TY - JOUR
T1 - Learning by doing
T2 - Teaching qualitative methods to health care personnel
AU - Rifkin, Susan B.
AU - Hartley, Sally D.
PY - 2001
Y1 - 2001
N2 - Purpose: We describe and assess the teaching of qualitative methods to postgraduate students using a case study from the Centre of International Child Health, Institute of Child Health, London, which trains mainly health personnel with developing country experience. As the majority of these students are practitioners rather than academics, the teaching focuses on combining theory with practice. We then analyse the results of the assessment of students about this approach and examine lessons learned from this experience. Aproach: We present the format of a two-week course and the evaluation of this course by the students of the past four years. We describe the process of conducting a learning-by-doing course, giving the day-to-day details of how the course is conducted. We also give examples of how this teaching is done. Results: One indicator of the value of this course is its increasing popularity over the past three years. In 1997-1998, 11 students out of 20 took the course. In 1998-1999, 16 students out of 21 opted for this qualitative module. In 1999-2000, 12 students out of 17 chose this module. Discussion: The lessons learned from this experience include challenges in how to present the teaching within the available time and having realistic expectations concerning course outcomes. We argue that a learning-by-doing approach accomplishes the objectives of having students recognize the value of these methods for health systems research and giving them skills needed to use these methods.
AB - Purpose: We describe and assess the teaching of qualitative methods to postgraduate students using a case study from the Centre of International Child Health, Institute of Child Health, London, which trains mainly health personnel with developing country experience. As the majority of these students are practitioners rather than academics, the teaching focuses on combining theory with practice. We then analyse the results of the assessment of students about this approach and examine lessons learned from this experience. Aproach: We present the format of a two-week course and the evaluation of this course by the students of the past four years. We describe the process of conducting a learning-by-doing course, giving the day-to-day details of how the course is conducted. We also give examples of how this teaching is done. Results: One indicator of the value of this course is its increasing popularity over the past three years. In 1997-1998, 11 students out of 20 took the course. In 1998-1999, 16 students out of 21 opted for this qualitative module. In 1999-2000, 12 students out of 17 chose this module. Discussion: The lessons learned from this experience include challenges in how to present the teaching within the available time and having realistic expectations concerning course outcomes. We argue that a learning-by-doing approach accomplishes the objectives of having students recognize the value of these methods for health systems research and giving them skills needed to use these methods.
KW - Developing countries
KW - Educating health professionals
KW - Experiment learning
KW - Qualitative research methods
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U2 - 10.1080/13576280010021905
DO - 10.1080/13576280010021905
M3 - Article
C2 - 14742046
AN - SCOPUS:0035037855
SN - 1357-6283
VL - 14
SP - 75
EP - 85
JO - Education for Health
JF - Education for Health
IS - 1
ER -