Faculty Development Strategies Research Articles

Needs and gaps of faculty development for medical schools.

Current faculty development (FD) programs are mostly limited to medical education and often lack a comprehensive and systematic structure. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the current status and needs of FD programs in medical schools to provide a basis for establishing FD strategies. We conducted an online survey of medical school FD staff and professors regarding FD. Frequency, regression, and qualitative content analyses were conducted. FD programs were categorized into the classification frameworks. A total of 17 FD staff and 256 professors at 37 medical schools participated. There are gaps between the internal and external FD programs offered by medical schools and their needs, and there are gaps between the programs the professors participated in and their needs. Recent internal and external FD programs in medical schools have focused on educational methods, student assessment, and education in general. Medical schools have a high need for leadership and self-development, and student assessment. Furthermore, professors have a high need for leadership and self-development, and research. The number of participants, topics, and needs of FD programs varied depending on the characteristics of individual professors. Medical schools should expand their FD programs to meet the needs of individuals and the changing demands of modern medical education. The focus should be on comprehensive and responsive programs that cover various topics, levels, and methods. Tailored programs that consider professors' professional roles, career stages, and personal interests are essential for effective FD.

How to Empower Educators through Digital Pedagogies and Faculty Development Strategies

How to Empower Educators through Digital Pedagogies and Faculty Development Strategies

How to Empower Educators through Digital Pedagogies and Faculty Development Strategies

Purpose: In order to fully explore and comprehend the dynamic intersection between digital technology, pedagogical innovation, and faculty development within the higher education landscape, it is currently necessary to empower educators by providing them with training in digital pedagogies and various other faculty development strategies in higher education institutions, including universities. In an era of rapid technological change and shifting educational paradigms, this research aims to identify efficient tactics and approaches that can enable educators to flourish in their roles as mentors, teachers, and researchers. This research seeks to provide important insights that will help educational institutions improve the quality of teaching, learning, and research, thereby fostering a more robust and responsive educational ecosystem. It does this by looking into global trends, synthesizing postulates, and offering useful suggestions. Methodology: Exploratory research methodology is used. Required information are collected using various online sources through Google search engine, Google Scholar search engine, and Various GPTs including ChatGPT and Bard. The information is analysed, evaluated, and interpreted as per the specific framework to develop the postulates and provide suggestions to improve the system. Outcome: Based on systematically identified objectives, analysis, evaluation, comparison, and interpretation, on how to empower educators through digital pedagogies, and faculty development strategies, few postulates and suggestions are presented as the outcome of this exploratory research. Originality/Value: Through systematically reviewing the current status, and collecting secondary information, various digital pedagogies for classroom teaching, blended teaching, and online teaching, faculty development strategies for improving classroom teaching, online teaching, and blended teaching are identified, analysed, compared, evaluated, and interpreted with unique suggestions. Type of the Paper: Exploratory Research

Exploring Cultural Intelligence Validity and Teaching Self Efficacy in Pharmacy Faculty

ObjectiveTo examine the construct validity of cultural intelligence (CI) and evaluate faculty self-efficacy in developing cultural intelligence in Doctor of Pharmacy students. MethodsA survey was developed based on a CI framework for pharmacy education consisting of four domains. Survey items were measured on a scale from 1-cannot do at all to 10-highly certain can do. Survey responses from faculty in the Doctor of Pharmacy program who completed ≥90% of the survey items were included. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted using principal components analysis with a varimax rotation and the Kaiser rule. Internal consistency reliability of each cultural intelligence construct was examined using Cronbach’s alpha (α). ResultsFifty-four Doctor of Pharmacy faculty members (83% response rate) completed the survey. The exploratory factor analysis revealed three CI constructs: (1) cultural awareness (α = 0.93), (2) cultural practice (α = 0.96), and (3) cultural desire (α = 0.89). Participants rated their CI teaching self-efficacy highest for cultural awareness (6.13 (1.93)), and lowest for cultural desire (3.90 (2.87)). ConclusionFaculty play a critical role in the development of students; understanding CI teaching self-efficacy can inform faculty development strategies and curriculum improvements. Additional research is needed to identify related evidence-based methods for faculty development strategies utilizing the identified patterns and constructs.

Faculty development strategies to empower university teachers by their educational role: A qualitative study on the faculty members and students’ experiences at Iranian universities of medical sciences

BackgroundThis study aimed to identify and explain the strategies of faculty development based on their role at Iranian Universities of Medical Sciences.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative content analysis study in 2021 using purposive, snowball sampling, with a maximum variation in the faculty members’ age and experience level. Twenty four participants were enrolled in this study (eighteen faculty members and six medical sciences students); data collection consisted of two phases of semi-structured interviews and a brainstorming group technique. Data were categorized into two themes and six related subthemes, based on their similarities and differences after frequent summarization.ResultsThe data analysis yielded two themes and eight categories. The first theme was to explain competencies based on role and task with two sub-themes: Tasks and capabilities and development and excellence of personal qualities. The second theme was the best strategies for empowering the teachers with four sub-themes, including problem-based learning, integration of methods, evaluation-based education, and scholarship in education (PIES), which explains the strategies that can support the development of teachers in medical sciences universities, and all the concepts were interrelated to each other.ConclusionFrom the experiences of faculty members, the importance of some strategies in education and empowering the teachers’ professional competence dimensions should be emphasized. PIES could explain the practical strategies that can support the development of teachers in medical sciences universities.

The power of positive deviance behaviours: From panic-gogy to effective pedagogy in online teaching.

This study examines university faculty members' successful behaviours and the factors influencing these behaviours, when dealing with the issues posed by emergency remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data was gathered through interviews with 12 carefully chosen instructors who competently prepared and implemented their first online classes despite various challenges encountered during the crisis. Interview transcripts were analysed by applying the theoretical concepts of the positive deviance approach to identify exemplary behaviours in the face of crisis. The results revealed that the participants performed three unique but effective behaviours, called 'positive deviance behaviours', in their online teaching: philosophy-driven decision making informed planning and ongoing performance monitoring. These behaviours were affected by individual factors (e.g., community engagement and emotion management during different phases of emergency remote teaching) and organisational factors (e.g., networks/hardware and training/support). By examining the positive deviance behaviours of instructors who delivered effective classes, this study offers online teaching and faculty development strategies in both crisis and non-crisis situations.

Implications of Entrustable Professional Activities for Motivation and Learning.

This study sought to explore the experience of entrustable professional activity-based assessment and its effect on self-determination, a well-supported measure of motivation. The goal was to understand EPA-based assessment's implications for student motivation, learning, and wellbeing. A qualitative case study design was utilized through a standardized simulation activity with EPA-based assessment. An analysis of interviews and reflection journals was completed by the coding of emergent themes and significant statements with a subsequent thematic analysis framed in self-determination theory (SDT). Entrustment was found to be an affectively and interpersonally impactful metric that provided the learner with a clear understanding of clinical performance. Quality entrustment feedback supported participants' sense of competence and increased their confidence in their ability to be autonomous as well as a valuable part of the healthcare team. EPAs appeared to support learners' sense of competence and to provide a bridge to support autonomy and the ability to relate to others. To the extent that entrustment supported learners' sense of competence, other SDT propositions could be subsequently bolstered as well. Self-determination and intrinsic motivation were uniquely supported by EPA-based assessment, if implemented effectively. Further research is needed to better define effective implementation, faculty development, and feedback strategies.

Faculty Development for the Twenty-First Century: Teaching the Teachers.

Faculty development is a poorly understood and incompletely executed initiative in undergraduate and graduate medical and dental education programs. Despite significant change in the delivery of health care over the past several decades, the education of students and residents has followed a legacy path of business as usual. Some faculty have incorrectly assumed that content expertise transfers to teaching expertise. The insistence for robust faculty development programs on the part of accrediting and other professional organizations has created a call to action, but much work has yet to be done. It is therefore essential that leaders in these programs develop a sense of urgency to teach the teachers lest our students and residents will replicate outdated methods, unsystematically teach themselves, and fall victim to an educational system that is grossly inadequate. It is the purpose of this article to enhance undergraduate and graduate medical and dental education by offering viable change options, specifically targeted to improving historical trends by emphasizing the importance of growth mindsets, emotional intelligence, the creation of holding environments, and stimulating enthusiasm for lifelong learning as part of twenty-first century strategies for faculty development.

Faculty Development Approaches for Life Support Courses: A Scoping Review.

The aim of this scoping review initiated by the Education, Implementation and Teams Task Force of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation was to identify faculty development approaches to improve instructional competence in accredited life support courses. We searched PubMed, Ovid Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials to identify studies published from January 1, 1966 to December 31, 2021 on approaches to improve faculty development for life support courses. Data on participant characteristics, interventions, design, and outcomes of included studies were extracted. Of the initially identified 10 310 studies, we included 20 studies (5 conference abstracts, 1 short communication, 14 full‐length articles). Among them, 12 studies aimed to improve instructors/candidates’ teaching ability in basic life support courses. A wide variety of interventions were identified. The interventions were categorized into 4 themes: instructor qualification/training (n=9), assessment tools (n=3), teaching skills enhancement (n=3), and additional courses for instructors (n=5). Most studies showed that these interventions improved specific teaching ability or confidence of the instructors and learning outcomes in different kinds of life support courses. However, no studies addressed clinical outcomes of patients. In conclusion, the faculty development approaches for instructors are generally associated with improved learning outcomes for participants, and also improved teaching ability and self‐confidence of the instructors. It is encouraged that local organizations implement faculty development programs for their teaching staff of their accredited resuscitation courses. Further studies should explore the best ways to strengthen and maintain instructor competency, and define the cost‐effectiveness of various different faculty development strategies.

Appraising the Current Status, Issues and Challenges of Library and Information Faculty Members in the Universities of Pakistan

During recent times, there is much discussion about the challenges associated with the present and future of library and information science (LIS) education in Pakistan. The present study is aimed to explore the current status, issues and challenges of LIS faculty member who are considered the pillar of academic programs. It develops our understanding of LIS educators’ characteristics by presenting key findings with regard to their designation, gender, academic qualification, teaching strategies and work activities. Various issues and challenges along with faculty development strategies were also explored. Data were collected by employing both quantitative and qualitative approaches. A profile of LIS educators (i.e. budgeted positions for faculty members in different cadres and number of actual incumbents, gender wise distribution and academic qualification) was made by collecting quantitative data through questionnaire. Whilst interviews were conducted with17 faculty members about their teaching strategies, work activities and the overall challenges confronted to LIS educators in the country. Various faculty development strategies suggested by the respondents are also reported. The findings presented in the paper provide a unique insight into the characteristics and challenges of Pakistani library and information educators and will help to understand the needs of this workforce.

Debriefing for Simulation-Based Medical Education: A Survey From the International Network of Simulation-Based Pediatric Innovation, Research and Education.

Current debriefing approaches and faculty development strategies for simulation educators differ around the world. We aim to describe the status of current debriefing practice and faculty development for simulation educators in this study. We distributed a paper-based survey during 2 international conferences to obtain data from active International Network for Simulation-based Pediatric Innovation, Research and Education members. The survey was tested to ensure content validity and consisted of the following 3 constructs: demographic characteristics, current debriefing practice, and issues related to faculty development. One hundred nine of 114 participants (96%) completed the survey. Debriefing practice differs in terms of timing, duration, framework, and conversational framework. Most debriefings were less than 30 minutes (93/109, 85%), with many educators not using objective data during debriefing (47/109, 43%). Three- or 4-phase debriefing frameworks were used most commonly (66/109, 61%). Most participants have access to some faculty development opportunities (99/109, 91%). Barriers to faculty development are related to time and resource constraints (eg, freeing up facilitator's time: 75/109, 69%, competing priorities 64/109, 59%). Most participants indicated that their needs for debriefing to improve learning outcomes were met (95/109, 87%). The desired content for future faculty development opportunities varies between educators with different levels of expertise. Approaches to debriefing among members of an international pediatric simulation network vary considerably. Although faculty development opportunities were available to most participants, future simulation programs should work on addressing barriers and optimizing faculty development plans to meet the needs of their educators.

Got 15? Try Faculty Development on the Fly: A Snippets Workshop for Microlearning.

IntroductionFaculty development (FD) is an element critical to the professional growth of medical educators and a necessary component in developing effective educators. FD offerings are prevalent across academic institutions; however, faculty report they are unable to participate in these initiatives due to time limitations and competing priorities. The snippet FD approach can address these concerns but requires training for FD providers to be effectively used.MethodsThis snippet train-the-trainer workshop was presented to approximately 310 physician and nonphysician medical educators at a national medical education conference. The session incorporated multiple teaching modalities (e.g., lecture, demonstrations, structured small-group snippet development groups, and large-group debriefs). A 14-item Likert-scale survey was used to obtain participant evaluations. Narrative feedback was collected using constructed response items.ResultsNinety-five percent of respondents (125 of 132) planned to use snippets as an FD strategy at least once per year, with 38% (50 of 132) noting they planned to use snippets at least four times per year. Respondents indicated that FD snippets could positively impact educational practices (94%) and that the session was a valuable use of their time (94%), as well as expressing interest in a snippet repository (90%).DiscussionA brief FD train-the-trainer workshop for snippets can successfully prepare FD providers to create and use this approach.

Motivations of assessment item writers in medical programs: a qualitative study

BackgroundThe challenge of generating sufficient quality items for medical student examinations is a common experience for medical program coordinators. Faculty development strategies are commonly used, but there is little research on the factors influencing medical educators to engage in item writing. To assist with designing evidence-based strategies to improve engagement, we conducted an interview study informed by self-determination theory (SDT) to understand educators’ motivations to write items.MethodsWe conducted 11 semi-structured interviews with educators in an established medical program. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and underwent open coding and thematic analysis.ResultsMajor themes included; responsibility for item writing and item writer motivations, barriers and enablers; perceptions of the level of content expertise required to write items; and differences in the writing process between clinicians and non-clinicians.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that flexible item writing training, strengthening of peer review processes and institutional improvements such as improved communication of expectations, allocation of time for item writing and pairing new writers with experienced writers for mentorship could enhance writer engagement.

Three approaches for supporting faculty technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) creation through instructional consultation

AbstractDespite the widespread availability of network and technology infrastructure at higher education institutions, the pedagogical innovation envisioned from technology‐enhanced learning is still not prevalent. Faculty need to develop expertise for designing and implementing technology‐enhanced learning strategies that is termed as technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK). This study uses action research to examine how one‐to‐one instructional consultation for technology‐enhanced learning functions as an avenue for supporting faculty's TPACK creation. Through content analysis of the consulting notes from 18 consultation sessions, the study found that faculty can be supported to create TPACK through the consultation approaches of technology modelling, pedagogical realignment and deepening practice. These three approaches can be used during instructional consultation for faculty with varying objectives and experiences with technology‐enhanced learning. The implications for faculty professional development in technology‐enhanced learning are discussed. Practitioner NotesWhat is already known about this topic: Studies of teacher professional development programmes show that TPACK creation can be fostered through technology modelling and the use of TPACK Activity Types, lesson design prompts and design rubrics. Studies of unfacilitated peer-based design teams show that teachers create TPACK by deepening their understanding of PCK and TPACK through their design conversations. Higher education studies outside of teacher education show that individual technology mentoring and consultation encourages faculty technology adoption. What this paper adds: Academic developers can use three approaches to faciltiate TPACK creation during individual consultation with faculty. These approaches are termed as technology modelling, pedagogical realignment and deepening practice. Technology modelling is suitable for faculty without extensive experience in technology‐enhanced learning. By modelling technology tools and lesson exemplars, faculty develop baseline vocabulary of technological knowledge (TK) and technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) for TPACK creation. Pedagogical realignment is suitable for faculty with some experience of technology‐enhanced learning for didactic teaching. Developing their understanding of student‐centered pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) provides them with pedagogical guidelines to create student‐centred TPACK. Deepening practice is suitable for faculty who are already implementing models of technology‐enhanced learning. Engaging them in reflective discussions helps them to develop TK, TPK, PCK, technological content knowledge (TCK), pedagogical knowledge (PK) and TPACK to improve different aspects in their current model of practice. Implications for practice and/or policy: Faculty can be at different implementation stages of technology‐enhanced learning and a one‐size‐fits‐all approach does not adequately address their development needs. Higher education technology mentoring programmes focus on technology adoption. Different kinds of faculty development strategies are needed to support faculty towards and beyond technology integration.

Leading Change in Academic Pharmacy: Report of the 2018-2019 AACP Academic Affairs Committee

EXECUTIVE SUMMARYThe Committee was charged with the responsibility for examining the need for change in pharmacy education and the models of leadership that would enable that change to occur across the academy. They also examined the question of faculty wellbeing in a time of change and made several recommendations and suggestions regarding both charges. Building upon the work of the previous Academic Affairs Committee, the 2018-19 AAC encourages the academy to implement new curricular models supporting personalized learning that creates engaged and lifelong learners. This will require transformational leadership and substantial investments in faculty development and new assessment strategies and resources. Recognizing that the magnitude of the recommended change will produce new stress on faculty, the committee identified the need for much additional work on student, faculty and leaders' wellbeing, noting the limited amount of empirical evidence on pharmacy related to stress and resilience. That said, if faculty and administrators are not able to address personal and community wellbeing, their ability to support their students' wellbeing will be compromised.

The Power of Peers: Faculty Development for Medical Educators of the Future.

The Power of Peers: Faculty Development for Medical Educators of the Future.

Exploring faculty development opportunities and strategies in departments of medicine of U.S. community-based teaching hospitals

ABSTRACTBackground: Faculty development (FD) activities are offered as a tool to health-care professionals to improve their knowledge, skills, and role as teachers and educators, leaders, researchers, and scholars. Formal FD activities have been more readily available at university-based teaching hospitals than at community-based hospitals. Yet the majority of Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited residency programs are sponsored by community-based teaching hospitals.Methods: An electronic survey along with the cover letter/consent form were sent via email to members of the Association of Program Directors of Internal Medicine (APDIM) of Community-Based Teaching Hospitals Assembly. Two researchers analyzed responses and reviewed all answers independently. Consensus was reached by comparison and discussion.Results: A total of 75 program or associate program directors from 53 U.S. Community-Based Teaching Hospitals with internal medicine residency programs participated in the survey.Eleven percent of the respondents reported that they had no faculty development activities in their departments, 44% reported occasional activities, and 45% reported ongoing activities. Forty-three percent reported making arrangements for faculty to attend FD offsite. However, 78% sent less than five people to those programs in the past 2 years.Discussion: The results of this study suggest that for the academic year 2014–2015 still a minority of non-university-based teaching hospitals had ongoing faculty development activities associated with their institution. Increased program commitment and adequate resources for FD instructors and funding can produce the desired increase in the number as well as the quality of the FD programs.

Faculty Development- Is Some Better Than None?

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Introduction: With the advent of competency-based medical education there is an emphasis on formative workplace based assessment. The quality of these assessments is a concern for medical educators and their trainees. Faculty development (FD) strategies to improve assessment quality have resulted in some success. However, few faculty participate, and those who do are likely more motivated to improve, making it difficult to demonstrate a conclusive benefit. To address these weaknesses, we designed a FD initiative to improve the quality of completed in-training evaluation reports (ITERs). All faculty within a division participated. We hypothesized that clinical supervisors would improve their ITER quality based on feedback, regardless of their own motivation to do so, with a simple, point-in-time intervention. Methods: In this three-phase study, two independent raters used the Completed Clinical Evaluation Report Rating (CCERR) to assess the quality of ITERs completed by all faculty in the Division of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Ottawa. In phase one, ITERs from the previous nine months were evaluated. In phase two, the participants were aware that their ITERs were being evaluated, but they did not receive feedback. In phase three, participants received regular feedback on their performance in the form of their mean CCERR scores. Mean CCERR scores from the different phases of the study were compared. Results: CCERR scores were similar for all three phases (one: 17.56 ± 1.02, two: 17.65 ± 0.96, three: 17.54 ± 0.75, p=0.98). Discussion and Conclusions: There was no evidence in our study that participants' improved their ITER quality despite being aware that they were being evaluated and/or receiving feedback. Potentially, this was related to a lack of motivation. Alternatively, the intensity and/or frequency of the feedback may have been inadequate to create change. These results raise concerns that some faculty development may not necessarily be better than none.

What Are the Best Strategies for Faculty Development in Medical Schools

Background: The aim of current study was to identify the most suitable strategies for faculty development and improving educational potential of faculty members in medical sciences. Methods: The study was cross-sectional. First, using the literature and with the help of experts, a list of all suitable strategies for faculty development was extracted. Then the questionnaire was created based on that list and after determination of its reliability and validity using retest method (correlation coefficient=0.87) was distributed among 96 faculty members of the faculty of Medicine in the target university whom were selected using random sampling method. The results were then analyzed using descriptive and analytical methods. Results: The strategies of workshops, observation the excellence performance, short courses and fellowships had the maximum average scores (2.59, 2.51, 2.42 and 2.33), and monitoring the performance of the faculty with the average score of 1.67 was determined to be the lowest average. The results showed that workshop solutions, short-term training courses and Fellowship are related to the faculty members' age groups. (P-Value<0.05). Conclusion: The results showed that most suitable strategies for improving the educational performance of faculty members included workshops, short-term training courses, fellowships and observation on the best performance.

Gaining Momentum Through Collaboration: Results of a Canadian Nursing Simulation Research Think Tank

A national think tank was convened to discuss themes, gaps and trends in nursing simulation research. A secondary objective of the think tank or ‘thought incubator’ was to explore areas of potential collaboration nationally. The PICK method was used to brainstorm during the three-phased meeting. All five researchers worked together to identify gaps in nursing simulation research that included faculty development strategies, psychological fidelity and virtual simulation. Opportunities for collaboration included: interprofessional simulation, multi-site studies and systematic reviews.