Table 2 Comparison of student group activities
From: Interprofessional education: tips for design and implementation
Uniprofessional student group | Interprofessional student group | |
|---|---|---|
Environment | Various settings e.g. lecture theatres, classrooms, clinical settings, informal conversation. | Various settings e.g. lecture theatres, classrooms, clinical settings, informal conversation. |
Team dynamics | Students may have pre-existing friendships, and an understanding of each others’ knowledge and skill levels. | Increased chance of miscommunication due to different disciplines and terminology being involved. Possibility of hierarchical issues. |
Grouping | Grouped according to experience, mixed or random grouping. Often pre-determined grouping by the facilitator is preferable. | Ensure a mixed student group i.e. students should work with students from different disciplines in their groups. Pre-determined grouping by the facilitator is preferable. |
Facilitators | Most often a professional of the discipline being taught e.g. Nurse educating nursing students. | Should represent the various disciplines of students being taught e.g. if nursing, medical and pharmacy students are present, facilitators should be from those disciplines. |
Activity design | Individual and group activities should be included. | Majority of activities should be group based to ensure students are gaining the most of the interprofessional experience. |
Assessment | Assessed well and often. Assessment types include exams, Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs), teamwork, Team-based learning (TBL), essays, etc. | Professional skills based assessment e.g. communication. Peer Assessment. |