Abstract
Prof. Pui Hang Edmond Choi, Associate Professor, School of Nursing, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, HKU
Mr. Ho Lung Wong, Research Assistant, School of Nursing, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, HKU
Genomic science is foundational for understanding the pathophysiology of complex diseases such as cancer, neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders, and metabolic conditions. For pre-registration nursing students, a strong grasp of genomic concepts not only supports clinical competence but also opens pathways to specialized roles such as genetic nurse—encompassing risk assessment, genetic analysis, counselling, and patient education. However, genomic science is often perceived as abstract and challenging, leading to reduced motivation and engagement. Large class sizes further limit opportunities for personalized feedback and one-to-one academic support.
To address these issues, the current proposal aims to introduce student peer tutor programme providing academic support to enhance pre-registration nursing students’ engagement in genomic science class. Meanwhile, the programme is expected to benefit student peer tutors by improving their interpersonal and communication skills and provides them a platform to obtain teaching hours for fellowship application of Advance Higher Education (UK). In the programme, student peer tutors and lecturers co-designed the lesson plan and co-construct teaching materials including online discussion forum (Padlet), in-class assessment (Word hunting game), mini videos explaining the genetic causes of diseases, clinical genetic screening test and playful DNA/RNA/Amino acid boardgame to promote the learning of complex concepts of genomic sciences.
Our study adopts a mixed method approach and reveals that there is a substantial increase in the levels of pre-registration nursing students’ engagement after the integration of peer tutor programme. Positive feedback were received in the semi-structured interview. Selected examples: ‘Genomic science class delivered via student peer tutor programme are enjoyable’, ‘Student peer tutors can deliver the message from students’ perspectives and give timely feedback’ ‘I can participate in the playful boardgame to learn DNA transcription and mRNA translation’ and ‘I do not feel embarrassed when I ask student peer tutors’ question’.