Can we use creative free rein to enhance student skill learning?

Abstract

Tasks which are solely formative sometimes suffer from a lack of student engagement, however these tasks are often included to teach students essential skills and the intended benefit is in engaging with the process not necessarily the finished outcome. In this study a traditional task (5 minute PowerPoint presentation on cancer treatments) was replaced with a creative approach to encourage engagement. The hypothesis was that by giving the students creative free rein to choose their topic and presentation method they would engage more fully with the process. The groups were told to select a topic related to cancer which they thought had made a significant contribution to our understanding, diagnosis or treatment and present it in whatever means they felt was most suitable for the topic. The result was enhanced engagement and effort in developing and delivering the presentation. The students also appeared more confident and knowledgeable when answering questions related to their topic. This pilot study suggests that free rein to be creative in formative tasks may encourage students to engage more fully with the process and develop enhanced skills.