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Faculty Development Online

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Faculty Development in the Health Professions

Part of the book series: Innovation and Change in Professional Education ((ICPE,volume 11))

Abstract

Online learning has assumed a mainstream role in health professions education. Abundant evidence across all levels of learners shows that, when properly implemented, online learning can be as effective as traditional teaching activities. However, online learning has thus far been used infrequently to develop the education, research, and leadership skills of faculty members. This chapter will describe past and potential roles for online learning in faculty development. After a brief overview of online learning, the chapter will discuss innovations (published descriptions of creative approaches to online faculty development), instructional design (a review of evidence-based principles), implementation (anticipating problems and practical solutions), and integration (coordinating online elements with other activities). It will conclude with a brief comment on evaluation and research.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of General Internal Medicine and Office of Education Research, College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA

    David A. Cook MD, MHPE

Authors
  1. David A. Cook MD, MHPE
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Correspondence to David A. Cook MD, MHPE .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fac. of Medicine, Centre for Med. Educ., McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    Yvonne Steinert

Appendix A: Glossary of Terms

Appendix A: Glossary of Terms

1.1 Computer Tutorials

The online equivalent of a lecture; typically comprised of varying combinations of multimedia (see below). Online tutorials might also include activities to encourage engagement and deep learning such as computer simulations, interactive games and models, self-assessment tools, and hyperlinks to full-text journal articles or other online resources.

1.2 Online Discussion Boards

Discussion boards facilitate online group activities by providing a place to post messages and documents as part of an ongoing discussion. The group could alternatively do this using email, of course, but the key with a discussion board is that conversations are threaded; meaning that a response message (post) is linked with the post that prompted the response. It winds up looking like the branches of a tree – the first question is the main trunk, each response is a branch from that trunk, subsequent posts are branches from that branch, and so forth. Nearly always, teachers monitor the discussion board to observe the direction and depth of the discussion, keep people on track, and mediate the occasional online ‘disagreement.’

1.3 Online Simulations

Online simulations are case-based computer programs that simulate real-life clinical scenarios. In clinical education, the most common computer simulations are virtual patients (Cook and Triola 2009). Simulations for faculty development might include virtual students (for practicing assessment or teaching), virtual research studies, or virtual leadership case scenarios.

1.4 Online Games

Online educational games are ‘voluntary [online] activit[ies] structured by rules, with a defined outcome (winning, losing) or other quantifiable feedback (e.g. points) that facilitates reliable comparisons of in-player performances’ (Thai et al. 2009, p. 11). Games typically have explicit goals and a compelling storyline (Tobias et al. 2011), and thus have the potential to engage learners and encourage their continued practice with the objective of improved knowledge and skill acquisition and application. However, the benefits of online educational games in medical education are still largely hypothetical, with only a few descriptions and even fewer comparative studies (Graafland et al. 2012).

1.5 Learning Management Systems

Learning Management Systems (LMS) are web-based software packages that facilitate the management and delivery of learning content and resources to learners. They provide important features such as secure log on, administration and tracking of tests and surveys, submission of assignments, monitoring of course participation, and content reuse and sharing across modules. Many also offer tools to facilitate learning such as discussion boards, wikis, and blogs. Examples include Blackboard, Sakai, and Moodle (an open-source [free] LMS).

1.6 Multimedia

Multimedia refers to the use of text, narration, other sounds, videos (with or without sound), slideshows, images, animations, and more. Appropriate use of multimedia can dramatically enhance learning over text alone. However, inappropriate use of multimedia can actually detract from learning.

1.7 Web 2.0

Web 2.0 represents a collection of web-based technologies that enable and encourage a collaborative, user-focused approach to design, maintain, and evaluate material. Blogs, wikis, social networks, and virtual worlds (discussed below) are Web 2.0 technologies. The content of these sites is determined by the collective efforts of its users and is in a constant state of change. Most Web 2.0 technologies were initially developed for entertainment and social functions (YouTube, Wikipedia, Facebook), but educators have begun to explore their potential for interactive instruction and assessment.

1.8 Social Media: Wikis, Blogs, Whiteboards, Instant Messaging, Social Networks and Virtual Worlds

Social media software refers to a variety of tools that allow individuals to easily produce content and/or communicate with others through online virtual networks. In education, these methods can promote and facilitate online collaboration for groups separated by distance and, except for whiteboards, time. In addition to discussion boards (above), options include:

  • Wikis: Web sites or documents that groups create together. Everyone can edit the same document, making it a true group effort. Wikis can be created synchronously (everyone working at the same time) or asynchronously (individuals each contribute at a time convenient for them).

  • Blogs: dated message postings organized chronologically (in contrast to discussion boards, which are threaded). Blogs are often individual (similar to a diary) but they can easily be used for group activities. Group blogs are usually asynchronous.

  • Whiteboards: essentially the same as whiteboards in face-to-face classrooms – namely, participants can write or draw whatever they want. As participants view online, the image of the whiteboard is constantly updated. Whiteboards are, of necessity, synchronous – everyone must be participating ‘live.’

  • Instant messaging: real-time text communication between one or more individuals. The conversation is usually archived. Many online tools, educational and otherwise, offer instant messaging.

  • Online social networks: an online service or site designed to promote communication and networking. Facebook is currently the leading example, and incorporates elements of blog and instant messaging along with media sharing (photos, audio, and video clips).

  • Virtual Worlds: simulated environments in which users ‘live’ and interact via graphical representations of a real person called avatars. Some educators have used virtual worlds such as Second Life for presenting educational materials.

1.9 Reusable Learning Objects

Digital reusable learning objects are collections of instructional materials – text and multimedia – designed to meet a specific instructional objective, with little dependence on the surrounding educational context. This permits them to be repurposed for multiple learning applications. For example, a reusable learning object on how to perform a t-test could supplement a first-year medical school epidemiology course, be made available to residents as a resource for their scholarly projects, and comprise a core part of an online faculty development course.

1.10 Authoring Software: Technology for Rapid Multimedia Development

In recent years, a number of user-friendly software applications have been developed to assist non-programmers to easily develop professional-appearing online learning courses. Such ‘authoring software’ assembles digital media files into polished, interactive presentations, and makes online course development accessible to do-it-yourself teachers.

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Cook, D.A. (2014). Faculty Development Online. In: Steinert, Y. (eds) Faculty Development in the Health Professions. Innovation and Change in Professional Education, vol 11. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7612-8_11

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