Abstract
The convenience and flexibility of online learning clearly make it an attractive option for learners in professional development contexts. There is less clarity, however, about how it fares as a vehicle for enabling the applied, practice-oriented outcomes typically associated with professional development learning.This paper presents a case study describing how transfer-of-learning strategies were employed in a continuing professional education (CPE) course developed for practicing pharmacists, called ADAPT (ADapting pharmacists’ skills and Approaches to maximize Patients’ drug Therapy effectiveness).To gain insight into the extent to which learning was transferred to practice as a result of participation in the course, qualitative data were collected over a 12-month period from participants of the 2010 pilot offering of ADAPT. Participants reported making changes to their practice as a result of participating in the course, and they identi- fied three course features as being particu- larly useful in facilitating practice transfer: providing learners with (i) a vision of targeted outcomes and skills, (ii) support to enable them to attain targeted outcomes and skills, and (iii) explicit preparation for action.
Highlights
Bruyère Research Institute, Ottawa Natalie Kennie-Kaulbach, Dalhousie University Derek Jorgenson, University of Saskatchewan; University of Ottawa Jane Pearson Sharpe, Ontario Pharmacy Research Collaboration Nancy Waite, University of Waterloo
This paper presents a case study describing how transfer-of-learning strategies were employed in a continuing professional education (CPE) course developed for practicing pharmacists, called ADAPT (ADapting pharmacists’ skills and Approaches to maximize Patients’ drug Therapy effectiveness)
The merits of online learning for adult learners have long been acknowledged: online learning affords these learners, who often have significant work and family commitments, the convenience and flexibility they need to learn anytime, anywhere. It can open doors for professional development that had previously remained closed. Quite apart from these benefits, how does it fare as a vehicle for enabling applied, practice-oriented types of outcomes—the kinds of outcomes, in short, typically associated with professional development? And if these kinds of outcomes can be achieved in an online setting, what are the conditions under which they are facilitated? This paper explores these questions in the context of an online course developed for practicing pharmacists, called ADAPT (ADapting pharmacists’ skills and Approaches to maximize Patients’ drug Therapy effectiveness)
Summary
Bruyère Research Institute, Ottawa Natalie Kennie-Kaulbach, Dalhousie University Derek Jorgenson, University of Saskatchewan; University of Ottawa Jane Pearson Sharpe, Ontario Pharmacy Research Collaboration Nancy Waite, University of Waterloo. Some participants reported gaining a vision of ways of practicing that resulted in better patient care and enabled them to reconceptualize both their role as pharmacists and the need for professional advocacy: I have learned the importance of pharmacy’s contribution to the health-care team.
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