The Challenge of Synthesis Writing in ILE Papers

The Integrative Learning Experience paper represents the culmination of your public health education, requiring you to demonstrate how multiple competencies work together in professional practice. Many students approach this assignment as a checklist: describe Competency A, then Competency B, then Competency C. But genuine synthesis requires something more sophisticated, weaving distinct competencies into an integrated analysis that produces new insight.

Understanding True Synthesis

Synthesis differs fundamentally from summary or sequential presentation. When you summarize, you describe things that already exist. When you present sequentially, you place items next to each other without showing connections. When you synthesize, you create something new by combining elements in ways that reveal relationships and generate fresh understanding.

Consider the difference between these approaches to discussing communication and assessment competencies:

Sequential approach: "I demonstrated communication skills by presenting to community partners. I demonstrated assessment skills by analyzing survey data."

Synthesis approach: "Translating complex assessment findings into actionable communication for community partners required understanding both the statistical nuances of our data and the information needs of non-technical audiences. This integration revealed how assessment without effective communication fails to create change, while communication without solid assessment lacks credibility."

The synthesized version shows how competencies interact and creates insight about their relationship. This integration is what evaluators seek in strong ILE papers.

Why Synthesis Is Difficult

Several factors make synthesis writing challenging for students.

Academic training emphasizes separation. Courses typically address competencies individually. You take an epidemiology class, then a health communication class, then a program planning class. This siloed structure does not model integration.

Checklists feel safer. When you are uncertain whether your paper is adequate, addressing each competency separately provides a clear structure and visible evidence of coverage. Synthesis feels riskier because the structure is less obvious.

Integration requires deeper understanding. You cannot synthesize competencies you do not thoroughly understand. Weak grasp of any individual competency makes integration with others nearly impossible.

Synthesis requires a compelling argument. Sequential presentation does not need a thesis beyond "here is what I did." Synthesis requires a central claim about how competencies relate and why that relationship matters.

Strategies for Achieving Synthesis

Moving from sequential presentation to genuine synthesis requires deliberate effort and specific techniques.

Start with a central question or argument. What do you want your reader to understand about how public health competencies work together? Your answer becomes the thesis that organizes your entire paper. Everything you include should support this central argument.

Identify natural competency clusters. Some competencies naturally relate. Planning and evaluation connect through program logic models. Communication and cultural competency intersect when adapting messages for diverse audiences. Assessment and leadership merge when using data to advocate for organizational change. Build your paper around these natural relationships.

Use your practicum experience as the integration medium. Your specific project provides the concrete context where competencies came together. Rather than discussing competencies abstractly, show how they interacted in your actual work. The project becomes the thread connecting diverse competencies.

Look for tensions and tradeoffs. Synthesis becomes especially rich when competencies create productive tension. Perhaps thoroughness in assessment conflicted with timeline constraints from project management. Perhaps ethical obligations complicated communication strategies. These tensions demonstrate sophisticated understanding.

Write thematically, not competency by competency. Organize your paper around themes, arguments, or project phases rather than around individual competencies. Competencies should appear throughout the paper where relevant to your argument, not in dedicated sections.

The Revision Process for Synthesis

First drafts rarely achieve strong synthesis. The revision process is where integration deepens.

Read your draft looking for isolation. Highlight sections that address only one competency without connecting to others. These sections need revision to show relationships.

Ask "so what" repeatedly. After every competency demonstration, ask what it means for your larger argument. If you cannot answer, the connection to your thesis needs strengthening.

Check for the through-line. Can a reader follow a coherent argument from introduction to conclusion? If your paper reads as a collection of separate points, work on transitions and thematic connections.

Seek feedback specifically on integration. Ask reviewers whether your paper feels unified or fragmented. Their perception reveals whether your synthesis is working.

Synthesis writing is challenging because it requires you to think in new ways about familiar material. The effort invested in achieving genuine integration produces a paper that demonstrates the sophisticated professional thinking public health practice demands.