Content Experts
Research on the topic of content expertise has been done in the field of medical education. Traditionally, medical education was delivered in large lecture format by content experts. In the 1960s, Problem-based learning was first introduced at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. Problem-based learning involves small groups working within a tutorial system. Students are encouraged to brainstorm within the group and generate questions based on the scenario they are working on. Problem-based learning fosters self-directed learning, with the teacher taking on a new role as a facilitator, using their expertise only subtly and sparingly. This style of learning is built on collaborative learning work theory. Students with a common interest are encouraged to reflect, share their thoughts with their peers and develop analytical thinking and communication skills during the process. The break from the true collaborative approach is in having an authority figure present.
Supporters of the truly collaborative approach feel that there is no need for that authority to be a content expert. However, studies conducted at several medical schools across Canada, the USA and Europe dispute this idea. For example, in an analysis of student performance following small group experiences with experts and non expert tutors, students at the University of Michigan Medical School rated their experiences with content experts significantly higher than those led by non-experts. They felt that even though an expert tutor may ask the same questions as a non-expert tutor, that the expert was more inclined to ask the questions at the most opportune time and was better able to reframe the question in a way that was more valuable to the students. Ultimately, the students who were assigned to the groups led by content experts scored significantly higher on their final exam. In another study, conducted at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, it was determined that expert tutors use their knowledge to ask more effective questions and are better equipped to keep the groups from floundering. This raises the question of whether a process expert can adequately assess student progress and determine when intervention is optimal and beneficial.
Read more about this topic: Tutor Expertise In Adult Education
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