Through the Eyes of Faculty: Using Personas as a Tool for Learner-Centered Professional Development.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Zagallo P
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6889841 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:The availability of reliable evidence for teaching practices after professional development is limited across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines, making the identification of professional development "best practices" and effective models for change difficult. We aimed to determine the extent to which postdoctoral fellows (i.e., future biology faculty) believed in and implemented evidence-based pedagogies after completion of a 2-yr professional development program, Faculty Institutes for Reforming Science Teaching (FIRST IV). Postdocs (PDs) attended a 2-yr training program during which they completed self-report assessments of their beliefs about teaching and gains in pedagogical knowledge and experience, and they provided copies of class assessments and video recordings of their teaching. The PDs reported greater use of learner-centered compared with teacher-centered strategies. These data were consistent with the results of expert reviews of teaching videos. The majority of PDs (86%) received video ratings that documented active engagement of students and implementation of learner-centered classrooms. Despite practice of higher-level cognition in class sessions, the items used by the PDs on their assessments of learning focused on lower-level cognitive skills. We attributed the high success of the FIRST IV program to our focus on inexperienced teachers, an iterative process of teaching practice and reflection, and development of and teaching a full course.
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Project description:The goal of STEM professional development for teaching is that participants continue to practice what they learn in the long term. However, we do not know if the outcomes are achieved and ultimately persist. We tracked postdoctoral participants from the Faculty Institutes for Reforming Science Teaching (FIRST) IV program into their current positions as early-career biology faculty. We assessed their teaching approaches, practices, and student perceptions of the learning environment over 6 to 9 years after finishing the program. Simultaneously, we evaluated paired faculty in the same departments. We found that professional development outcomes persisted over time and across a career transition. FIRST IV faculty maintained their learner-centered practices and were more learner-centered than their peers. Last, we found that teaching approaches were correlated with teaching practices in all faculty participants. These results provide evidence for the success of the FIRST IV program and the long-term persistence of professional development outcomes.
| S-EPMC7304974 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionJunior academic faculty must balance increasing clinical responsibilities whilst maintaining academic portfolios aimed at promotion. Our goal was to design, implement, and evaluate a curriculum for career development amongst junior faculty in pediatrics.MethodsFollowing the Kern method of curriculum development, we performed a needs assessment of junior faculty via an electronic survey to identify areas for career development. We created objectives based on the themes identified and developed associated learning activities, including (1) a monthly seminar series, (2) an orientation day for new hires, and (3) a formal mentoring program for junior faculty. At the end of each academic year, we sent electronic surveys to junior faculty participants for program evaluation.ResultsOf 50 junior faculty, 60% completed the initial needs assessment and identified a need for a forum for junior faculty orientation, career development, and formal mentoring. Local experts were solicited to create and lead a 10-part seminar series to cover topics such as CV review, promotions, and mentoring. Twenty-one junior faculty (42%) who did not already have established mentors joined the formal mentoring program. All incoming new junior faculty attended a formal orientation day held annually. At the end of the first year, a follow-up survey for program evaluation was completed by 17 (27%) junior faculty, and 98% reported satisfaction with the learning activities.DiscussionWe successfully developed and implemented a junior faculty career development program at our institution that can be replicated at other institutions.
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Project description:We have prepared thousands of future STEM faculty around the world to adopt evidence-based instructional practices through their participation in two massive open online courses (MOOCs) and facilitated in-person learning communities. Our novel combination of asynchronous online and coordinated, structured face-to-face learning community experiences provides flexible options for STEM graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to pursue teaching professional development. A total of 14,977 participants enrolled in seven offerings of the introductory course held 2014-2018, with 1,725 participants (11.5% of enrolled) completing the course. Our results of high levels of engagement and learning suggest that leveraging the affordances of educational technologies and the geographically clustered nature of this learner demographic in combination with online flexible learning could be a sustainable model for large scale professional development in higher education. The preparation of future STEM faculty makes an important difference in establishing high-quality instruction that meets the diverse needs of all undergraduate students, and the initiative described here can serve as a model for increasing access to such preparation.
| S-EPMC10569627 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionTraditional normative Likert-type evaluations of faculty teaching have several drawbacks, including lack of granular feedback, potential for inflation, and the halo effect. To provide more meaningful data to faculty on their teaching skills and encourage educator self-reflection and skill development, we designed and implemented a milestone-based faculty clinical teaching evaluation tool.MethodsThe evaluation tool contains 10 questions that assess clinical teaching skills with descriptive milestone behavior anchors. Nine of these items are based on the Stanford Faculty Development Clinical Teaching Model and annual Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) resident survey questions; the tenth was developed to address professionalism at our institution. The tool was developed with input from residency program leaders, residents, and the faculty development committee and piloted with graduate medical education learners before implementation.ResultsMore than 7,200 faculty evaluations by learners and 550 faculty self-evaluations have been collected. Learners found the form easy to use and preferred it to previous Likert-based evaluations. Over the 2 years that faculty self-evaluations have been collected, their scores have been similar to the learner evaluation scores. The feedback provided faculty with more meaningful data on teaching skills and opportunities for reflection and skill improvement and was used in constructing faculty teaching skills programs at the institutional level.DiscussionThis innovation provides an opportunity to give faculty members more meaningful teaching evaluations and feedback. It should be easy for other institutions and programs to implement. It leverages a familiar milestone construct and incorporates important ACGME annual resident survey information.
| S-EPMC6374742 | biostudies-literature
Project description:This essay describes how the use of a concept inventory has enhanced professional development and curriculum reform efforts of a faculty teaching community. The Host Pathogen Interactions (HPI) teaching team is composed of research and teaching faculty with expertise in HPI who share the goal of improving the learning experience of students in nine linked undergraduate microbiology courses. To support evidence-based curriculum reform, we administered our HPI Concept Inventory as a pre- and postsurvey to approximately 400 students each year since 2006. The resulting data include student scores as well as their open-ended explanations for distractor choices. The data have enabled us to address curriculum reform goals of 1) reconciling student learning with our expectations, 2) correlating student learning with background variables, 3) understanding student learning across institutions, 4) measuring the effect of teaching techniques on student learning, and 5) demonstrating how our courses collectively form a learning progression. The analysis of the concept inventory data has anchored and deepened the team's discussions of student learning. Reading and discussing students' responses revealed the gap between our understanding and the students' understanding. We provide evidence to support the concept inventory as a tool for assessing student understanding of HPI concepts and faculty development.
| S-EPMC2995757 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Introduction:Senior resident-led morning report (MR) occurs in many residency programs, but residents rarely receive training on how to facilitate MR or feedback on their facilitation. I created and implemented a required 2-week resident-as-teacher curriculum pairing senior residents with faculty mentors. Methods:The curriculum allowed individualization to each specific resident's needs. The faculty mentor helped the resident set curricular goals, observed and provided feedback on resident facilitation of four MRs and one noontime conference, and reviewed adult learning principles with the resident. The curriculum guided the faculty and resident pair through leading MR and applied evidence to guide resident teaching. I surveyed resident teachers, the residents who attend MR, and faculty mentors to determine the curriculum's perceived educational impact. Results:Over the 2010-2016 academic years, 124 senior residents participated. Senior residents self-reported significantly more confidence, interest, and preparedness for teaching after the curriculum. Trainees attending MR rated the quality of equal value after curriculum implementation, and responded that senior residents leading MR were more likely to give clear explanations, teach at an appropriate level, and were less likely to run out of time. Faculty mentors enjoyed participating and found the one-on-one mentorship relationship important for their satisfaction with the experience. Discussion:Outcome data suggested that the mentorship relationship was the most important element of the curriculum and that flexibility was key to allowing individual needs to be met. The intervention is applicable to other residency programs and specialties, and faculty mentors are not required to have a medical education background.
| S-EPMC7431183 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Telehealth visits have become an integral model of healthcare delivery since the COVID-19 pandemic. This rapid expansion of telehealthcare delivery has forced faculty development and trainee education in telehealth to occur simultaneously. In response, academic medical institutions have quickly implemented clinical training to teach digital health skills to providers across the medical education continuum. Yet, learners of all levels must still receive continual assessment and feedback on their skills to align with the telehealth competencies and milestones set forth by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). This paper discusses key educational needs and emerging areas for faculty development in telehealth teaching and assessment of telehealth competencies. It proposes strategies for the successful integration of the AAMC telehealth competencies and ACGME milestones into medical education, including skills in communication, data gathering, and patient safety with appropriate telehealth use. Direct observation tools in the paper offer educators novel instruments to assess telehealth competencies in medical students, residents, and peer faculty. The integration of AAMC and ACGME telehealth competencies and the new assessment tools in this paper provide a unique perspective to advance clinical practice and teaching skills in telehealthcare delivery.
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Project description:Purpose:To evaluate the effectiveness of a learner-centered, simulation-based training developed to help medical students improve their procedural skills in intubation, arterial line placement, lumbar puncture, and central line insertion. Method:The study participants were second and third year medical students. Anesthesiology residents provided the training and evaluated students' procedural skills. Two residents were present at each station to train the medical students who rotated through all 4 stations. Pre/posttraining assessment of confidence, knowledge, and procedural skills was done using a survey, a multiple-choice test, and procedural checklists, respectively. Results:In total, 24 students were trained in six 4-hour sessions. Students reported feeling significantly more confident, after training, in performing all 4 procedures on a real patient (P < .001). Paired-samples t tests indicated statistically significant improvement in knowledge scores for intubation, t(23) = -2.92, P < .001, and arterial line placement, t(23) = -2.75, P < .001. Procedural performance scores for intubation (t(23) = -17.29, P < .001), arterial line placement (t(23) = -19.75, P < .001), lumbar puncture (t(23) = -16.27, P < .001), and central line placement (t(23) = -17.25, P < .001) showed significant improvement. Intraclass correlation coefficients indicated high reliability in checklist scores for all procedures. Conclusions:The simulation sessions allowed each medical student to receive individual attention from 2 residents for each procedure. Students' written comments indicated that this training modality was well received. Results showed that medical students improved their self-confidence, knowledge, and skills in the aforementioned procedures.
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Project description:We tested the effectiveness of Faculty Institutes for Reforming Science Teaching IV (FIRST), a professional development program for postdoctoral scholars, by conducting a study of program alumni. Faculty professional development programs are critical components of efforts to improve teaching and learning in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines, but reliable evidence of the sustained impacts of these programs is lacking. We used a paired design in which we matched a FIRST alumnus employed in a tenure-track position with a non-FIRST faculty member at the same institution. The members of a pair taught courses that were of similar size and level. To determine whether teaching practices of FIRST participants were more learner-centered than those of non-FIRST faculty, we compared faculty perceptions of their teaching strategies, perceptions of environmental factors that influence teaching, and actual teaching practice. Non-FIRST and FIRST faculty reported similar perceptions of their teaching strategies and teaching environment. FIRST faculty reported using active learning and interactive engagement in lecture sessions more frequently compared with non-FIRST faculty. Ratings from external reviewers also documented that FIRST faculty taught class sessions that were learner-centered, contrasting with the teacher-centered class sessions of most non-FIRST faculty. Despite marked differences in teaching practice, FIRST and non-FIRST participants used assessments that targeted lower-level cognitive skills. Our study demonstrated the effectiveness of the FIRST program and the empirical utility of comparison groups, where groups are well matched and controlled for contextual variables (for example, departments), for evaluating the effectiveness of professional development for subsequent teaching practices.
| S-EPMC4803486 | biostudies-literature