NICE Evidence Search Student Champion Scheme Evaluating StudentOwned

NICE Evidence Search Student Champion Scheme: Evaluating Student-Owned Learning Authors: Loveridge S, Lyon A “Inspiring young people to not only learn themselves, but also to teach peers, provides an opportunity to build confidence in educating others. ” Background Representatives from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) were invited to Birmingham Medical School to introduce the NICE Evidence Search Student Champion Scheme, a peerled teaching initiative delivered by students, for students. The scheme aims to enhance understanding of Evidence Based Medicine whilst providing valuable student teaching experience; both skills that are invaluable to tomorrow’s doctors. Teaching Experience Twenty-six volunteering students were taught how to use the NICE Evidence Search Portal by NICE Representatives. Students subsequently had to plan and facilitate a teaching session to a group of between ten and fifteen of their peers in order to pass on what they had learnt. Student Reflection Method of Delivering Session Students recognised the value of actively engaging their peers in the session; among their tools were quizzes, searches and worksheets Interactivity The level of peer-to-peer interaction within a session was frequently remarked upon, with many students gaining a new appreciation of its importance Open Learning Environment Students felt it was important that their peers felt comfortable and able to ask open questions, providing the opportunity to do so in an informal environment Relevance Students felt that their session worked well when their peers understood why the content of the session was relevant to their careers and to their course Understanding audience Timing Students empathised with the busy timetables of their peers and adjusted the length of their session accordingly Attendance and Follow-Up Students had imaginative methods of encouraging peers to attend their session (including providing sweets!) but also emphasised the importance of continuing engagement after the session Criticism The major problem faced by students was the lack of resources required to facilitate a fully interactive and guided session Evaluation Students reflected on what went well and what did not go so well within their teaching sessions. Here, we qualitatively analyse their responses to highlight key areas of a successful peer-to-peer teaching session. Students recognised the need to adapt their sessions based on the prior knowledge of their peers. They assessed this through surveys or group discussions before the teaching session Peer-Peer Advice “I think I should have formed some kind of summary activity at the end in order to cement some ideas” “I warned the group that I would be asking each individual (a question) and looking for a different answer each time…it encouraged them to switch back on and become more involved with the session” “Due to the informal nature of the session, students were willing to ask questions” “I felt everybody was interested. . . because I made it clear from the beginning how Evidence Search would help them individually” “Sending out a pre-session questionnaire…worked well… students were interested in the answer(s) to the question” “It proved popular to deliver a condensed session over around 35 to 40 min rather than split the session up” “I asked each student to email a feedback report. . . the only criticism was that the students wish they had known about the site sooner” “With only access to one computer…I had to ask people to try it out in their own time…if there any difficulties using the website, then I wouldn’t be able to help them” “Make your session as fun and interactive as possible to make sure it is memorable and informative for your colleagues” “Plan ahead, develop a clear structure to the presentation otherwise students won’t be interested. . . The key is relevance. . . Be enthusiastic”