Poster

Enhancing Regulatory Capacity of Diverse Healthcare Stakeholder Communities: Reflections on the Development and Delivery of a Graduate Certificate Programme

cdtlsd Poster , , , ,

Rathi SARAVANAN*, Osman Bin Mohamad, Soumyanarayanan UTTARA, Faith TAN, Silke VOGEL, and LEONG Wai Yeen, James

Centre of Regulatory Excellence, DUKE-NUS Medical School, Singapore 

*rathi@duke-nus.edu.sg

 

Saravanan, R., Osman bin Mohamad, Uttara. S., Tan, F., Vogel, S., & Leong, J. W. Y. (2023). Enhancing regulatory capacity of diverse healthcare stakeholder communities: Reflections on the development and delivery of a graduate certificate programme [Poster presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/enhancing-regulatory-capacity-of-diverse-healthcare-stakeholder-communities-reflections-on-the-development-and-delivery-of-a-graduate-certificate-programme/

SUB-THEME

Communities and Education

 

KEYWORDS

Capacity-building, regulatory science education, blended learning, team-based learning and collaborative learning

 

CATEGORY

Poster Presentations 

 

ABSTRACT

Timely access to safe and good quality essential medicine relies on the capacity and partnerships of diverse stakeholders in the healthcare environment: patients, healthcare professionals, regulators, the industry, academia, and research communities. Regulation of health products is the fundamental approach to safeguard patients against products that are harmful or ineffective. However, navigating this complex and highly dynamic healthcare regulatory landscape requires regulatory knowledge, critical skills, and competencies that are not imparted in standard and structured programmes. The primary challenge for regulatory professionals in diverse stakeholder communities is acquiring the relevant baseline knowledge, and staying relevant with updated current regulatory developments arising from globalisation and technological advancements. Despite the vital role of regulators in accelerating the development and access of life-saving health products, there is limited options for training and continued education in health products regulation, locally and within the region. Addressing this need, the Centre of Regulatory Excellence (CoRE) at DUKE-NUS Medical School in Singapore, launched a graduate certificate (GC) programme in health products regulation in 2017. The GC programme aims at building capabilities of regulatory professionals, while simultaneously promoting partnerships across stakeholders for an efficient and effective regulatory environment in the region.

 

As a team of educators at CoRE, the poster documents the reflections on the journey of developing and delivering the GC programme. The tailored curriculum, leveraging on social constructivism theory, principles of blended learning, team-based learning (TBL), as well as engaged and educated regulatory professionals from diverse stakeholder communities in Singapore and across Asia- Pacific. The active learning strategies utilised in the classroom setting, across physical and virtual platforms, foster 21st-century competencies of collaboration, communication, critical thinking skills, and awareness of the global regulatory landscape. Through the structured curriculum and pedagogical approaches adopted, participants are equipped with the practical skillsets necessary to perform and excel in their roles within the regulatory and healthcare systems. The positive feedback from participants is testimony to the effectiveness of the programme in strengthening the capacities of health product regulatory systems. The key insights outlined will support and refine similar capacity-building efforts as well as collaborative learning programmes in higher education locally and elsewhere.

 

REFERENCES

Bada, S. O., & Olusegun, S. (2015). Constructivism learning theory: A paradigm for teaching and learning. Journal of Research & Method in Education, 5(6), 66-70. Retrieved from https://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jrme/papers/Vol-5%20Issue-6/Version-1/I05616670.pdf.

Michaelsen, L. K., & Sweet, M. (2008). The essential elements of team‐based learning. New directions for teaching and learning, 2008(116), 7-27. https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.330

Goodsell, A. S., Maher, M., Tinto, V., Smith, B. L., & MacGregor, J. T. (1992). Collaborative learning: A sourcebook for higher education. National center on postsecondary teaching, learning, and assessment publishing, Pennsylvania State University

Konduri, N., Rauscher, M., Wang, S. C. J., & Malpica-Llanos, T. (2017). Individual capacity- building approaches in a global pharmaceutical systems strengthening program: a selected review. Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice, 10(16), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40545-017-0104-z

Kusynová, Z., van den Ham, H. A., Leufkens, H. G. M., & Mantel-Teeuwisse, A. K. (2023). Pharmaceutical scientists’ perspectives on capacity building in pharmaceutical sciences. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 112(7), 1997-2003. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xphs.2023.04.015

Vaughan, N. (2007). Perspectives on blended learning in higher education. International Journal on E-learning, 6(1), 81-94. Retrieved from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/6310/.

 

Scaffolding of Project-based Learning of Hardware Design via Test Automation

cdtlsd Poster , , ,

Rajesh C. PANICKER

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering,
College of Design and Engineering (CDE)

*rajesh@nus.edu.sg

 

Panicker, R. C. (2023). Scaffolding of project-based learning of hardware design via test automation [Poster presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/scaffolding-of-project-based-learning-of-hardware-design-via-test-automation/
 

SUB-THEME

Others

 

KEYWORDS

Project-based learning, scaffolding, self-checking testbench

 

CATEGORY

Poster Presentations

 

INTRODUCTION

The technological revolution that we are witnessing is enabled by advances in hardware design, and hence designing powerful computing hardware is a popular topic. The course EE4218 “Embedded Hardware System Design” at NUS is designed to provide students with the knowledge and experience in designing a complete system that involves custom hardware and software. However, hardware design is a field with a relatively steep learning curve. Project-based learning (PBL) is a powerful technique frequently employed in engineering courses (Hadim et al, 2002). In EE4218, students learn hardware design and hardware-software co-design concepts through a project that involves developing a system that performs a classification task using a neural network, accelerated using a custom co-processor written in a hardware description language (HDL).

 

CHALLENGES IN PBL OF HARDWARE DESIGN

To ensure the success of PBL, appropriate scaffolding is crucial (Condliffe et al., 2017). This is especially the case with hardware design, where evaluating the functionality of the design after each change can take substantial time and effort. Students incur several tens of minutes, even for minor changes, if they test it directly as a full system. If the result obtained is not as intended, there is no easy mechanism to debug the mistake. This can be a demotivating factor for students, based on the qualitative comments from past student feedback. This is despite providing some scaffolding in the form of a series of four labs, with a wiki (Panicker, 2023) used as a platform for information dissemination and interaction. Though there are no user-friendly tools that exist for full-system simulation (to the best of the author’s knowledge), the co-processor (a component of the system that is the main design challenge) can be tested to a good extent via simulation of the HDL code. While students were required to test the co-processor via simulation in the past, many students did not do so given the complexity of creating an HDL testbench for this purpose. This resulted in them trying directly as a full system, with less than desirable outcomes.

 

SCAFFOLDING VIA TEST AUTOMATION

In order to provide further scaffolding, in a subsequent semester, a sample automated (self-checking) testbench (Bergeron et al, 2012) was provided. This allowed some level of automation in testing their designs in simulation before venturing into full-system testing. Students could use the provided testbench to test a simple skeleton hardware code provided and modify it to test their own hardware in an automated manner. The stimulus (inputs) and the desired response (outputs) can be stored in a text file, which is then used by the testbench to determine the functionality of the HDL code. To ensure that students make use of this self-checking testbench, it was made a mandatory requirement for the first lab itself. Testing via simulation using a testbench also allows students more options for debugging, as opposed to a full-system test. It also provides more instantaneous feedback for the students.

 

RESULTS

The use of the provided self-checking testbench before a full-system test improved the students’ ability to meet the project requirements substantially. The number of students who managed to meet the outcome of implementing a functional system with a HDL-based co-processor increased from 74% (class size: 43) to 89% (class size: 36). The qualitative comments, as well as the module learning outcome survey, also showed improvements, though these could be due to a combination of factors and not necessarily due to the intervention detailed here alone.

 

CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE WORK

The primary outcome/student achievement from the project improved significantly after the introduction of a self-checking testbench as a scaffold. Hence, we believe the intervention is an improvement, though it does take away the students’ chance to design a testbench from scratch. Future directions include exploring options to do larger-scale, system-level testing through simulation.

 

REFERENCES

Bergeron, J., (2012). Writing testbenches: functional verification of HDL models. Springer Science & Business Media.

Condliffe, B., (2017). Project-based learning: A literature review. Working Paper. MDRC.

Hadim, H. A., & Esche, S. K. (2002, November). Enhancing the engineering curriculum through project-based learning. In 32nd Annual Frontiers in Education (Vol. 2, pp. F3F-F3F). IEEE.

Panicker, R. C., (2023). EE4218 Labs. https://wiki.nus.edu.sg/display/ee4218

 

Student Feedback on an Online Scientific Inquiry Course: Lessons Learned

cdtlsd Poster , , , ,

Reuben Manjit SINGH, Seow Chong LEE, Yuan Yuan CHEW, and Foong May YEONG
Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (YLLSOM)

*bchyfm@nus.edu.sg

 

Singh, R. M., Lee, S. C., Chew, Y. Y., & Yeong, F. M. (2023). Student feedback on an online scientific inquiry course: Lessons learned [Poster presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/student-feedback-on-an-online-scientific-inquiry-course-lessons-learned/ 

SUB-THEME

Interdisciplinarity and Education

 

KEYWORDS

Multidisciplinary, nature of science, student feedback, fully online

 

CATEGORY

Poster Presentation 

 

INTRODUCTION

As part of the Common Curriculum, students enrolled in the College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS) read Scientific Inquiry (SI) courses. In our SI course “From DNA to Gene Therapy”, we used the notion of the Nature of Science (NOS) (McComas & Olson, 2002) to explore scientific practices from different disciplines (Schwartz et al., 2004). These included the scientific method, and the history and sociology of scientific endeavours. Our multidisciplinary course afforded students different lenses through which they could view the practices of science and could potentially ease them into subsequent interdisciplinarity courses (Diphoorn et al., 2023). Here we describe our analysis of students’ feedback to understand their perceptions on a fully online multidisciplinary course.

 

METHODS

Course information

The course HSI2003 “From DNA to Gene Therapy” was taught in semester II, Academic Year 2022/23. Yeong F. M. was the course coordinator with Lee S. C. and R. M. Singh serving as tutors. The course enrolment comprised 78 students mostly from the Faculty of Science. The course was fully online, with recorded lectures hosted on Canvas, and virtual tutorials held on MS Teams. For assessments, students were graded on individual quizzes, group assignments, and a summative essay. The quizzes were mainly content-based while the tutorial questions, group projects, and individual summative essay required students to discuss different aspects of scientific practices.

Coding of student feedback

Content analysis (Cohen et al., 2011) was performed on students’ end-of-year formal feedback. The anonymous comments were coded independently by R. M. Singh and Lee S. C. after a preliminary discussion. The codes were then categorised based on common themes.

 

RESULTS

We received 48 unique comments from students’ feedback. These were coded into 19 positive and 31 negative codes (Table 1). 72.2% of the positive codes were related to how the students found the topics approachable and interesting. These were categorised into the theme of overall course content. 27.8% pertained to self-directed learning, and were categorised into lectures. The negative codes were derived from comments on assignments and tutorials. Where assignments (51.6%) were concerned, the students felt dissatisfied at the release dates of assignments, digital platform used for group assignments, and the uneven distribution of workload within the group. For tutorials (48.4%), students disliked the online format, and preferred them to be held physically.

 

Table 1
Positive and negative student feedback classified by themes

Positive and negative student feedback classified by themes

 

DISCUSSION

As this was the first run of our course, it is informative to analyse students’ feedback. Indeed, their positive comments on the content are surprising. Nonetheless, they imply that multidisciplinary, and potentially, interdisciplinary content could be well-accepted by both science and non-science students if the contents were packaged and delivered appropriately. However, these are inadequate for good student learning experiences. It appears that post-pandemic, while students prefer didactic lectures to remain online for self-directed learning, they want group-based tutorials to be face-to-face due to constraints in the online environment. For instance, students were able to keep their cameras off during tutorials, and this led to a lack of facial and body cues that reduced engagement and hampered collaboration. Also, as students did not meet face-to-face, there was low level of accountability among group members. Based on the feedback, we have planned solutions for the subsequent semesters to address various issues (Table 2). By accounting for students’ feedback as part of our continuous improvement cycle, we hope to provide better student learning experiences in subsequent semesters.

 

Table 2
Issues identified and potential solutions

Issues identified and potential solutions

 

REFERENCES 

Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2011). Research Methods in Education (7th ed.). Routledge.

Diphoorn, T., McGonigle Leyh, B., Knittel, S. C., Huysmans, M., & Goch, M. V. (2023). Traveling concepts in the classroom : experiences in interdisciplinary education. Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, 12 (S1), 1–14. Retrieved from https://www.ojed.org/index.php/jise/article/view/4844

McComas, William F, & Olson, J. K. (2002). The nature of science in international science education standards documents. In W. F McComas (Ed.), The Nature of Science in Science Education, Science & Technology Education Library, vol 5 (Issue 1996, pp. 41–52). Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-47215-5_2

Schwartz, R., Lederman, N. G., & Crawford, B. a. (2004). Developing views of nature of science in an authentic context: An explicit approach to bridging the gap between nature of science and scientific inquiry. Science Education, 88(4), 610–45. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.10128

 

Upskilling for Success: Job Placement Through Skill Development

cdtlsd Poster , , , , ,

Suresh H. PUNJABI
School of Continuing and Lifelong Education (SCALE)

*tomchua@nus.edu.sg

 

Punjabi, S. (2023). Upskilling for Success: Job placement through skill development [Poster presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/upskilling-for-success-job-placement-through-skill-development/

SUB-THEME

Communities and Education 

 

KEYWORDS

Skill development, job placement, upskilling, reskilling, career development

 

CATEGORY

Poster Presentation 

 

ABSTRACT

Technological advancements and evolving methodologies have led to the emergence of new job roles that require updated skill sets. To remain relevant in the workforce, individuals must refresh and expand their skill sets. The necessity of skill development for job placement is evident, both for individuals entering the job market and those already employed.

 

Entering the job market, possessing the right skills for specific roles is critical. Employers seek candidates who have the necessary skills to succeed in their desired positions. As such, job seekers invest in skill development to enhance their employability and increase their chances of successful job placement.

 

Similarly, even those already employed must continuously acquire new skills to stay relevant. The introduction of new technologies demands that professionals continually update their skill sets to meet changing work requirements. Upskilling and reskilling programmes serve as essential tools for retaining the current workforce and enabling employees to navigate the demands of the modern job market effectively.

 

Skill development through upskilling and reskilling plays a vital role in successful job placement. Job seekers must focus on acquiring the right skills to meet employers’ evolving needs, while individuals already employed must embrace continuous learning to remain competitive. By recognising the importance of skill development and investing in upskilling initiatives, individuals can enhance their career prospects and ensure long-term employability in a rapidly changing job market.

 

The success of the NUS SGUnited Skills (SGUS) programme stands as a testament to the transformative power of targeted skill development. Incorporating imperative measures in care and career guidance, NUS further prepares job seekers by ensuring skills relevance as well as providing special counselling for trainees to help them cope and remain motivated during the training. These training interventions effectively helped bridge the gap between job seekers and the dynamic labour market, and has supported the placement of 152 job seekers in a volatile market during the pandemic.

 

The Adult Educator Framework: Effective Approaches Towards Andragogy

cdtlsd Poster , , , , ,

Brian TAN Yeow Hui* and Zera LIM Chun Xi
School of Continuing and Lifelong Education (SCALE)

*brian.b@nus.edu.sg

 

Tan, Y. H., & Lim, C. X. (2023). The Adult Educator Framework: Effective approaches towards andragogy [Poster presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/the-adult-educator-framework-effective-approaches-towards-andragogy/ 

SUB-THEME

Interdisciplinarity and Education 

 

KEYWORDS

Adult Educator Framework, andragogy, learner-centric approaches, assessment and evaluation, lifelong learning

 

CATEGORY

Poster Presentation 

 

ABSTRACT

The Adult Educator Framework focuses on effective approaches towards andragogy, the discipline of upskilling adult learners. The key components of the framework aims to enhance adult education experiences.

 

The framework recognises the distinct characteristics of adult learners and tailors instructional practices accordingly. It emphasises learner-cantred approaches, participatory learning methodologies, individualised instruction, and the creation of a supportive and inclusive learning environment. By adopting these strategies, educators can engage adult learners and maximise learning outcomes.

 

Assessment and evaluation play a crucial role in the Adult Educator Framework. By utilising diverse and inclusive assessment strategies, educators can measure learning outcomes, evaluate progress, and provide constructive feedback. This approach supports continuous improvement and enables learners to monitor their own growth and development.

 

The Adult Educator Framework serves as a guide for educators to design, implement, and assess adult learning experiences. It provides a foundation for effective andragogy practices, empowering educators to create dynamic, learner-centred environments. By understanding the unique characteristics and needs of adult learners and utilising effective approaches, educators can foster the growth, development, and success of adult learners, enabling them to achieve their lifelong learning aspirations.

 

Is Artificial Intelligence Better Than Human-controlled Doctor for Virtual Reality Interprofessional Simulation Training?

cdtlsd Poster , , , ,

Sok Ying LIAW1*, Jian Zhi TAN1, Khairul Dzakirin Bin Rusli1, Rabindra RATAN2, Wentao ZHOU1, Siriwan LIM1, Tang Ching LAU3, Betsy SEAH1, and Wei Ling CHUA1

1Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies
2Department of Media & Information, Michigan State University
3Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine

*nurliaw@nus.edu.sg

 

Liaw, S. Y., Tan, J. Z., Khairul Dzakirin Rusli, Ratan, R., Zhou, W., Lim, S., Lau, T. C., Seah, B., & Chua, W. L. (2023). Is artificial intelligence better than human-controlled doctor for virtual reality interprofessional simulation training [Poster presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/is-artificial-intelligence-better-than-human-controlled-doctor-for-virtual-reality-interprofessional-simulation-training/ 
 

SUB-THEME

AI and Education 

 

KEYWORDS

Artificial intelligence, interprofessional education, sepsis care, interprofessional communication, virtual reality simulation

 

CATEGORY

Poster Presentation 

 

BACKGROUND

A multi-user virtual reality simulation (VRS) has shown to be an effective learning strategy to prepare medical and nursing students for sepsis team training. However, its scalability is limited by human-controlled avatars and unequal cohort sizes between nursing and medical students. Given the unequal medical and nursing cohort sizes (e.g., 300 medical students versus 1500 nursing students), it is unlikely that all nursing students have the opportunity to form interprofessional teams with medical students to engage in doctor-nurse team training. With evolving artificial intelligence (AI), an AI medical team player was developed and replaced the human-controlled avatar as the virtual doctor to enable more nursing students to engage in sepsis team training (Liaw et al., 2023).

 

AIM

To evaluate the effectiveness of an AI-powered doctor compared to the human-controlled doctor avatar in training nursing students for interprofessional communication and sepsis care.

 

METHODS

64 nursing students were recruited in the two-arm randomised controlled trial. While the participants in the intervention group went through sepsis team training with an AI-powered doctor, the participants in the control group had their training with human-controlled avatars controlled by medical students in virtual reality simulation. Pre-test and post-test questionnaires were administered to assess their sepsis knowledge and self-efficacy in interprofessional communication. Post-test simulation-based assessments were conducted to assess both groups’ sepsis and communication performance. The study was approved by the National University of Singapore institutional review board (ref no. NUS-IRB-2022-202).

 

KEY FINDINGS

Compared with the pre-test scores, both the intervention and control groups showed significant improvements in communication knowledge (P = .001) and self-efficacy in interprofessional communication (P < .001) in post-test scores. The intervention group demonstrated a significant improvement in post-test sepsis care knowledge (P <. 001), but not in the control group (P = .16). Although there were no significant differences in sepsis care performance between the groups (P = .39), the intervention group (mean 9.06, SD 1.78) had statistically significantly higher sepsis post-test knowledge scores than the control group (mean 7.75, SD 2.08). Similarly, there were no significant differences in interprofessional communication performance between the two groups (P = .21). However, the control group (mean 69.6, SD 14.4) reported a significantly higher level of self-efficacy in interprofessional communication than the intervention group (mean 60.1, SD 13.3).

 

LIMITATIONS

Despite evaluating participants’ performance through simulation-based assessment and observation using validated tools, our study did not measure the long-term retention of knowledge and level of self-efficacy in interprofessional communication. Therefore, future studies could evaluate outcomes over a longer period and measure the impact in the clinical setting.

 

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study supported the sustainability of implementing AI-powered doctors in virtual reality simulation to achieve expansibility in sepsis team training. With its practicality, AI-enabled virtual reality simulation is a promising strategy to train large number of nursing students and clinical nurses across educational and healthcare institutions in delivering quality and safe patient care. This learning platform could also extend to international institutions for the opportunity of international collaboration. The findings from our study also suggested future evaluation of various blended learning approaches using AI-powered VRS with human-controlled VRS and face-to-face simulation-based interprofessional learning to optimise clinical performance in sepsis care and interprofessional communication.

 

REFERENCE

Liaw, S. Y., Tan, J. Z., Bin Rusli, K. D., Ratan, R., Zhou, W., Lim, S., Lau, T. C., Seah, B., & Chua, W. L. (2023). Artificial intelligence versus human-controlled doctor in virtual reality simulation for sepsis team training: Randomized controlled study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 25, e47748. https://doi.org/10.2196/47748

 

Unpacking Students’ Development of Empathy And Skills in the Informal Curriculum of a Residential College in Singapore

cdtlsd Poster , , , , , ,

Lavanya BALACHANDRAN*, Sue CHANG-KOH, and LIM Xin Yi
College of Alice & Peter Tan (CAPT)

*lavanyab@nus.edu.sg

 

Balachandran, L., Chang-Koh, S., & Lim, X. Y. (2023). Unpacking students’ development of empathy and skills in the informal curriculum of a residential college in Singapore [Poster presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/unpacking-students-development-of-empathy-and-skills-in-the-informal-curriculum-of-a-residential-college-in-singapore/ 
 

SUB-THEME

Communities and Education 

 

KEYWORDS

Service-learning, community engagement, student-led, empathy, skills, learning outcomes

 

CATEGORY

Poster Presentation 

 

ABSTRACT

Service-learning has been identified as an effective pedagogy for students across various age cohorts (Steinke & Fitch, 2007) with many benefits such as cognitive development and personal growth (Everhart, 2016), including empathy development (Gordon et al., 2022). This is because service-learning programmes provide the platform to engage with various communities and real-world issues where students gain ‘ground-up’ knowledge and acquire skills (Prentice & Robinson, 2010).

 

In Singapore, service-learning pedagogies have been incorporated into the curriculum of public schools and institutes of higher learning (IHLs) (Service learning and greater flexibility for incoming undergraduates at NUS, 2021; Tan, 2009). Additionally, some IHLs have also incorporated them into living and learning programmes (LLPs), which are residence-based programmes that focus on specific academic themes, through formal and informal curricula (Inkelas, 2008; Mukhopadhyay & Tambyah, 2019).

 

This poster presentation draws from a qualitative research study conducted in a Singapore undergraduate residential college (henceforth referred to as the college) that has community engagement (CE) and active citizenship as its core ethos. In particular, it examines the impact of student-led CE programmes in the informal curriculum focusing on how empathy and skills—two out of the four intended learning outcomes (ILOs) of the CE programme in the college—are perceived to be developed, enhanced and sustained for students.

 

This study is based on in-depth interviews with 19 students over their two-year residency in the college. The interviews were conducted in three phases, spanning the residency period to track the students’ aspirations, expectations, and perceptions of their CE experiences. Thematic coding was conducted using NVivo to analyse the interview data.

 

Findings from this research suggest that:

(a) CE programmes effectively facilitate the development of empathy in students when grounded in curated, intentional learning experiences. Meeting and engaging with the various communities experientially catalyse affective empathy development, especially when augmented by other learning modalities, including pre-engagement and post-reflection activities.

(b) the type of student involvement results in differentiated pathways in skills acquisition. Leaders and non-leader participants have different tasks and expectations of their engagements. Hence, their varied experiences in these CE programmes result in the acquisition of different skills.

 

This research sheds light on how the adaptation of service-learning in the informal curriculum of a residential college, particularly when reconfigured into student-led programmes, significantly impacts on student learning. It also highlights the importance of focusing on experiential learning and providing opportunities for role variety in these programmes, as they enhance the development of empathy and skills in students. This study also provides suggestions to expand on these findings to explore how students should leverage different CE opportunities and explore various participatory roles to maximise their learning outcomes.

 

 

REFERENCES 

Gordon, C. S., Pink, M. A., Rosing, H., & Mizzi, S. (2022). A systematic meta-analysis and meta-synthesis of the impact of service-learning programs on university students’ empathy. Educational Research Review, p,37, 100490. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2022.100490

Everhart, R. S. (2016). Teaching tools to improve the development of empathy in service-learning students. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 20(2), 129-54. https://openjournals.libs.uga.edu/jheoe/article/view/1281

Inkelas, K. K. (2008). Innovative directions for living-learning programs research and practice. Journal of College and University Student Housing, 35(1), 8–13.

Mukhopadhyay, K., & Tambyah, S. K. (2019). Where freshmen aspirations meet reality: Factors Influencing the learning outcomes of a living-and-learning program in an Asian university. Higher Education Research and Development, 38(5), 1015–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2019.1598337

Service learning and greater flexibility for incoming undergraduates at NUS. (2021, February 26). NUS News. https://news.nus.edu.sg/service-learning-and-greater-flexibility-for-incoming-undergraduates-at-nus/

Prentice, M., & Robinson, G. (2010). Improving student learning outcomes with service learning. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED535904.pdf

Steinke, P., & Fitch, P. (2007). Assessing service-learning. Research & Practice in Assessment, 2, 24–29. https://www.rpajournal.com/assessing-service-learning/

Tan, K. P. (2009). Service learning outside the U.S.: Initial experiences in Singapore’s higher education. PS: Political Science &amp; Politics, 42(3), 549–57. https://doi.org/10.1017/s104909650909088x

 

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