Abstract
The Bachelor of Science in Gerontology (BScG) Programme is a 2-year fulltime undergraduate programme aiming to develop students with a variety of knowledge and skills in aged care settings. However, prior to admission, students may not always have the experience of interacting with older adults in the community hence affecting their understanding of the needs from older adults and their perceptions towards the older population. Therefore, it would be important for the programme to provide meaningful opportunities across the curriculum for students in their first year of study to undergo experiential learning.
This proposed project is based on ground works of the preceding year by engaging students in direct contact with a dyad of caregiver-care recipient, who were referred by our community partners in Tai Po, Shatin, and Kwun Tong. Thirty students will be paired-up and be assigned to a dyad of caregiver-care recipient for a 1-year engagement with scheduled activities. The specific goals are to (a) promote social engagement of local communities; and (b) provide students with opportunities to learn from and interact with older adults.
In the Nethersole School of Nursing, the vision of the School is to serve the community with “Compassionate Care”. It is anticipated that students will gain additional insights by participating in reflective activities in class discussions; through writing assignments; and in meetings with teachers, other students, and professional staff members who provide support and services to the older adults at service-learning sites.
Brief write-up
Project objectives
The project is aimed to a) promote social engagement of local communities, and (b) provide students with opportunities to learn from and interact with older adults.
Activities, process and outcomes
3 micro-modules have been developed using voiceover and short videos. Each micro-module lasted for approximately 10 minutes and was built to include practical information about the skills on Communication skills; How to conduct home/ phone visits; and Using different assessment tools.
In term 1, 28 students were paired-up and assigned to a dyad of caregiver-care recipient. All student groups completed their initial visit with the dyads and provided basic health assessment. Prior to the engagement, the logistics and tasks of the service-learning programme were introduced and explained by our project team to ensure effective communication and understand of the intended learning outcomes.
In term 2, the 6th wave of COVID outbreak in HK had impound strict social distancing measures. We therefore partnered with another community project, who facilitated our students to conduct 2 extra phone-visits with 28 older people living in Sha Tin and Tai Po.
Deliverables and evaluation
The overall access rate to the Micro-Modules are >90% and it was considered satisfactory. To assess students’ experiences, a 9-item survey was created using an online webform. All students were invited to complete data collection. The data will be further analyzed after completion of the individual interviews for data triangulation.
Dissemination, diffusion, impact and sharing of good practices
The micro-modules produced were made available on the CUHK Blackboard and project website. To disseminate the good practices, we planned to present the project aim and overall implementation plan at an international conference on healthcare education.
Impact on teaching and learning
The impact of the project is deemed to be examined upon project completion. Yet, the favorable responses from preliminary evaluation suggested that the service-learning approach were welcomed and have prepared students to look at practical issues related to care of older people. Similar approach may be further extended to other related undergraduate programme so as to accommodate the emerging trends of university graduates becoming global citizens.
