Active Learning and Student Engagement in Health Professions Education

Active Learning and Student Engagement in Health Professions Education Student’s Name University Course Professor Date Active Learning and Student Engagement in Health Professions Education Engagement and participation by the learners are two critical principles in health professions education. They form the foundation of efficient learning and contribute to both the accumulation of knowledge and the formation of relevant thought processes. In general, other than memorizing knowledge, learning in which the learner participates has been perceived to promote better retention. It differs from the more conventional teaching practices characterized by lecturing and other forms of passive teaching. On the other hand, student engagement, which is a cumulative of students' participation in their learning process, is very important in encouraging learning and directing the learners towards learning. It goes beyond the classroom environment, embracing governance, course feedback, studies, and community involvement. When used in the context of health professions education, these concepts have an even more profound meaning. It is because health professionals are supposed always to learn, reason, and critically solve problems within dynamic healthcare systems. Hence, promoting active learning and student engagement is advantageous and critical in their future development as healthcare professionals. The current essay delves into the advantages of active learning and student engagement, discusses the various aspects of student engagement, and provides insights into how students can become active learners and actively engage in their educational journey. Advantages of Active Learning Integrating active learning, a learning model where learners take an active role in the learning process has been determined to have numerous benefits. One of the main advantages is improved comprehension and knowledge retention (Lombardi et al., 2021). Incorporating active learning techniques like problem-solving tasks, discussions, and practical assignments provides the learner with a meaningful way of interacting with the information. Therefore, this method will enhance their understanding of the content and make it easier to remember. Secondly, active learning enriches learners with critical thinking skills and problem-solving techniques. Additionally, the approach ensures that students learn to assess data and transform it into new forms by engaging with it (Lombardi et al., 2021). To illustrate this in a problem-based learning scenario, students might be tasked with a complex patient case for diagnosis. As such, the challenges require them to critically analyze the patient's symptoms and propose a treatment plan by applying their problem-solving abilities. As such, problem-solving enables the students to work out what they have learned in real-life situations, thus affecting their problem-solving skills. Lastly, active learning promotes students' subject-matter comprehension in the last fallacy. While learning is a process of receiving knowledge, students in an active learning environment participate in the process, therefore grasping knowledge in a deeper and more complex manner (Lombardi et al., 2021). Beyond improving their academic achievement, such a deep understanding also significantly promotes their love for learning. We illustrate this using the example of a medical microbiology course in a health professions education program. In this course, the traditional lecture-based teaching method is replaced with an active learning approach thus making them active participants as further illustrated below. Table Traditional Method Active Learning Method The professor delivers a lecture on bacterial pathogens. Students passively receive the information. The professor provides resources about bacterial pathogens. Students are divided into groups and each group is assigned a specific pathogen to study. Students memorize facts about different pathogens for the exam. Each group prepares a presentation on their assigned pathogen, explaining its characteristics, the diseases it causes, its mode of transmission, and treatment options. Students’ understanding is assessed through a written exam. Students present their findings to the class. They engage in a discussion, answer questions from their peers and the professor, and receive feedback. Students may quickly forget the information after the exam. Students gain a deep understanding of the subject matter. Additionally, they remember the information because they were actively involved in the learning process. Advantages of Student Engagement Student participation is one of the most foundational aspects of the active learning process, especially in the context of health professions education. It promotes a view and interest in learning, which is critical for developing motivation and passion for learning (Venton & Pompano, 2021). Students are more likely to pay attention in class, contribute to group discussions, and be more responsible for the class content once they are involved. For instance, a student actively engaged in a clinical skills workshop may find the hands-on experience exciting and motivating, leading to a greater interest in learning more about clinical practice. The by-product of such active participation in learning may contribute to the learner's enhanced fact uptake and utilization. Actively learning students are not mere receptors of knowledge, but they participate in activities and discussions and pursue an answer to a question or a better understanding of ideas. This kind of engagement also improves their memory and enables them to apply such knowledge to what they have been taught in real-life situations. Also, student engagement can help build early learning habits that will still be practiced when the person is out of school. High involvement will assist the students in developing extrinsic motivation to learn, enabling lifelong learning. They embrace learning as a progressive process and are never idle and passive but are rather active in enhancing their store of knowledge and experience (Venton & Pompano, 2021). This love for learning is especially significant in health professions education since educators, trainers, and practitioners must continue learning and improving professionally since the profession usually involves research and development. Aspects of Student Engagement As for student involvement, one of the most important components of effective engagement is the opportunity to participate in decision-making within the context of a medical school. It entails ensuring they possess membership in the committees and other policy-forming organs of the school or program and active participation in policy and guideline formulation processes (Wong & Liem, 2022). This kind of engagement also helps students to feel that they have stakes in the activities going on in classrooms and that they have a role to play in the decision-making processes concerning their learning. Another equally important feature is assessments of courses, teaching and learning activities, and the faculty. Gathering students' views regarding their experiences within their courses and the techniques employed in delivering course content can be beneficial in enhancing education delivery (Wong & Liem, 2022). Also, the result has the potential to assess the faculty who provide the course and identify whether their performance is satisfactory to meet all student needs and expectations. Another way students are involved is through participation in and conducting research and scholarly pro...