scholarly journals The Importance of Theory to Inform Practice – Theorizing the Current Trends of Clinical Teaching: A Narrative Review

Author(s):  
Ahmad AbdulAzeem Abdullah Omer

Clinical teaching lies at the heart of physicians’ training; however, it is often opportunistic, haphazard, and lacks a theoretical foundation. Medical education is a profession that requires robust scientific methods and an evidence-based approach driven by accountability and patient safety concerns in the healthcare provision nowadays. Learning theories are increasingly applied in the realm of medicine with implications to the quality of teaching and learning in the clinical environment and the professional growth of medical graduates. These theories elucidate the basic tenets ambient to the intricate process of learning and answer some basic questions of how people learn. Educational theories provide a myriad of benefits to the teaching and learning approaches in the clinical environment. It arms teachers with a repertoire of educational tools and sets out principles to justify their use and predict the conditions under which they may likely work. It enables clinicians to design their teaching based on well-developed objectives and robust methods for their evaluation. As such, learners’ capacity to achieve clinical competence is enhanced and their identity formation and other essential attributes of clinical expertise are potentiated. However, it has been reported that learning theories are neither well-articulated in clinical teaching nor educators and clinicians are formally trained on their application in the clinical context. Continuous professional development and faculty training about learning theories are essential to lift their capability to teach effectively in the clinical environment. This article revisited the main learning theories and discusses their application to enhance teaching and learning in the clinical context.  Key words: clinical teaching, educational perspectives, learning theories

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 238212052110320
Author(s):  
Mara M Hoffert ◽  
Karla D Passalacqua ◽  
Alexis Haftka-George ◽  
Odaliz Abreu Lanfranco ◽  
Robert A Martin

Developing as a physician requires an enormous amount of complex training, and quality of instruction greatly affects training outcomes. But while physicians are expected to teach trainees within the clinic, they often do not receive formal training in effective instructional practices. Providing faculty development programs is one way that institutions can help physicians develop teaching skills, but these programs often are developed without the input of educational specialists and not based in educational theory. In this methodology paper, we describe a 5-module curriculum that was developed in a cross-disciplinary collaboration between instructional designers and physician faculty. By merging educational and medical expertise and using adult learning theory with the Charlotte-Danielson educational framework, an essentials for clinical teaching educational endorsement program (ECTEEP) was created as a feature of the institutional curriculum within a large, urban teaching hospital. Here we describe how the program was developed through a physician-educator partnership, outline the program’s key content, and highlight essential aspects of successful implementation. The ECTEEP incorporates active learning approaches within an abbreviated format, distilling 5 critical aspects of effective teaching that are relevant to the clinical environment: cultural humility and safe learning environments, instruction practices for engaging learners, instruction and assessment strategies, receiving and giving feedback, and mentorship and coaching. A central feature of the program is that facilitators actively model the teaching behaviors they are conveying, which underscores the critical importance of facilitator preparation and skill. Our curriculum is offered here as a basic template for institutions that may want to establish a program for enhancing physician teaching skill.


Author(s):  
Tom H Brown

<p class="Paragraph1"><span lang="EN-US">The paper of Barber, Donnelly &amp; Rizvi (2013): “An avalanche is coming: Higher education and the revolution ahead”  addresses some significant issues in higher education and poses some challenging questions to ODL (Open and Distance Learning) administrators, policy makers and of course to ODL faculty in general.  Barber et al.’s paper does not specifically address the area of teaching and learning theories, strategies and methodologies per se.  In this paper I would therefore like to reflect on the impact that the contemporary changes and challenges that Barber et al. describes, have on teaching and learning approaches and paradigms.  In doing so I draw on earlier work about future learning paradigms and navigationism (Brown, 2006).  We need a fresh approach and new skills to survive the revolution ahead.  We need to rethink our teaching and learning strategies to be able to provide meaningful learning opportunities in the future that lies ahead.</span></p>


Author(s):  
Jenny Moffett ◽  
Jennifer Hammond ◽  
Paul Murphy ◽  
Teresa Pawlikowska

AbstractAlthough the evidence base around uncertainty and education has expanded in recent years, a lack of clarity around conceptual terms and a heterogeneity of study designs means that this landscape remains indistinct. This scoping review explores how undergraduate health professions' students learn to engage with uncertainty related to their academic practice. To our knowledge, this is the first scoping review which examines teaching and learning related to uncertainty across multiple health professions. The scoping review is underpinned by the five-stage framework of (Arksey and O'Malley in Scoping studies: Towards a methodological framework International Journal of Social Research Methodology 8(1) 19-32, 2005). We searched MEDLINE, Embase, PsychINFO, ISI Web of Science, and CINAHL and hand-searched selected health professions’ education journals. The search strategy yielded a total of 5,017 articles, of which 97 were included in the final review. Four major themes were identified: “Learners’ interactions with uncertainty”; “Factors that influence learner experiences”; “Educational outcomes”; and, “Teaching and learning approaches”. Our findings highlight that uncertainty is a ubiquitous concern in health professions’ education, with students experiencing different forms of uncertainty at many stages of their training. These experiences are influenced by both individual and system-related factors. Formal teaching strategies that directly support learning around uncertainty were infrequent, and included arts-based teaching, and clinical case presentations. Students also met with uncertainty indirectly through problem-based learning, clinical teaching, humanities teaching, simulation, team-based learning, small group learning, tactical games, online discussion of anatomy topics, and virtual patients. Reflection and reflective practice are also mentioned as strategies within the literature.


2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (7) ◽  
pp. 2123-2134
Author(s):  
Mohd Zamri Hussin ◽  
Mohideen Salihu Farook ◽  
Nor Azlida Mohd Nor ◽  
Firdaus Hariri ◽  
Kathreena Kadir ◽  
...  

The rapid spread of the global pandemic COVID-19 had challenged the Malaysian Healthcare and Education Systems. Teaching and learning at dental schools across the country were drastically changed to online approach as the nation enforced Movement Control Order (MCO). However, translation of psychomotor skills still require hands-on approach to produce competent dentists upon graduation, but most dental schools were not prepared for the prevention of COVID-19 transmission that require more strict cross infection protocol. The aim of this paper was to describe the response by a dental school in Malaysia to COVID-19 in modifying the clinical teaching and learning, infrastructure, facilities, and clinical services, and enhancing the infection control protocol through risk assessment of COVID-19 transmission and prevention strategies. The paper also discusses the limitations of our approach, challenges in providing clinical services and supervision as well as implications of changes to our practice. In conclusion, COVID-19 has modified the delivery and implementation of clinical teaching and learning in Malaysia. However, within the limited fund and resources, dental teaching institutions need to adapt to the new normal clinical environment in order to ensure that dentals students graduate on time with sufficient clinical training.


There are many adapted teaching and learning (TL) practices that utilized e-learning tools to teach computer laboratories among the tertiary education students. What is the appropriate approach for TL on computing subjects catering for the current era of students?Since information and knowledge can be accessed widely and learnt from the Internet technology. Kolb’s experiential learning and inquiry-based learning approaches had presented several studies area application and resulted to enrich students’ hands-on learning. This research aimed to identify the teaching practices for game development related to computing skill subject. Focus is made for educators to adapt the teaching model as a method for students’ learning emphasizing on software skills in developing game content. The proposed teaching models are framed as referenced from both Kolb’s and inquiry-based learning theories to design the lesson plans and lab exercises. Then, a pilot test survey was conducted among the game students to retrieve their perception and experience throughout the learning process. The survey data presented students’ learning are effective by watching and doing. Corresponding, the inquiry-based model is recommended for teaching practices especially to students without any prior knowledge and skills in to the computing development subject. Therefore, this research suggested both teaching approaches to strengthen students’ basic knowledge learning prior to beginner level


2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charalampos Dervenis ◽  
Panos Fitsilis ◽  
Omiros Iatrellis

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to thoroughly assemble, analyze and synthesize previous research to investigate and identify teaching staff competencies derived from the roles and tasks attributed to university professors. Design/methodology/approach In this literature review, the authors looked at both the conceptual framework exploring the educational concepts and the learning theories focusing on teaching staff roles and competencies in higher education. Thirty-nine scientific papers were studied in detail from a total of 102 results, which were eligible based on the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses statement. Findings A multi-dimensional approach to teacher competencies in higher education was proposed, which consists of six main dimensions with their respective characteristics. Thirty-two discrete teaching staff competencies were identified and distributed in the aforementioned dimensions. The research revealed that specific competencies, such as the digital competence of teachers, which have lately become of high importance worldwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic implications, surprisingly, until recently, they were considered secondary in the educational process. Research limitations/implications The study was based on the existing literature without using data drawn from an appropriate questionnaire addressed to students and/or interviews with academics. In addition, in an effort to maintain a homogeneous base of teacher competencies, inclusion of domains of expertise was avoided. Further research should focus on designing and developing a holistic model using analytical learning approaches that will contribute to the assessment of teachers’ competencies and explore the relationship of these competencies to students’ academic achievement, contributing quality to higher education. Practical implications A specific framework of teacher competencies in higher education, in practice, can be a useful reference point not only for ensuring quality in the selection of teachers and their career-long professional development but also for national education policy strategies. The definition of teacher competencies framework contributes to facilitating effective dialogue for the evaluation and quality assurance in education between agencies, authorities, researchers, teachers, policymakers, education managers and different communities at large. Social implications These competencies are at the heart not only of the teaching and learning process but also in the workplace and in society in general and are increasingly recognized as essential. An adequately prepared community and management equipped with the required employee competencies is able to react immediately and in a positive way to any obstacle, yielding optimal results. Originality/value This is the first review, to the authors’ knowledge, to comprehensively explore the literature to identify, classify and rank the teaching staff competencies in higher education, revealing the gap between perceived and actual importance of various competencies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-96
Author(s):  
Muhammad Hafiz Hanafi

This article briefly addresses some teaching and learning approaches for medical and postgraduate medical training in Malaysia. The teaching approaches primarily used in clinical process include pedagogy, andragogy, heutagogy, peeragogy and cybergogy. The higher the standard of education, the more sophisticated the approach used for learning. Combining and assimilating the different strategies is the only way to meet optimal training objectives in a post-COVID-19 era.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 454
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Varvara ◽  
Sara Bernardi ◽  
Serena Bianchi ◽  
Bruna Sinjari ◽  
Maurizio Piattelli

The COVID-19 pandemic literally stopped most human movement and activities as it initially spread, which included dental practices and dental education. This defined the need for significative changes in teaching and learning with the use of “e-learning” methods, also for traineeships. This study was designed to determine the undergraduate student perception of these new methods as part of their education. This involved 353 students attending the Dental School of the G. D’Annunzio University of Chieti–Pescara, from the first to the sixth years. A questionnaire in Italian and was set-up using “Google Forms” and sent by email to the students. The questionnaire was divided into three parts: the first part included questions for general information, including age, sex and year of course; the second part had multiple choice questions related to their evaluation of the e-learning teaching, using a scale of opinion in the replies to each question (e.g., “scarce”, “fair”, “satisfying”, “very good” and “excellent”); and the third part included two open questions to indicate the strengths and limitations of these new teaching and learning approaches. The categorical variables in the first and second parts of the questionnaire were evaluated using Chi squared tests, setting significance at p < 0.05, while the comments were evaluated qualitatively. The student feedback showed significant appreciation (p < 0.05) of the new methods and the efforts that the lecturers put in to provide lectures of as high a quality as possible. However, a lack of practical training was significantly perceived as an important problem in the structure of their new curriculum (p < 0.05). COVID-19 has been an epic tragedy that has hit the human population not only in terms of health and healthcare, but also quality of life. This includes the quality of dental education within universities. However, the pandemic can be seen to also represent motivation to invest in the necessary technological innovation to deliver the best possible education to our future dentists.


2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (9) ◽  
pp. 524-530
Author(s):  
Heather Watson ◽  
Donna Brown

Background With greater numbers of midwives being trained to counteract the predicted shortages, it seems that it is now more vital than ever to explore how newly qualified midwives (NQMs) describe their experiences in the clinical environment, the support they have received, and identify barriers to their development during the transition period. Aim The aim of this study was to explore NQMs experiences of working clinically during the transition from student to qualified midwife. Method Using a qualitative approach, eight NQMs participated in semi-structured interviews. Findings The findings revealed four key themes that sum up the NQMs experiences: expectations and realities of the role; creating conditions for professional growth; the impact of the care environment; and limitations to creating a healthful culture. Conclusions The clearly articulated journey that has been described by the NQMs demonstrated that there is both a need and desire to change, improve and develop the transition period for all new midwives working in clinical practice. Consideration needs to be given to more robust guidance, with some ideas for development, such as support forums for NQMs to meet up on a regular basis; advanced planned rotation with flexibility; a named preceptor/‘buddy’ in each clinical area; and a shared online forum to allow the NQMs to discuss and share experiences, and to signpost to any useful information or learning opportunities available.


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