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Wikström-Grotell C1, Kiukas C1
1Arcada UAS, Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland
Background: Its bridges to society, employment as well as knowledge production characterize professional higher education. Demographic changes and new health care needs mean that high demands are placed on how physiotherapy (PT) services are produced in the future. Higher education institutions are not contributing as much as they should to innovation in working life. It is therefore crucial to include competencies related to research, development and innovation (RDI) for PT students in bachelor and master education programmes. Therefore, a group-tutoring model to support RDI activities in close collaboration between a university of applied sciences and working life was developed to support innovation thinking among PT students.
Purpose: This paper highlights a model for group tutoring and supervision as a pedagogical tool to facilitate learning by peer support. The model was used to facilitate students´ process towards their bachelor thesis. The overall purpose is to reflect on how innovation skills and competencies needed in future health care can be supported in PT education and to critically evaluate students learning outcomes as well as teachers, researchers and work place supervisors roles in research and development projects carried out as bachelor thesis work in regional projects within working life.
Methods: A new model for thesis group supervision of 6-8 students was developed and evaluated through narratives (teachers), focus group discussions (teachers and students) and ordinary course evaluation (students). The tutorials entailed a structured three-phase thesis process, a pedagogical agreement between students and teachers and group coaching support for the teachers involved in the project.
Results: New initiatives to initiate RDI projects involving working life and student groups have been initiated. The three-phase model have given the thesis process a structure that helps student complete their thesis and turnover seems to have decreased. Teachers' workloads have still not been reduced but some overlapping has been eliminated. The results show that a process that is supported by the supervisor as group tutorials in close connection with a working life tutor has the potential to succeed in its goal, to enhance student´s innovative thinking and competencies. Six different approaches for the teacher: coach, mentor, facilitator, supervisor, partner in a network and study designer were found and reflected upon
Conclusion(s): A collective framework and group supervision model can be applied to support innovative thinking and a structured process for bachelor thesis in PT education. A collective approach in bachelor thesis to research, development and innovation in work-related regional projects seem to support innovative competencies among students as well as teachers and enables practice research. The dimensions of the teacher´s or researcher's role described different approaches in the tutoring process well but need to be explored more in depth.
Implications: The developed model can be used to support an innovative approach in bachelor thesis in PT education on bachelor level (EQF level six). Projects carried out in close collaboration with the working life is one way to facilitate innovative competencies among PT students and teachers.
Keywords: Innovative thinking, Group supervision model, Teacher / researcher approach
Funding acknowledgements: No funding acknowledgements
Purpose: This paper highlights a model for group tutoring and supervision as a pedagogical tool to facilitate learning by peer support. The model was used to facilitate students´ process towards their bachelor thesis. The overall purpose is to reflect on how innovation skills and competencies needed in future health care can be supported in PT education and to critically evaluate students learning outcomes as well as teachers, researchers and work place supervisors roles in research and development projects carried out as bachelor thesis work in regional projects within working life.
Methods: A new model for thesis group supervision of 6-8 students was developed and evaluated through narratives (teachers), focus group discussions (teachers and students) and ordinary course evaluation (students). The tutorials entailed a structured three-phase thesis process, a pedagogical agreement between students and teachers and group coaching support for the teachers involved in the project.
Results: New initiatives to initiate RDI projects involving working life and student groups have been initiated. The three-phase model have given the thesis process a structure that helps student complete their thesis and turnover seems to have decreased. Teachers' workloads have still not been reduced but some overlapping has been eliminated. The results show that a process that is supported by the supervisor as group tutorials in close connection with a working life tutor has the potential to succeed in its goal, to enhance student´s innovative thinking and competencies. Six different approaches for the teacher: coach, mentor, facilitator, supervisor, partner in a network and study designer were found and reflected upon
Conclusion(s): A collective framework and group supervision model can be applied to support innovative thinking and a structured process for bachelor thesis in PT education. A collective approach in bachelor thesis to research, development and innovation in work-related regional projects seem to support innovative competencies among students as well as teachers and enables practice research. The dimensions of the teacher´s or researcher's role described different approaches in the tutoring process well but need to be explored more in depth.
Implications: The developed model can be used to support an innovative approach in bachelor thesis in PT education on bachelor level (EQF level six). Projects carried out in close collaboration with the working life is one way to facilitate innovative competencies among PT students and teachers.
Keywords: Innovative thinking, Group supervision model, Teacher / researcher approach
Funding acknowledgements: No funding acknowledgements
Topic: Education: methods of teaching & learning; Education
Ethics approval required: No
Institution: N/A
Ethics committee: N/A
Reason not required: The project describes an innovative way in which established methods have been adapted to meet the changing needs of PT education
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
