Embracing The Student Cohort Community (SCC): Facilitating self-directed and peer support on a Doctor of Health and Social Care (DHSC) programme.

Background The United Kingdom (UK) Council for Graduate Education, (UKCGE) (2002) state that, at doctoral level: Teaching has to become more a matter of guidance and mentoring than a didactic transfer process. The DHSC Programme, Teesside University addresses such recommendations by providing a challenging route of study for professionals working in dynamic health and social care environments.

Aim The presentation will illustrate how the Programme Team responded to the UKCGE (2002) demands By developing a creative Teaching and Learning Strategy (TLS), which supports the achievement of programme learning outcomes by moving from supervisory towards autonomous working with the support of the SCC.

The Student Cohort Community The SCC aims to provide: peer support to students in various stages of the programme through adopting the philosophy of shared learning founded on the principles of action learning.

The Student Cohort Community The SCC offers a balance of emotional and intellectual challenge through comradeship and insightful questioning which enables each member to act and learn effectively on three levels (Bird 2002). Firstly, to present the challenge to be tackled, secondly to explore what is being learned about oneself and thirdly the process of learning itself. These principles of action learning complement the programme which is about presenting, exploring and responding to challenge and change.

What is action learning (1)? Action learning is a process which involves: working on real challenges, using the knowledge and skills of a small group of people combined with skilled questioning, to re-interpret old and familiar concepts and produce fresh ideas.

How does action learning help students? Action learning gives students: a simple yet powerful tool for personal professional and research development the opportunity to work on real research problems and implement solutions to these problems – (management development which is learning by doing) a powerful way for student leaders to learn from other student leaders

What is an action learning set? An action learning set is a group of six to eight people who meet regularly with an action learning facilitator. They contract to meet – usually for five times over 12 to 15 months. Most learning sets are made up of peers who work at similar levels of responsibility.

Action learning used effectively has the potential to provide: Emotional support and intellectual challenge, Personal and professional growth, creation of a mechanism for iterative exploration of alternative action in light of new insights and change. Action learning has proven to be ideal; it focuses on bringing individuals together via the SCC where students ideas can be challenged in a supportive non-threatening environment

Case studies? I need some examples here

Conclusions The SCC encourages: sharing of experience, greater awareness of the values, expertise of professional groups and highlights areas in which a multidisciplinary approach can contribute to excellence in health and social care practice.