workshop, a survey was used requiring participants to agree or disagree about statements concerning the preparatory course and answer open-ended questions relating to the most important information learned and the best aspects of the workshop. Several students piloted this questionnaire before use in order to ascertain the clarity of instructions, terminology and statements. The result of the 2015-2018 pre- and post-evaluation showed that the workshop raised confidence and enthusiasm in commencing university and that the majority considered the workshop useful overall. The findings of the survey are drawn upon to examine the psychosocial and emotional impacts of the workshop on participants. Using secondary qualitative analysis, the researchers identified the themes relating to the psychosocial and emotional issues conveyed by the participants. Contribution The contributions of the article are in the areas of improving students’ confidence to complete their university degrees and increasing the likelihood of academic success. Findings Of the 285 students who participated in the workshops from 2015 to 2018, 166 completed the survey conducted at the conclusion of the initiative, representing a 58% response rate. The workshops achieved the objectives outlined at the outset. While there were many findings reported (Thalluri, 2016), the results highlighted in this paper relate to the psychosocial and emotional impacts of the workshop on students. Three themes emerged, and these were Increased preparedness and confidence; Networking and friendships that enhanced support, and Reduced anxiety to study sciences. Some drawbacks were also reported including the cost, time and travel involved. Recommendations for practitioners Students found the introductory workshop to be psychosocially and emotionally beneficial. It is recommended that the same approach be applied for teaching other challenging fields such as mathematics and physics within the university and in other contexts and institutions. Recommendations for researchers Improving and extending the workshop to provide greater accessibility and autonomy is recommended. A longitudinal study to follow up the durability of the workshop is also proposed. Impact on society The impacts in the broader community include: higher academic success for students; improved mental health due to social networking and friendship groups and reduced anxiety and fear; reduced dropout rate in their first year; greater potential to complete educational degrees; reduced wastage in human and financial resources; and increased human capital. Future research Addressing the limitations of cost, time and travel involved, and following-up with the participants’ academic and workplace performance are future directions for research.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 81%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Transition to First Year University Study: A Qualitative Descriptive Study on the Psychosocial and Emotional Impacts of a Science Workshop

Thalluri

Penman²

2019

IISIT

Self Cite

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“…Selfassessments of confidence are frequently used in measurements of the effectiveness of transition programs (e.g. Abdullahi & Gannon, 2012;Boelen & Kenny 2009;Thalluri, 2016), as confidence is understood as a measure of selfefficacy, which has been widely linked to successful retention (Bandura, 1978;Lawrence, 2005). On a five-point Likert scale from 'not confident at all' to 'very confident', 43% of students selected the top two categories, which we interpret as a very favourable result.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Get Ready’: Improving the Transition Experience of a Diverse First Year Cohort Through Building Student Agency

Larsen

Horvath

Bridge

2019

SUCCESS

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A great deal has been achieved in recent years in understanding how universities can best support the transition to higher education of an increasingly diverse student body (Kift, 2015). Numerous studies have identified transition program elements that correlate with improved success and retention for commencing students. Lizzio’s ‘five senses’ model (2006) rationalises these diverse features into a framework consisting of five affective domains that need to be developed in students to ensure successful transition. To assess how well a program based on the Lizzio model supports transition in practice, we evaluate our Get Ready transition program, developed for a large-enrolment first year Human Physiology subject with a highly diverse student cohort. We conclude that embedding the development of Lizzio’s five senses in a performative way is the key to building students’ agency and nurturing their identity as thriving members of a new academic community.

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“…Engagement with students is a highly valuable tool which can play a role in course completion (Hopper, 2016;Thalluri, 2016). Retention rates in science degrees tend to be poor (Lombardi, Hicks, Thompson, & Marbach-Ad, 2014), and student confidence and perceptions of science are often negative (Craker, 2006).…”

Section: Student Perceptions To Undergraduate Teachingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Student Perceptions to Teaching Undergraduate Anatomy in Health Sciences

Anderton

Chiu

Aulfrey³

2016

IJHE

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Anatomy and physiology teaching has undergone significant changes to keep up with advances in technology and to cater for a wide array of student specific learning approaches. This paper examines perceptions towards a variety of teaching instruments, techniques, and innovations used in the delivery and teaching of anatomy and physiology for health science students, and asks whether active learning through more progressive methods of teaching is beneficial for students across health science disciplines. In total, 138 health science students consisting of 32 biomedical science students, 52 exercise and sports science students, and 54 health and physical education students completed the retrospective study. Biomedical science students were least receptive to progressive teaching modalities, preferring anatomical dissections to laboratory workbooks (p <0.05) and body painting (p <0.05). In comparison, students from health and sport related degrees responded significantly better to anatomical models and laboratory workbooks than anatomical dissections (p <0.001). While gender differences were subtle, males responded positively to online multiple-choice question resources (p < 0.05) in comparison to females. Following a multimodal delivery of anatomy and physiology, students from all cohorts reported feeling significantly more confident (p < 0.005) when discussing all material in the course. The results obtained demonstrate differences amongst cohorts, which indicate that student perceptions to learning anatomy and physiology are dependent on individual course expectations. Moreover, these results support "hands on" practical teaching, and the use of a variety of teaching tools to foster learning and enjoyment of anatomy and physiology in health sciences.

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Bridging the gap to first year health science: Early engagement enhances student satisfaction and success

Cited by 13 publications

References 10 publications

Transition to First Year University Study: A Qualitative Descriptive Study on the Psychosocial and Emotional Impacts of a Science Workshop

Transition to First Year University Study: A Qualitative Descriptive Study on the Psychosocial and Emotional Impacts of a Science Workshop

‘Get Ready’: Improving the Transition Experience of a Diverse First Year Cohort Through Building Student Agency

Student Perceptions to Teaching Undergraduate Anatomy in Health Sciences

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