For a Healthy (and) Higher Education: Evidences from Learning Outcomes in Health Sciences

The effectiveness of faculty development programs for training university professors in the health area: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The growing discussion on teacher development focuses on diversified educational skills that promote knowledge and innovation in the teaching, learning and assessment process. With the Covid-19 scenario, this picture of necessary changes has become more evident, demonstrating the need for professional preparation to work in teacher development. The aim of the study was to analyze the effectiveness of teacher development programs for the training of university teachers in the health area, through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS

The systematic review and meta-analysis were carried out according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and involved searching five databases - PubMed-Medline, Education Resource Information Center (ERIC), SCOPUS, Embase and Web of Science. The review included randomized clinical trials and cohort studies that addressed the effectiveness of teaching professionalization in the health area for university professors. The quality of the selected studies was assessed based on the evaluation criteria of the Joanna Briggs Institute tool. The random effects meta-analysis method was used to explain the distribution of effects between the studies, using Stata® software (version 11.0) and publication bias was examined by visual inspection of the graphs and Egger's test.

RESULTS

We included 12 studies in the systematic review and 8 in the meta-analysis. These studies were published between 1984 and 2022 in 14 countries. Significant changes were reported in teachers' behavior to stimulate and encourage students, improvement in the quality of teaching and teaching staff, as well as improvement in skills such as leadership and self-evaluation. Furthermore, the result of the meta-analysis showed that there is evidence of the effectiveness of the positive effects of teacher development programs after their implementation, with this effect being 1.70% and an increase of 4.75 in the effect of these teacher development programs.

CONCLUSION

Our study shows that development programs have been implemented in different countries and contexts, all of which have proven to be effective in the short, medium and long term. We recommend that future research focus specifically on the different competencies that have been acquired following the implementation of these programs.

A mixed-methods study of the effectiveness and perceptions of a course design institute for health science educators

BACKGROUND

Most health care professionals get their start in academics without formal teaching training. As such, institutions encourage participation in opportunities to address gaps in faculty's knowledge of pedagogy and learning theory in order to promote both successful student and patient outcomes. This study aimed to examine the reception of a faculty development program focused on teaching participants the basics of course design.

METHODS

Applying a mixed-method approach, this retrospective study used pre/post-tests, assignment grades, self-assessment questionnaires, and focus groups to elucidate the impact of the faculty development intervention on course design. The participants (n = 12) were health educators from a private all-graduate level university with campus locations across the United States, including in the Southwest and Midwest. In the Course Design Institute (CDI), the participating faculty learned evidence-based instructional approaches and techniques to implement contemporary teaching practices.

RESULTS

The data from the pre/post-tests and focus groups suggest that participants learned about topics including instructional alignment, learning goals and objectives, instructional strategies, assessment planning, feedback approaches, communicating expectations, and adult learning theories by participating in this course. The final deliverable scores indicate that the CDI graduates were able to apply a backward design process to plan their own instruction. Data from both the survey and the focus groups suggest that participants were satisfied with the experience and particularly appreciated that the course was relevant to them as educators in the health sciences.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study indicate that the CDI was influential in developing the faculty's knowledge of the course design process, promoted the application of course design and pedagogy skills amongst CDI graduates, and positively impacted self-reported attitudes about their teaching abilities. In addition, feedback from participants indicates that they recognized the value of this program in their own development and they believed it should be a required course for all educators at the institution.

Objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) to assess the clinical skills of physical therapy students when using physical agents

Introduction: The use of physical agents in physical therapy (PT) requires clinical reasoning, as well as knowledge of their risks and contraindications; however, deficiencies may be observed when used in clinical practice. Objective: To implement the Objective Structured Clinical Evaluation (OSCE) method for the assessment of clinical skills among physical therapy specialty students when using physical agents. Materials and methods: A pilot, non-experimental, cross-sectional study was conducted in 114 physical therapy students enrolled during the first semester of 2019 in a physical agents course offered at the Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile. The OSCE consisted of 7 peer-validated stations, in which various skills were implemented in simulated clinical scenarios to achieve learning outcomes associated with the use of physical agents, namely: S1: connective tissue flexibility; S2: muscle relaxation; S3: analgesia; S4: drainage; S5: muscle strengthening; S6: parameter interpretation; and S7: equipment installation. Observers at each station assessed students’ clinical skills and decision-making using a checklist. OSCE scores were described using medians and interquartile ranges, representing the data dispersion between the 25th and 75th percentile (P25-P75). Station scores by sex were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: Median scores were higher than the minimum passing score in stations S1 (66, IQR: 52-70), S2 (55, IQR: 45-60), S3 (60, IQR: 50-69), S4 (65, IQR: 55-73), and S7 (40, IQR: 33-45), but they were below the passing score in stations S5 (54, IQR:46-65) and S6 (10, IQR: 9-13). In addition, 101 (88.59%) students had a global passing score in the OSCE. Conclusion: The OSCE scores obtained by the participants show their attainment of clinical skills when using physical agents since most of them obtained a global passing score; however, reinforcing the clinical skills for parameter interpretation is necessary, considering that the lowest mean score was obtained in said station.