Peer-led team learning model in a graduate-level nursing course

Area of Science:

• Health Economics Education
• Nursing Education
• Collaborative Learning

Background:

• Graduate nursing education requires mastery of complex subjects like health economics.
• Traditional lecture formats may not fully engage all students or deepen conceptual understanding.
• The peer-led team learning (PLTL) model offers a collaborative alternative to enhance learning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the peer-led team learning (PLTL) model in a graduate-level health economics course.
• To assess the impact of PLTL on student engagement and mastery of course content.
• To explore student perceptions of a peer-led workshop format.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of the peer-led team learning (PLTL) model in a graduate health economics nursing course.
• Redesign of the course to include a weekly 1-hour peer-led workshop.
• Conducting end-of-course focus groups to gather student feedback on the PLTL model.

Main Results:

• Focus group evaluations indicated that peer-led workshops significantly improved students' understanding of health economics concepts.
• Students reported that discussing lecture material with peers deepened their comprehension and ability to apply knowledge.
• The PLTL model fostered greater student engagement with the complex subject matter.

Conclusions:

• The peer-led team learning (PLTL) model is effective in enhancing graduate nursing students' understanding of health economics.
• Continuation of the PLTL model is recommended for future health economics courses.
• The PLTL approach shows potential for improving learning outcomes in other graduate-level nursing courses.