Inquiry-Based Learning - Essay Example

Introduction Enquiry based learning (EBL) is widely applied in universities and other high education institutes in many parts of the world. It has wide applications in medicine, geography, engineering, and English. In EBL students have the opportunity to control their learning to get what they need. In EBL the student takes the front role in acquisition of knowledge and is self-directed facilitating deeper learning and experience out of the lecture halls. Enquiry based learning can be of varying forms in different disciplines. However, whatever format an EBL can take the concept remains the same. In general enquiry based learning avoids the spoon feeding kind of teaching experienced during lectures and reading lists but rather allows students to try theory they have learnt in class by themselves. The tutor takes a back seat and is only there to guide rather than dictate, the students split into groups and go to learn in they see best for them. Study area: Nursing: Fatigue Group: 3 Aim of study: Discover the causes, symptoms, treatment effects and the coping strategies of fatigue Meeting 1(Group 3) The meeting was held on the students of nursing main hall Members of the group present: Mark, Steve, Anna, Willie, Jessie. Agenda: The following is the agenda of the day's meeting: a. Laying down ground rules for effective teamwork b. Division of labor among ourselves c. Aims to be achieved before the next meeting. d. Set date for next group meeting. Regarding the first item and for effective work the following rules were agreed upon by all members to be adhered to. 1. Each member to contribute to the team equally 2. Meetings will be twice a week Monday and Friday at 5 p.m. 3. reports and feedback on specific area of study to be presented every Friday 4. punctuality in all group meetings The following were assigned to the respective research areas: Name role in team project Mark Chairperson Photographer Gertrude Scribe Interview patients Jessie Academic literature collector Newspaper researcher Anna Academic literature distributor Interview residents Steve Distributing meeting notes Information from other sources. The group members were to meet in the next meeting with every member having researched enough /her area of allocation. The next meeting to be held on Monday of the coming week and all members left for the field. The main objective of the study is to identify the treatment measures of fatigue and the treatment strategies. It would also be important to hear from the patients of the causes of the disorder though it had already been covered in class. Presentation: Gertrude: have you noticed that most fatigue patients are women Or is that its women report the defect more frequently than men Debbie: I think more women report the disorder than men and in most cases reported the women are aged between 40 - 50 years. It does not get better with bed rest but gets worse with increased mental and physical activity. Petrina: (starting on the computer) most patients are reported to have had an infection such as flu, viral infection and after a long time of a lot of stress. Debbie: some cases have also been recorded after an of infection of the nervous system, lack of iron in the blood and low blood sugar, Gertrude: What are the main causes of the disease Maybe there are underlying causes which affect Mrs. White which we do not know. Debbie: Good idea, understand the cause will help in the treatment of other patients. Petrina: Gertrude, you wanted to go and join your fellow students; maybe you should go and see what is going on the main ward as we find more information for you. Gertrude: (leaving hurriedly) let me interact with the patients. I'll like to know more about their condition. Debbie: I hope we will find the right diagnosis for Mrs. White; she has been for long enough. Gertrude: hallo Mrs. White, am just hoping your condition will get better soon so that you won't again need a commode to relieve yourself on. Mrs. White: I couldn't get myself to the toilet I had to help myself in the commode. Am not happy in this condition, look forward to the day I will be myself again. Gertrude: Mrs. White, have you had any infections in the near past before you started experiencing signs of fatigue Mrs. White: (answering angrily) what are you up to you are not the doctor, why do have to know if have been sick in the past or not. Gertrude: You see Mrs. White you have been here for one week now and it seems you have not improved, am only trying to find a way to help you so that you can get out of here as soon as possible. Mrs. White: just two weeks ago I had completed medication after being diagnosed suffering from a viral infection Epstein-Barr virus; I am also allergic to cold weather. Falis: (looking to Petrina) I also have been sick in recent past and was diagnosed to have having low blood pressure and low blood sugar, could it be the course of my suffering of fatigue Gertrude: it could be the reason Falis; we just have got to know your past because it would help us to give you the right medication. Mrs. White: I have also been suffering from depression since my husband passed away. I have been trying coping strategies but they seem not to be helping me, it's just been a tough time for me. Gertrude : really the disease seems to be complex I know now some causes which I had never imagined of before like lack of proper functioning of the immune system for example in cases of rheumatoid arthritis and lupus and changes in the production levels of hormones produced mainly by the adrenal glands and the pituitary glands. Gertrude: I have been talking to patients and what I have heard is quite strange including stress and viral infections, allergies and low blood sugar. Debbie: actually those are just but a few of the causes. I think there's more we need to know about the patients so that we can help them to cope since there is no proper diagnosis of the disease. Petrina: it's also important to know how the condition has affected their lives so that we can advise them on the cooping strategies and self care once they leave this place. Gertrude: I also need to know on the prevention strategies which they can use on their children and other family members. Getrude: (walking out) are our medicines be ineffective Our patients don't respond as fast as it should be. Some patients including Mrs. White have been for one week its ridiculous. Debbie: our current medicines do not offer treatment; actually the condition has no cure currently. We only aim to reduce the signs and symptoms of the disease by using a combination of medicines. Petrina: (walking into the visitors waiting room she finds Mrs. White's visitor had not yet left, behind her is Gertrude) you mean you are still here, thought you will come another time when your patient feels like she can see someone. Visitor: I thought so but I think I should know about the condition that is affecting. I really feel for her am worried about the complications that may result from the condition if it is not checked early enough. What have you observed on her since time of admission Petrina: well... we are doing our best to ensure at least the situation improves. For her the complications that arise from the medicines we use here are not yet observed she is responding well to the drugs. But she is suffering from depression, which I think is due to the fact that her husband passed away sometime in the near past. Visitor: I think you are right, I observed that even before she came when she was at home. Gertrude: she told me that when I talked to. It must be affecting her real much. She also has a complication of side effects of lack of activity. She is always feeling lazy she can't even carry herself to the toilet she has to use a commode all the time. How was she carrying out her daily business at home Visitor: actually it has been very hard for her since she started suffering from fatigue. She seems so much isolated socially from her friends since she can not even visit her friends, apart from that going to work has been a problem she cant make it to work. Her lifestyle has changed drastically, Mrs. White was one of the most outgoing women, she loved going to have fun but that is no more. Petrina: all those are due to the condition that is affecting her now; it is really a complicated situation. Visitor: what treatment do you offer for the patients Petrina: actually the disease has no cure but we encourage our patients to slow down and to avoid excessive physical and psychological stress and avoid too much rest because it worsens the situation. Also we have physical therapist that puts the patients on a physical program gradually and it really works well. Visitor: has Mrs. White been engaged in such exercises Petrina: she is getting into it well but we first had to put her on cognitive behavior therapy, where she is working with a mental health professional to recognize what may be preventing her quick recovery and replace it with health ones. She is also using antidepressants to get rid of the immense depression. Gertrude: is there any complimentary medication that can be used in case the treatment doesn't work well Visitor: I was also thinking the current medication is not working well for Mrs. White because it's a week now she is bed ridden the: longest since she acquired the condition. Petrina: Dietary supplements and herbal remedies can have potential benefits for people with chronic fatigue syndrome. But we don't advise our patients to go for herbal remedies because their effectiveness has not been proved under controlled studies to guarantee safety. Visitor: can dietary medication be combined with the medication you give the patients here or does it interfere with their function in any way Petrina: not really, they usually combine very well. There are also some complementary therapies that benefit such patients by promoting a sense of well being and reducing anxiety. They can be deep breathing and muscle relaxation techniques, massage and healing touch and stretching. Gertrude: How are signs of the disease different from the signs of other common diseases I suppose it must have contributed to her late coming to hospital. Petrina: actually even doctors find it difficult to diagnose the disease, in addition there is no specific laboratory test for the disease. Instead they exclude certain conditions for reaching on s decision to diagnose for fatigue syndrome for example being severely obese or having a past diagnosis on a depression disorder or a previous illness like cancer that can cause fatigue and having used medicines that can cause fatigue. Visitor: Are there any preventive measures one to avoid such a condition. Petrina: there is no known way to prevent the illness from occurring you anly need to be aware of signs of chronic fatigue and seek help of your doctor to manage them when they occur. I think I should go and see what the doctor has recommended for the patients. He must be around. Gertrude: I will like to know what the doctor has recommended for Mrs. White. Petrina: (leaving the visitors room) I'll be back to let you know. Petrina: Debbie, where are the doctors recommendations Debbie: check them on the drawer Petrina: (going back to the visitors room), Mrs. White has been discharged but she has to take into account a number of self care strategies and coping strategies such as reducing stress by allowing herself time to rest, getting enough sleep and exercising regularly starting slowly and continuing gradually and maintaining a healthy lifestyle of taking a balanced diet, drink plenty of fluids. Visitor: how is she going to cope with the situation because she is already affected Petrina: the symptoms will gradually decrease and eventually she will recover. She may be required to come for emotional support and canceling she may also join a support group where she will meet other people suffering from the disorder. Gertrude: let's go and get her out and make sure you follow strictly of the self care and coping strategies. She will be okay soon. Visitor: (leaving the visitor's room to the sickbay) everyone cares for her and misses her we want her well as quick as possible. Petrina: Mrs. White, I think it's your time to go home; I have given your visitor what you need when you will be at home. In case the condition gets worse again you can always come for treatment. Mrs. White: (looking at her for the first time) hello Jennifer my daughter, happy you. Visitor: happy to get to you home, let's go. Thanks Petrina for you advise. Problems Encountered In Ebl Learning Some members do no participate in the activities and do not attend or contribute to their respective areas of study. 1. Some member of the group wanted to dictate what was to be done without considering the opinions of the other members of the group. 2. At the beginning of the EBL process the making of decisions seemed hard because the members were not sure of what was required of them. 3. The weaker members of the group did not get the tough jobs, and hence given the lighter jobs. So they are likely not to have benefited from the process. 4. Some members have to work an extra mile to cover unsatisfactory work done by other members so as not to affect the group overall mark. Impact of the Study During the enquiry based learning students gained knowledge on a wide array of topics which included the causes, effects and coping strategies among others of fatigue. The study helped the students in a great deal to advance their literature skills to a higher leveling addition to gaining knowledge on how to analyze and synthesize information. Consequently they learnt to work independently through cooperate interactions among themselves. Reflection Most lectures underestimate the ability of their students of getting own knowledge and experience. From the research that was carried out by various students on various fields it is evident that students have the capacity to teach their lecturers as much as they can teach them. For a better gain of information it would be better if the students got more time for discussion so as to assimilate the new material they got into a harmonized paper. This method of learning is particularly essential in large topics where the topic can be dived into group presentations and further to individual research. References 1. Ashby, J., Hubert V., et al. (2003). An enquiry based experience. An evaluation project. McGraw hill. New York. 2. Kahn P., Roulke O. (2004). Guide to enquiry based learning. Manchester University press. Manchester. 3. Palmer, S. (2002). Enquiry-based learning to maximize a students potential. Rout ledge. London 4. Albanese, M. Mitchell, S. (1999). Teaching for quality learning at university. Open University Press. Buckingham 5. Edelson, D. C, et. al (2003) Improving student learning using enquiry Based Learning Approach. Manchester University Press. Manchester. 6. Jacob B., (2003). Enquiry Based Learning in Literary Studies in higher education. Kogan Page. London. 7. Sanin M., (2003). Designing causes for higher education. Open University press. Buckingham. 8. Brown, M. I., Doughty S., N., (2001). Interactive education: An emerging role for classroom studies. Liverpool. Read More