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Understanding the Principles of Supervision and Coaching

Module description

In this module you will consider the strengths and limitations of a number of approaches to supervising, mentoring and coaching learners in clinical and education–based settings.  Useful concepts will include  Pendleton’s rules, the Set-Go method and Agenda Led, Outcomes-based feedback, as well as the underpinning principles of effective feedback in clinical education.

Module aims - intentions of the module

Nurses as students and professionals need to encourage all learners to improve and to identify those who need particular help. They also need feedback and mentoring on their own performance. This module builds on Understanding Education Essentials and will equip you with the necessary knowledge and skills to give effective feedback, supervise learners, identify struggling learners and provide appropriate support to them. In a similar manner to other modules, there is an emphasis on developing both in-depth knowledge and practical experience.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Demonstrate a theoretical understanding and application of a range of different feedback methodologies in healthcare education contexts and situations.(E)
• 2. Explain how learning characteristics and issues can be identified in practice and identify a variety of interventions and strategies to encourage learner remediation and improvement. (F; E)

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. Demonstrate understanding of the roles and responsibilities of regulatory and employing bodies in the provision and quality assurance of education in the health professions.(E)

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Critically appraise the importance of and own ability to provide constructive feedback to peers within the workplace and actively engage with feedback received on one’s own professional practice.(F;E)

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, an example of an overall structure is as follows:

The typical indicative content of your module includes

• Theories of feedback and feedback frameworks; Pendleton, the Set-Go method and Agenda-led, Outcome-based.
• Learners understanding of and responses to feedback.
• Assessing prior learning and determining learning needs
• The role of statutory regulatory bodies in ensuring standards.
• Other stakeholders’ role in defining standards.
• The concept of ‘coaching’
• Learners in difficulty; causes, recognition and remediation.
• The limitations of remediation.
• Providing feedback to colleagues.
• Receiving feedback form colleagues.
• Face-to-face scheduled lectures may be replaced by short pre-recorded videos for each topic (15-20 minutes) and/or brief overview lectures delivered via MS Teams/Zoom, with learning consolidated by self-directed learning resources and ELE activities.
• Small-group discussion in tutorials and seminars may be replaced by synchronous group discussion on Teams/ Zoom; or asynchronous online discussion, for example via Yammer or ELE Discussion board.
• Workshops involving face-to-face classroom teaching may be replaced by synchronous sessions on Teams/Zoom; or Asynchronous workshop activities supported with discussion forum.
• Skills workshops involving practical skills acquisition demonstrations may be replaced by short pre-recorded videos as pre-learning; or workshop via Teams/Zoom

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

All items of assessment must be passed. 

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

The following four titles are all good introductions to learning and teaching in the healthcare professions, and are available as e-books from the library.

• Cantillon, P. & Wood, D. (2017) ABC of Learning and Teaching in Medicine. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Blackwell.
• Delaney, C., Molloy, E. (2009) Clinical Education in the Health Professions.  Chatswood, NSW, Australia:  Churchill Livingstone. 
• Dent, J.A., Harden, R.M., Hunt, D. (2017) A Practical Guide for Medical Teachers. London: Churchill Livingstone.
• Swanwick, T., Forrest, K., O’Brien, B. (2019) Understanding Medical Education: Evidence, Theory and Practice. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley Blackwell.

Wider reading – indicative

Archer, J. C. 2010. State of the science in health professional education: effective feedback.  Medical Education , 44, pp.101-108.

Bachkirova, T., Jackson, P. and Clutterbuck, D. (eds.) 2011.  Coaching and Mentoring Supervision: Theory and Practice.  London: Open University Press.

Clutterbuck, D. (2004)  Everyone Needs a Mentor  (4th edition), London: Chartered Institute of Personnel Development.

Gopee, N. 2015.  Mentoring and Supervision in Healthcare . London: SAGE Publications Ltd., pp.212-221.

Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. 2007. The power of feedback.  Review of Educational Research   77 (1), pp. 81-112.

Kurtz, S.M., Silverman, J.D. and Draper, J. 2004.  Teaching and Learning Communication Skills in Medicine  (2 ^nd  ed) Oxford:  Radcliffe Medical Press.

Launer, J. 2016. Giving feedback to medical students and trainees: rules and realities. Postgraduate medical journal, 92, 627-628.

Malling, B., de Lasson, L., Just, E. & Stegeager, N. (2020) How group coaching contributes to organisational understanding among newly graduated doctors. BMC Medical Education 20, pp. 193-200.

Murdoch-Eaton, D. 2012. Feedback: the complexity of self-perception and the transition from 'transmit' to 'received and understood'.  Medical Education  46(6), pp. 538-540.

Pendleton, D., Schofield, T., Tate, P. and Havelock, P. 2003.  The consultation: an approach to learning and teaching.  Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Ramani, S. and Krackov, S. K. 2012. Twelve tips for giving feedback effectively in the clinical environment.  Medical Teacher  34(10), pp. 787-791.

Sandars, J., Patel, R., Steele, H., McAreavey, M. and Association for Medical Education. 2014. Developmental student support in undergraduate medical education: AMEE Guide No. 92.  Medical Teacher  36(12), pp. 1015-1026.

Silverman, J., Kurtz, S. and Draper, J. 1996. The Calgary-Cambridge approach to communication skills teaching I: Agenda-led outcome-based analysis of the consultation.  Education for General Practice 7, pp. 288-299.

Silverman, J., Draper, J. and Kurtz, S. 1997. The Calgary-Cambridge approach to communication skills teaching II: the SET-GO method.  Education for General Practice  8, pp.16-23.

Steinert Y. 2013. The "problem" learner: whose problem is it?  Medical Teacher  35(4) e1035-45.

van de Ridder, J. M., McGaghie, W. C., Stokking, K. M. and ten Cate, O. T. 2015. Variables that affect the process and outcome of feedback, relevant for medical training: a meta-review.  Medical Education  49(7), pp. 658-673.

Watling, C. J. 2014. Unfulfilled promise, untapped potential: feedback at the crossroads.  Medical Teacher  36(8), pp. 692-697.

Whitmore, J. (2017) Coaching for Performance: The Principles and Practice of Coaching and Leadership.  Boston, MA: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.

ELE – College to provide hyperlink to appropriate pages

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

General Medical Council - www.gmc-uk.org/education/assuring_quality.asp

The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education - http://www.qaa.ac.uk/

University of Exeter intranet and VLE hyperlinks to additional resources.

Key words search

Teaching, supervision and coaching