Peer-Led Team Learning Model in a Graduate-Level Nursing

The peer-led team learning (PLTL) model was introduced into a graduate-level course in health economics at our school of nursing. We believed this collaborative learning program, emphasizing peer-to-peer interaction to solve complex problems, would increase student engagement and mastery of course content. The course was redesigned to accommodate a weekly 1-hour workshop conducted by peer leaders. To gain better understanding of the eff ect of the PLTL model, focus groups were conducted at the end of the course. Evaluation of the focus group discussions showed that peer-led workshops helped students understand the subject matter. The opportunity to discuss concepts taught during lecture with their peers helped deepen students’ understanding of the material and apply this knowledge in the classroom. These fi ndings support continuation of the PLTL model in future health economics classes and suggest that this approach may be benefi cial in other graduate level-nursing courses. F inding a successful teaching method is a continuously evolving task. Trends in Health Economics, Policy, and Regulations is a required course for students in two graduate programs at our school of nursing. Due to limited exposure to economics, many students fi nd this course to be one of the most challenging in their program. The course professor was also challenged to fi nd a method to help students both understand the material and gain confi dence in their ability to successfully complete the course. Peer-led team learning (PLTL), a collaborative learning model emphasizing student interaction, had been successfully integrated into selected courses at the university. Results from this program convinced the professor to introduce the model at the school of nursing. The objective of this article is to explain the implantation of the PLTL model in a school of nursing graduate health economics course and describe students’ perceptions and responses to PLTL.