Longitudinal Faculty Development Research Articles

The effect of the Educational Scholar Program as a longitudinal faculty development program on the capability of educators as scholars

IntroductionThe Educational Scholar Program (ESP) is designed and implemented as a longitudinal and institution-based faculty development program. The present study aimed to assess the effect of the ESP on educators’ capabilities to undertake SoTL activities associated with their scholar role.MethodsThis study was conducted from 2017 to 2022. The participants (n = 64) were educators in six schools of Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences. The ESP was a faculty development program that consisted of training and project-based stages. The educators experienced small-group learning, self-directed learning, and reflective assignments in the training stage. In the second stage, the educators completed a SoTL (Scholarship of Teaching and Learning) project. Learner-related outcomes based on Kirkpatrick model was assessed. The reaction of educators (satisfaction, active participation in the ESP, and the perception of mentoring sessions) was assessed by three questionnaires (Reaction level). The educators’ learning was evaluated by modified essay questions and their project reports (Learning and Behavior levels). Outputs of the ESP including journal publications, abstracts presented at meetings or congresses, grant funding, awards in educational festivals, promotions, projects with ongoing implementation following the ESP, and conducting further SoTL projects after ESP were assessed quantitatively over two years after participating in the ESP (Results level). Data were summarized by descriptive statistics (mean, percentage, SD, 95% Confidence Interval (CI)). Cut-off scores of the instruments was calculated with a standard setting method which introduced by Cohen-Schotanus and Van DerVleuten. Data analyzed by One-sample t-test.ResultsSixty-four of 72 (89%) educators completed the ESP. The mean (CI) satisfaction score of educators was 42 (CI: 26.92–58.28), the active participation was 92 (CI: 80.24-103.76). The scores of the mentoring assessment from the perspective of the educators were reported at 90 (CI: 78.24- 101.76). The mean (95%CI) learning scores in the essay examination were 88 (CI: 70.36- 105.64), and project assessment were 90 (CI: 78.24- 101.76). The results showed the educators’ scores in reaction and learning significantly higher than the cut-off scores. (P < 0.05). Most projects were conducted in curriculum development and assessment/evaluation domains. The number of projects with ongoing implementation over the two years following the ESP and the acquisition of grants was higher than other outputs in the results level.ConclusionThe ESP, as an institute-based longitudinal program, enhanced the learner-related outcomes (in four levels of reaction, learning, behavior, and results). The creation of practical learning and supportive mechanisms influenced on the results. The outcomes of ESP indicated that the educators prepared to conduct SoTL activities in their educational community.

Preparing Clinicians for Roles in Academic Teaching: A Model for Clinical Associated Faculty Development.

Clinical associated faculty (CAF) are typically expert clinicians but novice educators, lacking professional development opportunities targeted to their unique needs. This can result in unnecessary variability in content delivery and potentially negative student learning outcomes. The purpose of this article is to describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of a faculty development program designed specifically for CAF. Thirty-two CAF completed a longitudinal faculty development program designed by faculty at the University of Colorado Doctor of Physical Therapy Program (CU). Content was driven by faculty development literature, core concepts of CU's Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program, and key constructs for excellence in DPT education. Changes in teaching confidence were examined with a modified version of the Nurse Educator Skill Acquisition Assessment (NESAA) in pre-test/post-test design. Creighton University DPT Program (Creighton) adapted the faculty development program for their own CAF and similarly assessed change in teaching skill in 21 CAF using the NESAA. Additional data were collected through session evaluations and review of student course evaluations for both programs. At CU and Creighton, 28 and 21 participants, respectively, completed the CAF development program and all desired outcome measures. Outcomes revealed a significant increase (P < .05) on NESAA scores. In addition, results demonstrated decreased negative student comments related to teaching inconsistencies on course evaluations and an overall positive perception of the program by participants. A CAF longitudinal faculty development program was developed and successfully implemented at 2 universities. This model could be used as a template by other DPT programs to address the existing faculty development gap and support the distinctive needs of CAF.

FAIMER Global Faculty Development: A Sustainable Partnership Model to Advance Health Professions Education.

The Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER), a member of Intealth, offers longitudinal faculty development programs (LFDPs) in health professions education (HPE) and leadership through its International FAIMER Institute (IFI) in the United States and FAIMER Regional Institutes (FRIs) globally. FAIMER fosters mutual collaboration and delineates shared responsibilities for FRI development in partnership with local institutions, using an adapted hub-and-spoke organizational design. This paper describes FAIMER's model, its sustainability, and its impacts at individual, institutional, and national levels. IFI was launched in 2001 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as a 2-year part-time hybrid LFDP; with the COVID-19 pandemic onset, IFI transitioned to a fully online program. Since FAIMER's launch, 11 FRIs developed in Brazil, Chile, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, and South Africa, each modeled on the IFI curriculum and adapted to local context. The more than 1,600 IFI and FRI graduates (fellows) from over 55 countries now form a global community of health professions educators who have shared exposure to HPE methods and assessment, leadership and management, educational scholarship and research, and project management and evaluation. Across all global locations and program formats, fellows self-reported a similar increase in knowledge and skills in HPE. All programs center on the fellows' institutional projects as experiential learning; these projects have focused primarily on educational methods and curriculum revisions. An increased quality of education was reported as the top impact resulting from fellows' projects. As a result of these programs, fellows have influenced education policy in their countries and established academic societies for HPE, thus contributing to recognition of the HPE academic specialty. FAIMER has successfully developed a sustainable model for advancing HPE globally, creating a vibrant network of health professions educators who have influenced country-specific educational policy and practice. FAIMER's model offers one approach to building global capacity in HPE.

Longitudinal faculty development to improve interprofessional collaboration and practice: a multisite qualitative study at five US academic health centres

ObjectivesInterprofessional (IP) collaboration and effective teamwork remain variable in healthcare organisations. IP bias, assumptions and conflicts limit the capacity of healthcare teams to leverage the expertise of their members to...

The APGO Academic Scholars and Leaders Program: Supporting obstetrics and gynecology faculty development for 20 years

Purpose We evaluate the impacts of the Academic Scholars and Leaders (ASL) Program in achieving 3 key objectives: treatment of education as a scholarly pursuit, improved education leadership, and career advancement. Materials and methods We report on the twenty-year experience of the ASL Program—a national, longitudinal faculty development program of the Association of Professors of Obstetrics and Gynecology (APGO) covering instruction, curriculum development/program evaluation, assessment/feedback, leadership/professional development, and educational scholarship. We conducted a cross-sectional, online survey of ASL participants who graduated in 1999–2017. We sought evidence of impact using Kirkpatrick’s 4-level framework. Descriptive quantitative data were analyzed, and open-ended comments were organized using content analysis. Results 64% (260) of graduates responded. The vast majority (96%) felt the program was extremely worthwhile (Kirkpatrick level 1). Graduates cited learned skills they had applied to their work, most commonly curricular development (48%) and direct teaching (38%) (Kirkpatrick 2&3 A). Since participation, 82% of graduates have held institutional, education-focused leadership roles (Kirkpatrick 3B). Nineteen percent had published the ASL project as a manuscript and 46% additional education papers (Kirkpatrick 3B). Conclusions The APGO ASL program has been associated with successful outcomes in treatment of education as a scholarly pursuit, education leadership, and career advancement. Going forward, APGO is considering ways to diversify the ASL community and to support educational research training.

Implementing blended learning for clinician teachers: a qualitative study identifying their needs and the impact on faculty development initiatives.

Learning Technologies has been a fast-growing field in Health Professions Education (HPE). Approaches to teaching, learning and assessment have been increasingly influenced by learning technologies which requires HPE teachers to adapt their teaching practices and, with that, identify areas for professional development. The implementation of blended learning in HPE, has shown improvements in student performance. However, it seems as if there are challenges with the implementation of a blended learning approach and that there might be some needs that clinical teachers have that are not being addressed in order to implement blended learning successfully. Methods: We used a qualitative exploratory design to identify clinician teachers' needs. Semi-structured, individual interviews were conducted with a total of eight (n=8) module co-ordinators in the third year of the MBChB programme, Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Results: Results indicated the need for continuous technical and pedagogical support which refers to a longitudinal faculty development approach. Additionally, faculty development should include the support in structuring and rethinking the blended curriculum, as well as assisting in the clinicians' development in their role and identity as a clinical teacher. Conclusions: These results reveal the importance of faculty development as a targeted longitudinal approach.

Experiential Learning in Clinical Education Guided by the Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory

In clinical education, experiential learning can be an important component of the instructional process. We know that in medical college hospitals, learning that takes place at patient’s bed side or in wards is totally different from learning that takes place in the classroom. Each patient encounter is a new learning experience where new information is internalized and applied in the context of previous knowledge and experience. This emphasizes the importance of experiential learning where medical students should have the opportunity to effectively and efficiently internalize, process, and apply new information. However, a major global challenge for the clinical education is the workload placed on the clinical teachers, who struggle to divide time between clinical, teaching, administrative, and other duties. Experiential learning helps to form an integrated approach to clinical teaching that simplifies the relationship between a physician’s clinical and educational duties and erase the distinction between teaching and patient care duties; the students are also benefited. Kolb proposed experiential learning theory, a four-stage cyclical model of knowledge development that combined individuals’ conscious recognition and transformation of experience, which was first published in 1984.Experiential learning can be applied throughout the medical educational environment by institutional development programmes, including longitudinal outcome assessment, curriculum development, student development, and faculty development. The use of experiential learning, where students are purposefully engaged in direct experience with an emphasis on reflection, increases the ability of students to develop clinical skills and competences during their clinical phase of medical education. This review paper aims to discuss how experiential learning can be integrated in clinical education.International Journal of Human and Health Sciences Vol. 06 No. 02 April’22 Page: 155-160

Cultivating cultural awareness among medical educators by integrating cultural anthropology in faculty development: an action research study

BackgroundIn faculty development, understanding each participant’s cultural context is important. However, there is scarce evidence on how to improve cultural understanding in faculty development. Cultural anthropology is a discipline that focuses on developing cultural self-awareness by understanding different cultures. Professionals from this field can be crucial to the goal of cultivating cultural awareness among medical educators. The aims of this study are to 1) develop and modify cultural anthropology sessions in faculty development and 2) evaluate the effectiveness of these sessions, including their long-term impacts.MethodsThe cultural anthropology sessions were organized as part of a longitudinal faculty development program—Foundation Course for Medical Education—at Kyoto University in Japan. The study included 47 medical educators participating in faculty development and three lecturers: two cultural anthropologists and a medical educator. We developed the cultural anthropology sessions and implemented them in the longitudinal faculty development program. In these sessions, cultural anthropologists used inquiry-guided reflection. An action research methodology was employed and repeated in four cycles from 2015 to 2018. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected during the action research cycles. The qualitative data were thematically analyzed.ResultsThe cultural anthropologists’ inquiries fostered learning during the sessions, and three themes—cultural relativism, attention to context, and reframing—were synthesized. As a long-term impact of the sessions, the learners reported becoming more aware of the cultural contexts in their daily educational and clinical activities.ConclusionsThe cultural anthropology sessions in the faculty development program were shown to have enhanced the participants’ awareness of cultural contexts. The concept and format of these sessions may be used more widely in faculty development programs.

A guide to best practice in faculty development for health professions schools: a qualitative analysis

BackgroundThis is a practice guide for the evaluation tool specifically created to objectively evaluate longitudinal faculty development programs (FDP) using the “5×2 -D backward planning faculty development model”. It was necessary to create this tool as existing evaluation methods are designed to evaluate linear faculty development models with a specific endpoint. This backward planning approach is a cyclical model without an endpoint, consisting of 5 dynamic steps that are flexible and interchangeable, therefore can be a base for an evaluation tool that is objective and takes into account all the domains of the FDP in contrast to the existing, traditional, linear evaluation tools which focus on individual aspects of the program. The developed tool will target evaluation of longitudinal faculty development programs regardless of how they were planned.MethodologyDeductive qualitative grounded theory approach was used. Evaluation questions were generated and tailored based on the 5 × 2-D model followed by 2 Delphi rounds to finalize them. Based on the finalized evaluation questions from the results of the Delphi rounds, two online focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted to deduce the indicators, data sources and data collection method.ResultsBased on the suggested additions, the authors added 1 new question to domains B, with a total of 42 modifications, such as wording changes or discarding or merging questions. Some domains received no comments, therefore, were not included in round 2. For each evaluation question, authors generated indicators, data sources and data collection methods during the FGD.ConclusionThe methodology used to develop this tool takes into account expert opinions. Comprehensiveness of this tool makes it an ideal evaluation tool during self-evaluation or external quality assurance for longitudinal FDP. After its validation and testing, this practice guide can be used worldwide, along with the provided indicators which can be quantified and used to suit the local context.

Faculty development programs for implementing competency based medical education in India: challenges and opportunities

India has rolled out competency based medical education which means a thorough overhaul of pedagogical and assessment methods. Several new components are introduced which require focussed faculty training and handholding at times. The erstwhile medical council of India had prepared a meticulous roadmap for this and dedicated faculty development programs were initiated for the smooth and effective transition into CBME. The possible challenges and gaps in faculty development are discussed with available options in this paper. To discharge their duties efficiently, the competencies for the faculty also need to be defined and they should progress from ‘knows’ level to ‘does’ level through longitudinal faculty development programs. The fidelity testing is the key for transfer of learning during FDP for the benefit of the students.

Experiential learning, collaboration and reflection: key ingredients in longitudinal faculty development.

BackgroundLongitudinal faculty development (LFD) may allow for increased uptake of teaching skills, especially in a forum where teachers can reflect individually and collectively on the new skills. However, the exact processes by which such interventions are effective need further exploration.MethodsThis qualitative study examined an LFD initiative teaching a novel feedback approach attended by five family practice physicians. The initiative began with two 1.5-hour workshops: Goal-Oriented Feedback (as the teaching skill to be developed) and Narrative Reflection (as the tool to support personal reflection on the skill being learned). Over the subsequent six-months, the five participants iteratively applied the feedback approach in their teaching and engaged in narrative reflection at four 1-hour group sessions. Transcripts from the group discussions and exit interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis.ResultsIteratively trialing, individually reflecting on, and collectively exploring efforts to implement the new feedback approach resulted in the development of a learning community among the group. This sense of community created a safe space for reflection, while motivating ongoing efforts to learn the skill. Individual pre-reflection prepared individuals for group co-reflection; however, written narratives were not essential.ConclusionLFD initiatives should include an emphasis on ensuring opportunities for iterative attempts of teaching skills, guided self-reflection, and collaborative group reflection and learning to ensure sustainable change to teaching practices.

Practical Guidelines for Implementing Longitudinal Faculty Development Programs.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Health professions faculty are often required to teach and participate in research efforts, although many have not undergone prescribed training in these areas. As a result, faculty development programs at medical schools and teaching hospitals typically offer single workshops or lectures formally addressing these subjects. Since longitudinal faculty development programs are known to be superior in fostering reflection and self-directed learning, these practical guidelines are provided for how to successfully implement such a program and sustain enrollment of participants over time. These guidelines are based on best evidence of faculty development models, personal experience of the author and grounded in theoretical frameworks about adult learning.

Impact of a longitudinal faculty development program on the quality of multiple-choice question item writing in medical education.

Background:Like many other academic programs, medical education is incomplete without a robust assessment plan.Objective:The study aimed to evaluate the impact of longitudinal faculty development program (FDP) on the examination item quality (EIQ) from a cohort of medical college faculty members.Methods:Item analysis (IA) of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) from a cohort of medical tutors over a 3-year period (2017 [S1], 2018 [S2], and 2019 [S3]) before and following once-per-week FDP was conducted. The questions were from three randomly selected courses: man and his environment (MEV) from phase 1, central nervous system (CNS) from phase 2, and internal medicine (MED) from phase 3. Data assessed were 480 MCQs from the final exams in the courses. The parameters considered in IA were the difficulty index, index of discrimination, nonfunctional distractors (NFDs), distractor efficiency for each question item, and Cronbach's alpha (CA) for the test as a whole. Comparison over the 3 years was made using Fisher's exact test and repeated-measures ANOVA with Bonferroni test as post hoc test.Results:Overall, out of 480 MCQs, 272 had no NFD (52 [19.52%], 104 [38.24%], and 116 [42.65%] in 2017, 2018, and 2019, respectively) with a significant difference between S3, S2, and S1 (P < 0.0001). The mean CA for the exams in S1, S2, and S3, respectively, were 0.51, 0.77, and 0.84, P < 0.0001.Conclusion:There was an improvement in EIQ following the implementation of longitudinal FDP. Thus, the need for active training and retraining of the faculty for a better EIQ cannot be overemphasized.

A Longitudinal Faculty Development Program Nurturing Leaders in Residency Education in Okinawa

A Longitudinal Faculty Development Program Nurturing Leaders in Residency Education in Okinawa

Collaborative knotworking \u2013 transforming clinical teaching practice through faculty development

BackgroundFaculty development is important for advancing teaching practice in health professions education. However, little is known regarding how faculty development outcomes are achieved and how change in practice may happen through these activities. In this study, we explored how clinical educators integrated educational innovations, developed within a faculty development programme, into their clinical workplaces. Thus, the study seeks to widen the understanding of how change following faculty development unfolds in clinical systems.MethodsThe study was inspired by case study design and used a longitudinal faculty development programme as a case offering an opportunity to study how participants in faculty development work with change in practice. The study applied activity theory and its concept of activity systems in a thematic analysis of focus group interviews with 14 programme attendees. Participants represented two teaching hospitals, five clinical departments and five different health professions.ResultsWe present the activity systems involved in the integration process and the contradiction that arose between them as the innovations were introduced in the workplace. The findings depict how the faculty development participants and the clinicians teaching in the workplace interacted to overcome this contradiction through iterative processes of negotiating a mandate for change, reconceptualising the innovation in response to workplace reactions, and reconciliation as temporary equilibria between the systems.ConclusionThe study depicts the complexities of how educational change is brought about in the workplace after faculty development. Based on our findings and the activity theoretical concept of knotworking, we suggest that these complex processes may be understood as collaborative knotworking between faculty development participants and workplace staff through which both the output from faculty development and the workplace practices are transformed. Increasing our awareness of these intricate processes is important for enhancing our ability to make faculty development reach its full potential in bringing educational change in practice.

39. MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING: THE CURRENT STATE OF TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT IN ADOLESCENT MEDICINE FELLOWSHIPS

Background Motivational interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based counseling approach to facilitate choosing healthier behaviors. “Demonstration of MI” is a curricular component of the Adolescent Medicine (AM) specific entrustable professional activity (EPA) “Provide care for adolescent and young adult patients with acute physical and mental health issues.” Objective To assess if and how AM fellowships teach and assess MI. Methods AM Fellowship Directors from all 33 US and Canadian programs were surveyed anonymously online about individual training and curricular inclusion of MI. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis of comments were conducted. Results Our response rate was 91% (N=30/33). 93% (n=28/30) of respondents received training in MI; 60% (n=18/30) each during and post-fellowship. However, 40% (n=12/30) have not received any MI faculty development in the last 3 years. Teaching methods for MI include direct observation of patient encounters in real-time (63%, n=19/30), by audio/videotape (7%, n=2/30), role-play (47%, n=14/30), and simulation (20%, n=6/30). Only 30% (n=9/30) offer written observational feedback after patient encounters. Only 53% (n=16/30) felt their program's MI teaching and assessment methods result in adequate “demonstration of MI” by graduating fellows. Time, assessment, and curriculum were the most common needs reported to improve MI skills. Of the 90% (n=26/29) of programs that offer direct observation in patient encounters to give feedback on verbal communication skills (not MI specific), most observation is by an “attending”, 27% (n=7/26) offer written formative feedback, and 15% (n=4/26) ask fellows to write an improvement plan based on their feedback. Conclusions Opportunities for MI curricular improvement include longitudinal faculty development, written feedback and self-reflection after observed patient encounters. We plan to perform semi-structured interviews to better understand these preliminary findings, feasibility of collaborating with other residency faculty, and sharing of resources and experiences across AM Fellowships.

Longitudinal Faculty Development in Curriculum Design: Our Experience in the Integrated Care Training Program.

Longitudinal Faculty Development in Curriculum Design: Our Experience in the Integrated Care Training Program.

University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine

University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine

Enhancement of role modelling in clinical educators: A randomized controlled trial

Introduction: Role models have an important impact on the professional behavior of medical students. Previous investigations help us understand how to improve role modelling. However, studies aiming at enhancing role modelling among clinical educators are very limited and generally lack comprehensive evaluations of the designed programs. We intended to gather robust evidence on the effectiveness of a longitudinal program for enhancing role modelling.Methods: Clinical educators were divided into intervention and control groups. The longitudinal program, developed based on the exposure phase of the ‘Positive Doctor Role Modelling’ framework, was delivered during three months of onsite and online sessions. The effectiveness of the program was assessed in three levels of reaction, learning, and behavior.Results: In the intervention group (N = 18), the mean score of satisfaction was 4.7 (SD = 0.5), and the learning (awareness about role modelling) improved significantly after the program (3.33–4.34), comparing to the control group (3.53–3.63). There was no significant difference in terms of behavior improvement between the two groups, before and after the program.Conclusions: Our findings indicate that our longitudinal faculty development program on role modelling was highly appreciated by clinical educators, and improved their awareness and deliberate role modelling.

A longitudinal faculty development program: supporting a culture of teaching

BackgroundRecent trends in faculty development demonstrate a shift from short term to long-term programs; formal to informal learning in the workplace; individual to group settings; and from individual support to institutional support. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a one-year Clinical Teaching Fellowship (CTF) program designed to equip early career medical practitioners and basic scientists with necessary skills to facilitate Team-based learning (TBL).MethodsThe CTF program provided formal training, a choice of informal professional development activities, and practical co-teaching opportunities in TBL. Of the 40 registrants, 31 (78%) completed the program. Data were collected via questionnaire and focus group. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and framework analysis.ResultsParticipants considered the CTF program as relevant to their needs and useful to their career. Learning was enriched through the combination of training, practical teaching experience alongside senior clinical teachers, the multi-disciplinary context of training and co-teaching in TBLs; and the sense of community. Competing clinical responsibilities made it difficult to attend training and TBL teaching.ConclusionsThe CTF program provided a longitudinal faculty development framework promoting preparation, practice and development of teaching skills. Securing institutional support to invest in the growth and development of early career teachers is essential to sustained innovation and excellence in teaching.