Collaborative Learning in Clinical Education as a Catalyst to Support Foundational Professional Competencies in Speech-Language Pathology: A Theoretical Framework

As a part of every speech-language pathology graduate program in the US, clinical education is an integral and required element for both academic accreditation and the eventual clinical certification for students. Clinical education is significantly important when considering overall educational models because it is an aspect of a student’s education that contributes to their ability to make connections between what is learned in the classroom and its real-world clinical application while contributing to the acquisition of competencies. The 2:1 collaborative learning model is supported by sound learning theories and evidence from the literature. A theoretical framework was created to demonstrate how a collaborative learning model can serve as a catalyst that supports the acquisition of foundational professional and knowledge and skill competencies in speech-language pathology graduate students.