Becoming A Successful Health Lecturer

By Connie Sears


A health lecturer requires more than knowledge of the content of a particular subject to meet changing expectations. Students are specializing more and more in nursing, dentistry and medical procedures. Their numbers are increasing as well calling for new strategies. New delivery methods must make concepts easier to understand and implement in work places.

New curriculum designers are emphasizing an interactive model of learning. This is only possible with a smaller class which allows an interactive and enthusiastic learning environment. Some of the factors that have necessitated the change include introduction of laptops, tablet computers and PDAs in classes. The new models suggested are self-paced, interactive and customized.

Policy makers want a reduction in hours spent in class regurgitating notes. This is considered passive learning and must be replaced by active and participatory methods. These methods are more productive. Systematic phasing out has seen an end to traditional lecturing. It is worth noting that productivity or lack thereof of a lecture does not depend on numbers.

Lecturers should understand that they are not there to read notes to the students. The session should be compared to a dance where the student and the lecturer participate. There is transmission of energy between the two parties. This energy is given and received in form of words, content and how it is delivered. The exchange and consequent reaction becomes an inspiration to the other party. The student must see the possibility of transformation through a single lecture.

Important questions one should ask include the transformational value of your presence as compared to reading a book or following an online module. Physical presence must have added value which is again heightened by real time delivery. The duty is not only to inform, but to engage the imagination of your learners and to inspire them. A concept must be easily delivered through a lecture than reading a book.

Students can turn to books or electronic resources for information. A lecture must be animated by the mind and heart of the lecture. Similar enthusiasm should be transferred to the learner to capture the heart and mind as well. Such a reflection allows students to see their future through the lecture session.

The result of a successful lecture should not be confined to passing examination, getting good grades and the resulting certificate. It should be the source of new connections, imaginations and questions in life. It should shape and make clearer the careers and lives of the students.

A story format is the best way to achieve success when lecturing. The concepts that form the story are a beginning, a body and a conclusion. The lecture begins by eliciting questions, suspense and curiosity in the student. The lecture then endeavors to find an answer or quell the curiosity.

A health lecturer will be successful if he or she is delighted and enthusiastic about the session. This feeling will be transferred to the learner and the session will fulfill their expectations. It is a productive session where a learner asks an unexpected question. The enthusiasm created makes the discipline infectious from lecturers to students and then to work places.




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