A comprehensive continuous preclinical PBL tutor training system

Abstract

Background: Over the last 6 years, an institutional project was undertaken to define the preclinical PBL tutor role and to develop a comprehensive tutor training system. Description: A system of tutor training accompanied the Sherbrooke School of Medicine major shift to a student‐centered, PBL community‐oriented curriculum which was successfully completed. Purposes: Eight specific tutor tasks were identified and then validated by PBL tutors from five international schools. Thirty‐four competencies related to tutor tasks were then validated by Sherbrooke tutors, as they gained experience with the Sherbrooke PBL method. A comprehensive training system was established wherein the basic workshop, tutoring experience, weekly tutors’ meeting, monitoring during the PBL unit, and yearly update workshops were all linked in a continuous system of tutor competencies improvement. Evaluation: A self‐assessment grid gave teachers the opportunity to appreciate their motivation and their sense of learning, and administrators a tool to tailor the tutor training system according to the specific contextual conditions. Conclusions: The systematic and comprehensive definition of tutor tasks has become the cornerstone of the training program. The yearly half‐day update workshops have become a necessary component of PBL tutor continuing education. This project has demonstrated a systematic process of PBL tutor training that responds continuously to teachers’ needs.