Open AccessThe critical friend – a way to develop as a tutor in problem-based learning groups
Author(s) -
Elaine Sjögren,
Anita Kärner Köhler
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
högre utbildning
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2000-7558
DOI - 10.23865/hu.v11.3313
Subject(s) - tutor , critical reflection , credibility , problem based learning , critical thinking , psychology , reflection (computer programming) , medical education , pedagogy , mathematics education , medicine , computer science , epistemology , philosophy , programming language
Tutors in problem-based learning (PBL) need to reflect on their role, to prevent stagnation. We aimed to explore the learning experiences of tutors gained by being and having a critical friend in a PBL group. Eight teachers, from several professional programs at the Faculty of Medicine of a Swedish university, participated in a cross-program activity involving the being and having a critical friend to improve their skills as PBL group tutors. They were individually interviewed, and the transcriptions were subjected to conventional qualitative content analysis. The results revealed that a critical friend from another discipline can be useful and that experiences from both roles, to be and to have a critical friend, is necessary for reflection and learning, and thus optimal results. We conclude that support from the organisation, knowledge sharing, and communication are required to enable a systematic use of critical friends to be implemented with credibility.