Excellence in teaching

Sandra Carr is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and has recently been appointed as the co-ordinator of the Obstetric and Gynaecology programme in the undergraduate medical course. She received the Excellence in Teaching award for the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry in 1998. This award represents a joint effort by the Guild and the University to recognise and reward exemplary teaching.

I have been involved with undergraduate medical education in Western Australia for the last four years as a Midwife Tutor and started working for UWA as a lecturer in July 1998. During this time I have completed a Master in Public Health course with a dissertation on Program Evaluation of my own teaching program. I found that studying in this area while working as a teacher has greatly enhanced my own teaching skill development and understanding of student needs.

The medical students I meet are in the 5th and 6th years of their course. These are predominantly the clinical years where students learn to apply the theoretical knowledge they have gained. The major focus is upon the development of clinical, problem solving and interpersonal skills, which include the processes of reflection and self-evaluation. Essentially the students develop in these areas through active participation in the health care setting. They learn through their experience.

My teaching therefore is based upon experiential learning, reflective practice and adult learning theory. These domains include the use of student-centred approaches to teaching and learning, both in the classroom and clinical setting. Together these educational strategies encourage the development of medical graduates who have high academic knowledge and the ability to apply this knowledge.

In practice I believe that experiential learning provides the lessons we want students to learn only when we provide a supportive, positive learning environment for them. Students need to feel challenged to develop these skills but should not be placed in a threatening learning environment. In the area of Obstetrics and Gynaecology we attempt to achieve this by encouraging students to work as part of the health team. We offer opportunities to learn under supervision. For example, a student will work with a midwife to manage a woman’s labour from admission until after the birth. The student then spends time with the woman and her new baby during her post-birth hospitalisation.

Reflections of my teaching experiences result in predominantly positive images. I am constantly impressed with the level of enthusiasm and interest these medical students have for the subject area. They arrive excited but apprehensive at the thought of being involved in the birth process. Most leave stating they have been offered unique learning opportunities, have gained valuable insights into women’s health, and have felt useful and worthwhile in the clinical areas often for the first time in their medical course.

My suggestion for other teachers is to allow students' natural enthusiasm for knowledge to guide and infect you, involve the students in the process and enjoy yourself.