scholarly journals Implementation of Competency Based Educational Strategies into a First-Year Seminar for InterProfessional Healthcare Science Majors

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Snyder ◽  
Amy Murphy-Nugen ◽  
Amy Rose ◽  
Gayle Wells ◽  
Carol MacKusick
Keyword(s):  
Care Delivery ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
First Year Experience ◽  
First Year ◽  
Political Awareness ◽  
Health Educator ◽  
Competency Based ◽  
Interprofessional Healthcare ◽  
First Year Seminar

Introduction: The Health Educators Academy at Western Carolina University was developed by the Dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences. Interdisciplinary fellows in the 2015 HEA focused on competency based education (CBE), which naturally incentivizes collaborative, interdisciplinary and interprofessional work. The 2015 Health Educator Academy Fellows researched healthcare competencies and designed curriculum changes that aligned within these parameters. This article discusses the creation of a first-year, interprofessional healthcare course that emphasizes CBE as well as interprofessional practice. Interprofessional Goals: The 2015 Academy Fellows believed that a collaborative course in the first-year curriculum that builds upon integral competencies would help introduce a structure that would support further IPE in later courses. Background of CBE: The recent expansion of CBE in higher education is a result of a number of factors, including changing demographics, the increase in student debt, declining state funding, and the need for accountability markers and improved learning outcomes. First- Year Experience: First-year seminars were first designed to ease the transition to college for students and to increase both retention and persistence to graduation. Proposed CBE Course: Three foundational interprofessional global health competencies domains were implemented into the first-year experience course: collaboration, partnering and communication; ethics; and sociocultural and political awareness. Reflection and Lessons Learned: In reflecting upon the process of designing a first-year interprofessional, competency-based course, the members of the Health Educator Academy organically implemented many educator and curricular best practices that facilitate collaboration in health care delivery. Future Plans: Rather than deal with complex health issues from a single, specialized approach, healthcare providers will need to work as a team to meet the needs of patients as well as the broader community. Courses such as a first-year seminar based on interprofessional competency-based curriculum can begin the process of teaching students to think collaboratively and critically. This type of course will provide some of the tools that students will need once they leave the university and enter the professional realm.

Engaging Housestaff as Informatics Collaborators: Educational and Operational Opportunities

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (05) ◽  
pp. 1150-1156
Author(s):  
Jared A. Shenson ◽  
Ivana Jankovic ◽  
Hyo Jung Hong ◽  
Benjamin Weia ◽  
Lee White ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Positive Impact ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Academic Medical Center ◽  
Clinical Information ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
First Year ◽  
Hospital Governance ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
It Systems

Abstract Background In academic hospitals, housestaff (interns, residents, and fellows) are a core user group of clinical information technology (IT) systems, yet are often relegated to being recipients of change, rather than active partners in system improvement. These information systems are an integral part of health care delivery and formal efforts to involve and educate housestaff are nascent. Objective This article develops a sustainable forum for effective engagement of housestaff in hospital informatics initiatives and creates opportunities for professional development. Methods A housestaff-led IT council was created within an academic medical center and integrated with informatics and graduate medical education leadership. The Council was designed to provide a venue for hands-on clinical informatics educational experiences to housestaff across all specialties. Results In the first year, five housestaff co-chairs and 50 members were recruited. More than 15 projects were completed with substantial improvements made to clinical systems impacting more than 1,300 housestaff and with touchpoints to nearly 3,000 staff members. Council leadership was integrally involved in hospital governance committees and became the go-to source for housestaff input on informatics efforts. Positive experiences informed members' career development toward informatics roles. Key lessons learned in building for success are discussed. Conclusion The council model has effectively engaged housestaff as learners, local champions, and key informatics collaborators, with positive impact for the participating members and the institution. Requiring few resources for implementation, the model should be replicable at other institutions.

scholarly journals Transition to Teaching

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Lance Potter ◽  
A. Suzie Henning ◽  
Tara L. Haskins
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Teacher Preparation Program ◽  
First Year ◽  
Teaching Program ◽  
Application Process ◽  
Teacher Shortages ◽  
Students First ◽  
Competency Based

This article describes lessons learned from the first-year implementation of a Grow Your Own teacher preparation alternative route program, Transition to Teaching. Implemented in a rural area in Washington State facing significant teacher shortages, the Transition to Teaching program reaches potential teachers who may not have access to a four-year college and a high-quality, competency-based teacher preparation program. The Transition to Teaching program fulfills the priority assigned by the state to recruiting and retaining teachers from underrepresented groups. Beginning with describing the design of the program and the application process, we discuss students’ first-year experiences, lessons learned, and solutions developed. Content, strategies, access, and efficiencies are highlighted and advice for new programs is provided. In the end, we prove programs comparable to Transition to Teaching require clear collaboration and coordination as well as oversight to ensure teacher candidates are successful.

Using Student Drawings to Understand the First-Year Experience

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 202-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele C. Everett
Keyword(s):  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Study Data ◽  
First Year Experience ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Visual Research ◽  
Students First ◽  
Undeclared Students ◽  
First Year Seminar

This article reports on an exploratory study that investigated the use of student drawings as a visual research method to understand the first-year experience. A total of 31 undeclared students enrolled in a first-year seminar participated in the study. Data generated from pre- and postdrawings of students’ first semester paths were analyzed to identify emergent themes and understand experience at the group and individual levels. Findings provide novel insights about the first-year experience from the student’s perspective. These new understandings have important implications that may help institutions shape and strengthen retention efforts at the student, classroom, and program levels.

scholarly journals Five years of FYE: Evolution, outcomes and lessons learned from an institutional program

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jo McKenzie ◽  
Kathy Egea
Keyword(s):  
Economic Status ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Professional Staff ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
First Year Experience ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Socio Economic Status ◽  
Use Of Data ◽  
University Of Technology

The University of Technology Sydney First Year Experience program is an institution-wide, systematic approach to supporting the transition, retention and success of first year students from low socio-economic status backgrounds, within a philosophy that good practice for these students is good practice for all students. The program is based on third-generation first year practice and transition pedagogies. It includes central and faculty coordinators, small grants and learning communities enabling the development, embedding and sharing of transition practice in the curriculum.  This good practice report describes the program, its evolution over five years and its impacts on academic and professional staff engagement and improving the success of students from low socio-economic status backgrounds. Lessons learned about the importance of central and local coordination, sharing practice underpinned by a scholarly framework and the use of data and strategic alignment are highlighted.

scholarly journals A Second Life First Year Experience

2010 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Penfold ◽  
Peter Duffy
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
First Year Experience ◽  
First Year ◽  
Tourism Management ◽  
Rich Material ◽  
The University

Learning experiences within Multi User Virtual Environments (MUVE’s) focus on discovery and active experiences and provide many opportunities to support multicultural learners. Virtual worlds have the potential to become meaningful, highly sophisticated tools for educators and students, and it is timely to consider how educators can move from the hype to the how and why? Consideration needs to be given to the characteristics of meaningful pedagogical activities that move learners from playing to an enhanced learning experience? This paper presents a case study in which the MUVE Second Life was used to support a First Life (Real-World) orientation programme for students within the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Presented is an overview of the approach, rationale for the use of Second Life as well as lessons learned in relation to the application of virtual worlds for learners within the Hong Kong context. The study concludes that the Second Life orientation programme was not as successful as envisioned. However, the specific lessons learned, and ‘moments’ of intervention and further assistance identified have provided rich material and an emerging interest’ in relation to the incorporation of Second Life into meaningful educational activities in the university.

scholarly journals Prioritizing Reflection and Integrative Learning in First-Year Seminar Courses

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dianna Z. Rust ◽  
Ryan Korstange
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Academic Skills ◽  
Transition To College ◽  
First Year Experience ◽  
First Year ◽  
Integrative Learning ◽  
First Year Retention ◽  
College Learn ◽  
First Year Seminar

First-Year Seminar (FYS) or First-Year Experience (FYE) courses help college students transition to college, learn valuable academic skills, and create successful habits. This research analyzes the benefit of reorganizing FYS curriculum around reflection and integrative learning, by comparing students who participated in this redesigned curriculum with those who participated in a skills-based, extended orientation first-year seminar course. The two groups were compared on several measures, including perception about the utility of reflective and integrative thinking, first year retention, and first year GPA. Our findings suggest that prioritizing reflection and integrative learning in a FYS seminar is beneficial.

scholarly journals Lessons Learned from Using Competency Based Assessment (CBA) in a First Year Engineering Statics Course

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Maw ◽  
Shaobo Huang ◽  
Duncan Cree ◽  
Glyn Kennell ◽  
Wendy James
Keyword(s):  
Type A ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
First Year ◽  
Final Exam ◽  
Module Test ◽  
Competency Based ◽  
College Of Engineering ◽  
Competency Based Assessment

During the Fall term of 2020, the first year Statics course in the College of Engineering at theUniversity of Saskatchewan was taught remotely, and synchronously, using a competency-based assessment (CBA) implementation. CBA is commonly used in other professions, especially medical education and teacher education, but it has yet to see widespread use in engineering education.CBA can involve a number of key differences from conventional assessment practices. In this pilot, it involved the following key differences. Whereas previous versions of the course had involved assignments, labs, a midterm, and a final exam, each worth a certain weight in the overallcourse grade, the 2020 CBA version was broken into three modules, each with a “module test”. The module tests were superficially similar to a midterm, and there was no cumulative final exam. Open book assignments, quizzes, labs, and module tests consisted of questions and exercises that addressed a variety of learning outcomes (LOs) within the modules. The LOs were assigned weights in the overall course grade, as opposed to assigning weights to assessments themselves as in a conventional assessment system. Students could therefore overcome poor performances in early assessments of LOs, as better later results on the same LOs would replace the earlier results.A key feature of this approach was that students had at least two and typically three or more opportunities to exhibit competence with respect to the course’s LOs. Another key aspect of this CBA implementation was the division of course material into three levels or “types”. Type A materials were the most basic building blocks of the course i.e. basic definitions, calculations, and concepts. Type B materials were basic integrative problems e.g. solving a basic 2D or 3D particle or rigid body equilibrium question, or solving a basic truss. Type C materials were advanced or “tricky” integrative problems that probed deeper understanding and required more adaptive problem solving. Students were required to meet competency thresholds for Type A and B materials i.e. theyneeded to exhibit a minimal level of competency in the LOs in order to pass the course.Overall, the class excelled in this assessment format and anecdotal evidence suggests that the students enjoyed it. A summary description of the complete system will be presented in this paper, including how grades were determined, how assessments were conducted and evaluated, how LOs were determined, and how the three levels of material were arranged. As well, basic statisticalresults from the class’ performance will be presented, along with a number of observations made by the instructors and some anecdotal impressions conveyed to them by students. The observed outcomes will be compared with the CBA literature for related STEM contexts, although the remote learning/COVID context did obscure the causes and origins of some of the observed outcomes. Changes that will be made in next year’s implementation of the course will also be discussed.

Expanding the First-Year Experience: A Report from Hamline University

1996 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 27-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilyn J. Deppe ◽  
F. Garvin Davenport
Keyword(s):  
Student Learning ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Academic Development ◽  
First Year Experience ◽  
First Year ◽  
Work Study ◽  
Residential Life ◽  
Career Advising ◽  
First Year Seminar

As part of an overall effort to bring together academic and campus learning, Hamline is working on expanding its First-Year Seminar to include the broad range of student learning experiences—-from residential life and work-study to academic development and career advising. The two cochairs of the First-Year Experience Task Force explain how this project is unfolding and illuminate both the challenges and the successes.

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