Faculty development: principles and practices.

Full Abstract

Instructors in the health professions today must acquire knowledge and competencies that go beyond disciplinary expertise. It is now generally accepted that educational training as a teacher is essential to a faculty member's effectiveness as an educator. The educational challenges across the health professions share many similarities. In this article, we draw on the medical education literature and focus on faculty development designed to enhance teaching effectiveness. We first address commonly included faculty development topics, including instructional improvement, organizational development, the development of professional academic skills, and the teaching of specific content areas. We then review a variety of educational approaches and formats that are described in the literature. Included in this discussion are commonly used workshops, seminars, short courses, and fellowships, as well as longitudinal programs, peer coaching, mentorship, self-directed learning, and computer-aided instruction. We also briefly explore learning at work and in communities of practice, and we discuss several frequently encountered challenges in designing and implementing faculty development activities, including motivating colleagues and assessing program effectiveness. We conclude the discussion by presenting a set of guidelines for the design of effective faculty development programs.

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Author information

Author/s: Steinert, Yvonne (Y); Mann, Karen V (KV);

Affiliation: Centre for Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Canada. yvonne.steinert(-atsign-)mcgill.ca

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Journal of veterinary medical education (J Vet Med Educ), published in Canada. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-; vol 33 (issue 3) : pp 317-24

Dates: Created 2006/10/12; Completed 2006/12/04;

PMID: 17035200, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Education, Veterinary - organization & administration; standards
Faculty - standards
Humans
Internship, Nonmedical
Interprofessional Relations
Leadership
Learning

Mentors
Organizational Policy
Professional Competence
Schools, Veterinary - organization & administration; standards
Staff Development - methods; organization & administration; standards
Teaching - methods; standards
United States

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