Development of chemistry teachers’ sense of ownership through leadership-oriented continuous professional development courses

Purpose The management of whiplash and associated disorders (WAD) in the Italian Health System is still empirical and influenced by a single professional’s expertise. Therefore, the purpose of our study is to describe a structured management changes in an Italian emergency department (ED) after an evidence based continuous professional development (CPD) course. Methods A CPD course was organized by Orthopedic Manipulative Physical Therapists (OMPT) for personnel of ED in the hospital Girolamo Fracastoro (San Bonifacio, Verona, Italy), based on latest scientific evidence. Data regarding the number of X-Rays, computed tomography (CT) scan, orthopaedic referrals, neck collars and WAD IV (i.e., severe diagnosis) before and after the course were compared. Results 3066 cases of WAD have been analyzed in 2016 and 2185 in 2017/2018. The number of X-Rays dropped down from 15.1% to 13.5%; the CT scans increased from 1.3% to 1.9%; the WAD IV diagnosis increased from 0.7% to 1.6%; the orthopaedic referrals dropped from 1.5% to 1.1%; the collars prescription dropped from 8.8% to 2.5%. Conclusion An updated framework increased the efficiency of ED’s maintaining the same level of safety (i.e., WAD IV diagnosis). Given that, it can also be argued that, in line with other countries, the implementation of an OMPT role within the ED multidisciplinary team is advised also in Italy. Implications for rehabilitation Physiotherapists were commissioned to organize a management change of patients in an Italian Emergency Department clinical setting for the management of whiplash; Guidelines and other appropriate clinical rules facilitate the delivery of an evidence-based and more appropriate management and care plan; An inter-disciplinary continuous professional development course has the potential to positively influence patients’ journey and to optimize the use of departmental resources; The involvement of other health professionals (e.g., Physiotherapists) within the Italian Emergency Department organizational chart might lead to further improvement of service provided.

BackgroundPreceptors are expected to have the skills to be able to form an effective learning environment and facilitate a constructive clinical learning experience for students and new employees. Internationally, access to education for preceptors varies, with preceptors worldwide requesting more education in preceptorship. This article is based on a two-part study focusing on both the development and evaluation of a continuous, credit-bearing professional development course. The aim of this part of the study was to investigate and include preceptors’ requests and educational needs when developing a continuous professional development course on an advanced level.MethodsThis study used a qualitative research approach. In total, 64 preceptors (62 women and two men) answered one single written, self-administered global question online. The participants were all interested in teaching and had completed an undergraduate training in preceptorship. The collected data was analysed by content analysis inspired by Burnard’s description of the method.ResultsThe participating preceptors illuminated two main themes: ‘Tools for effective precepting of students and healthcare professionals’ and ‘in-depth knowledge and understanding of preceptorship in an academic setting’. The results suggest that vital components for preceptor preparation could be a) teaching and learning strategies, b) reflective and critical reasoning, c) communication models, d) the role of the preceptor, and e) preceptorship.ConclusionUsing the results from this study as a guide, a continuous professional development course was designed to assist preceptors in deepening their knowledge of preceptorship in regard to planning, leading and implementing educational activities directed at students, healthcare professionals, patients and their families. The course content focuses on skills needed for preceptorship and is based on adult learning principles. A continuous, credit-bearing professional development course must include an exam by which participants are formally assessed and graded; therefore, a written assignment was included as part of the course.

Evaluation of a back stability CPD course

ObjectivesAssess the feasibility and impact of a continuous professional development (CPD) course on type 2 diabetes and depression on health professionals’ intention to include sex and gender considerations in patient...

Objective: This study was designed to measure the outcome of the continuous professional development (CPD) course (Family Medicine Essentials) conducted and organised by the Ministry of Health (MOH) on the knowledge, skills, and attitude of primary healthcare (PHC) physicians in patient care. Materials and Methods: This study was based on pre- and post-implementation of training evaluation, which included the seven CPD modules in family medicine customised for non-certified family physicians working at MOH and PHCs in Saudi Arabia. The study was conducted from March 2009 to 2010 and it included 259 family physicians working in PHCs and MOH. The pre- and post-test scores for mean knowledge, skills and attitude were compared using paired t-test. P Results: The results showed that the percentage of male participants (80.3%) was higher than females (19.7%). The mean age of the participants was 39.6 ± 8.0 years. A significant difference was found in pre- and post-test scores of PHC physicians' attitude, knowledge and skills. Attitude increased from 77.5 ± 6.1 to 83.0 ± 7.8 (P Conclusion: Participants in the CPD course showed significant improvement in their level of knowledge, clinical skills and attitude in patient care. However, further case-control studies and practice evaluations are required to obtain more in-depth information on the impact of this course on PHC physicians.

This study aimed to quantify the impact of joint accreditation on the prevalence of physician and non-physician continuous professional development (CPD) course directors(CDs) and faculty. CPD CDs and faculty credentials were collected in 2017 (one-year pre-joint accreditation) and 2022 (one-year post-joint accreditation), using electronic and manual data extraction. CPD CDs and faculty were grouped into physician and non-physician cohorts for the quantitative analysis. A significant increase in the number of non-physician CDs was observed from 2017 (11.3%) to 2022 (22.5%). There were significantly more non-physician faculty at non-physician-focused courses (8.7 ± 8.1 faculty compared to 2.6 ± 4.1 at physician-focused conferences, p = 0.003) with a large effect size, Cohen's d = -1.32 [95% CI -1.8, -0.9]. Finally, while physicians had statistically higher faculty scores for all three measurements (p < 0.001), the effect sizes were small (Cohen's d ranging 0.18-0.20). Increased diversity in CDs and faculty was noted when comparing pre- and post-joint accreditation suggesting compliance with joint accreditation standards and the growing emphasis on team-based healthcare. Future research is needed to investigate barriers to CPD participation as CDs and faculty for both physician and non-physician healthcare team members. Additional research will continue to help expand diverse professional representation among CDs and faculty within CPD courses.

With Norway facing a need for qualified foreign language teachers, a continuous professional development (CPD) course was developed by six universities in Norway, Germany, Spain, and France to enhance the French, German or Spanish skills and subject didactic knowledge of Norwegian in-service teachers. In this paper, the aim is to present data on the professional wellbeing of foreign language teachers participating in the CPD-course, with a focus on foreign language teaching anxiety. Data was collected from in total 10 teachers attending the course in French, German or Spanish either at the end or the beginning of their academic year. Foreign language teaching anxiety was measured using the Foreign Language Teaching Anxiety Scale (FLTAS) (Ipek, 2006). The results indicate generally low levels of teaching anxiety for Norwegian foreign language teachers. However, less experienced teachers reported higher anxiety scores, a correlation that should be interpreted cautiously given the limited sample size. These findings are discussed in relation to future research on foreign language teaching anxiety in the Norwegian context.

In this paper, we report on the training practices of 12 mathematics mentor teachers who developed and implemented five short professional development courses after participating in a 5-month continuous professional development course “Competence-oriented teaching and learning of data analysis.” The intention of this course was to deepen their professional knowledge of teaching statistics using digital tools, and to develop their competences and knowledge for developing and implementing their own professional development courses in statistics. Here, we explore how the professional program itself is reflected in the short courses they designed and implemented. Although the sample is very small, the cases allow for interesting insights into their training practices and challenges that seem to have a major impact on the quality of their professional development courses. On this basis we offer suggestions for how continuous professional development courses for mathematics mentor teachers might be designed to support their diverse needs in the professional development system.

This article discusses the design and content of an online continuous professional development (CPD) course in special education provision for students in Irish immersion (IM) primary and post-primary schools. The course was developed using the data from a mixed methods study on the needs of teachers in this area. This article describes the ABC course design method used. It presents the five modules of the course: (1) bilingualism and second language acquisition, (2) assessment, (3) inclusive pedagogies, (4) universal design for learning, and (5) ICT for the inclusion of all students. It also includes data from a course evaluation form completed by participating teachers (N = 25) in relation of the areas of the course that were effective, areas that they would like to learn more about, and recommendations on how the course could be improved. It is anticipated that this article will be of interest to immersion teacher educators internationally.

The role of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) and online courses in Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for educators have remain debatable. A limited number of studies have systematically been reviewed on the growing influence of ICTs and continuous professional development courses for online educators. This paper aims to extract the value and appropriateness of the trends concerning the focus, types, and context of CPD, the goals and tools of research, and the types of data collected. To map the popular trends, methods, and ICT tools used in CPD online courses as a research methodology, researchers performed a systematic literature review of studies written in English and published between January 2015 and January 2019. Inclusion and exclusion principles were employed to identify studies of any ICTs based in CPD design that examine the concept of online professional development courses through the point of view of the design used and to review the impact that ICTs have had on numerous aspects of teaching and learning for educators. Researchers screened and retrieved all possible titles and abstracts and potentially relevant studies to established whether the study met the inclusion criteria. The results of the review revealed that ICTs have certain influences on online CPD for educators and that this influence applies to educators.

BackgroundFor health care professionals, clinical practice is a vital part of education, and in several countries, teaching is a regulated part of the role of nurses and health care staff. The added responsibility of taking on the teaching of students during clinical practice; thus, balancing clinical and educational demands, might lead to feelings of stress and burnout. Being a skilled and experienced professional is not automatically linked to being a skilled educator as teaching of a subject is a completely different story. Preceptors who participate in educational initiatives are better prepared to address challenges and are more satisfied with the preceptor role. The aim of the current study was to evaluate preceptors’ experiences of preceptorship in clinical practice after completion of a credit bearing continuous professional development course on advanced level.MethodsThis was a small-scale interpretative qualitative study drawing data from focus group interviews and written accounts from reflective journals. Data were analysed through the process of naturalistic inquiry.ResultsOur findings show that the participants, who took part in and completed the CPD course, had developed skills and competences they believed to be necessary to drive pedagogical development at their respective workplaces. This is illustrated by the main category Leading educational development and explained by four sub-categories: 1/ increased ability to give collegial support; 2/ increased trust in one’s abilities; 3/ increased emphasis on reflection; and 4/ increased professional status.ConclusionsA well-structured program based on the needs of preceptors and developed in partnership between educational and clinical settings seems to be successful in terms of preceptors’ perceived increase of their competence, abilities and professional status. What seems to be missing, not only from the current study but also from previous research, is to what extent properly prepared preceptors impact on student learning and this needs to be further investigated.

The data obtained from the Latvian National research programme “Life with COVID-19: Evaluation of the coming coronavirus crisis in Latvia and recommendations for social resilience in the future (CoLife)” show that the successful implementation of remote learning requires the improvement of teachers' digital competence. The professional development courses organized before the COVID-19 pandemic (their content, form) do not meet the needs of the real situation. It is necessary to look for new forms so that the content of professional development courses meets the needs of current general education teachers, including not only general skills characterizing digital competence, but also specific ones related to the level of education (age of learners) and field of study. The aim of the research: to identify the needs of general education teachers for the development of digital competence and to prepare proposals for the implementers of professional competence development courses. Research methods: online survey of 559 teachers, survey of 6 experts, quantitative data processing in SPSS program, content analysis of qualitative data. The research concluded that teachers' professional competence development courses should be practice-oriented, as close as possible to the technical capabilities of an educational institution, as well as considering the current needs of teachers, the field of subjects taught and the level of education at which they work.

Continuous professional development (CPD) courses enable teachers to keep up with the latest developments in the field of teaching and learning. However the modus operandi of conducting and delivering CPD courses is constantly questioned. The purpose of this research is to explore the issues related to the conducting and delivery of a CPD course. For the purpose of this study, three teachers who attended a CPD course were chosen. An interview protocol with ten open-ended questions was used to solicit information related to their experience in conducting an in-house course in their respective schools. The responses from the open-ended questions revealed that the teachers were unable to render the same experience to their colleagues due to a variety of reasons such as time factor, priority given by the school administrators and a lack of confidence. The findings suggest that the course organisers should stipulate the amount of time every school should allocate when conducting in-house courses and sufficient time should be allocated to teachers attending CPD to practise what they have learnt before they are asked to conduct an in-house course.

The purpose of this study was to examine if teachers who participated in a continuous professional development (CPD) programme were able to develop an understanding of inquiry-based science education (IBSE). The CPD programme was designed to IBSE in both formal and informal, Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) contexts, to discuss its role as a tool to improve pedagogic practises in science teaching and to explore the application of the method in teaching biodiversity and climate change. A qualitative design using pre- and post-programme questionnaires was used to investigate teachers’ understanding and classroom implementation of inquiry. Evolution of teachers’ practises were also evaluated during the different steps of CPD course and served as a checking and a remind of what is really an authentic scientific inquiry. The results of two-year independent courses suggest that the CPD programme appeared beneficial in resolving teaching misconceptions about IBSE. Teachers were able to experience, evaluate and reflect on their own practise. At the end, they developed new approaches to apply scientific inquiry while teaching biodiversity and climate change in the context of their own classrooms.

Students’ positive attitude towards mathematics leads to better performance and may influence their overall achievement and application of mathematics in real-life. In this article, we present the findings of an investigation on students’ attitude towards linear programming (LP) mathematics word problems (LPMWPs). An explanatory sequential quasi-experimental design involving a pre-intervention-intervention-post-intervention non-equivalent control group was adopted. A sample of 851 grade 11 Ugandan students (359 male and 492 female) from eight secondary schools (public and private) participated. Cluster random sampling was applied to select respondents from eight schools; four from central Uganda and four from eastern Uganda. The attitude towards mathematics inventory-short form (ATMI-SF) was adapted (with α = 0.75) as a multidimensional measurement tool for measuring students’ attitude towards LPMWPs. The results revealed that students’ attitude towards LPMWPs was generally negative. Enjoyment, motivation, and confidence were weekly negatively correlated while usefulness was positively correlated. Additionally, the results found no significant statistical relationship between students’ attitudes towards LPMWPs and their age, gender, school location, school status, and school ownership. The discrepancy is perhaps explained by both theoretical and/or psychometric limitations, and related factors, for instance, students’ academic background, school characteristics, and transitional beliefs from primary to secondary education. This study acknowledges the influence of and supplements other empirical findings on students’ attitude towards learning mathematics word problems. The present study provides insight to different educational stakeholders in assessing students’ attitude towards LPMWPs and may provide remediation and interventional strategies aimed at creating students’ conceptual change. The study recommends that teachers should cultivate students’ interests in mathematics as early as possible. Varying classroom instructional practices could be a remedy to enhance students’ understanding, achievement, and, motivation in learning mathematics word problems. The teachers’ continuous professional development courses should be enacted to improve instruction, assessment, and students’ attitude. Overall, the study findings support the theoretical framework for enhancing the learning of mathematics word problems in general and LP in particular.