Brenda Mori

Who am I? Key influences on the formation of academic identity within a faculty development program

Introduction: Professional identity encompasses how individuals understand themselves, interpret experiences, present themselves, wish to be perceived, and are recognized by the broader professional community. For health professional and health science educators, their ‘academic’ professional identity is situated within their academic community and plays an integral role in their well being and productivity. This study aims to explore factors that contribute to the formation and growth of academic identity (AI) within the context of a longitudinal faculty development program. Methods: Using a qualitative case study approach, data from three cohorts of a 2-year faculty development program were explored and analyzed for emerging issues and themes related to AI. Results: Factors salient to the formation of AI were grouped into three major domains: personal (cognitive and emotional factors unique to each individual); relational (connections and interactions with others); and contextual (the program itself and external work environments). Discussion: Faculty development initiatives not only aim to develop knowledge, skills, and attitudes, but also contribute to the formation of academic identities in a number of different ways. Facilitating the growth of AI has the potential to increase faculty motivation, satisfaction, and productivity. Faculty developers need to be mindful of factors within the personal, relational, and contextual domains when considering issues of program design and implementation.

Examining International Clinical Internships for Canadian Physical Therapy Students from 1997 to 2007

PURPOSE To describe international clinical internships (ICIs) for Canadian physical therapy (PT) students, explore the experiences of individuals involved in ICIs, and develop recommendations for future ICIs based on these findings. METHODS This study employed a mixed-methods approach. An online questionnaire surveyed academic coordinators of clinical education (ACCEs, n=14) on the availability, destinations, and number of ICIs from 1997 to 2007. Semi-structured telephone interviews were then conducted with eight PT students, seven ACCEs, and three supervising clinicians to investigate their ICI experiences. Interview transcripts were coded descriptively and thematically using NVivo. RESULTS ICIs are currently available at 12 of 14 Canadian PT schools. A total of 313 students participated in ICIs in 51 different destination countries from 1997 to 2007. Over this period, increasing numbers of students participated in ICIs and developing countries represented an increasing proportion of ICI destinations. Key themes identified in the interviews were opportunities, challenges, and facilitating factors. CONCLUSIONS ICIs present unique opportunities for Canadian PT students. Recommendations to enhance the quality of future ICIs are (1) clearly defined objectives for ICIs, (2) additional follow-up post-ICI, and (3) improved record keeping and sharing of information on ICI destination countries and host sites.

The feasibility of an electronic reflective practice exercise among physiotherapy students

Background: Reflective practice is a skill that serves as a model for continuous learning. Like any skill, reflective practice can be improved and health professional curricula should include opportunities to develop these skills. The clinical component of health professional curriculum is a natural component where reflective practice skills can be developed. Electronic means will help students and faculty stay in contact during clinical internships. Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of an electronic reflective practice exercise during a clinical internship and explore the potential trends on students’ reflective practice skills and self-directed learning readiness. Methods: We used a prospective pre-post intervention design in a cohort of physiotherapy students to examine feasibility and explore trends. Faculty also rated the depth of reflection papers. In addition, students completed a reflective practice exercise questionnaire and the self-directed learning readiness scale (SDLRS) was completed pre- and post-internship. Results: All 84 students completed the reflective practice questionnaire. Sixty-six students consented to complete the questionnaire and 17 consented to complete the SDLRS pre- and post-internship. It took an average of 7 min for faculty to review each students reflection and there were no significant electronic difficulties encountered. Initial reflection papers were rated at a descriptive (23%), descriptive-analytical (28%) or analytical level (33%). Eighty-six percent of students rated faculty feedback as helpful and 92% rated peer feedback as helpful. Almost all students (97%) students reported that they followed through on some or all of the items on their reflective practice learning plans. The SDLRS significantly improved with the exercise (mean difference 6.8 ± 9.9; p < 0.05). Conclusions: This electronic reflective practice exercise during the physiotherapy students’ clinical internship was feasible and demonstrated trends to positively impact the learners’ skills and self-directed learning readiness.

Virtually present: The perceived impact of remote facilitation on small group learning

Background: The engagement of facilitators located remotely for small group learning has received little research attention. However, this approach could increase the pool of experts for small group learning, thus addressing challenges to sustainability faced by in-person models of small group facilitation. Aim: The objective of this study was to describe the experiences and perceptions of students regarding the use of remote facilitation for small group learning in a health education setting. Methods: This qualitative study involved three focus groups (n = 16) composed of students in the advanced neuromusculoskeletal teaching unit in the University of Toronto, Department of Physical Therapy. Focus groups were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim, and data were analyzed thematically. Results: Three main influences emerged related to the experiences of students regarding the use of remote facilitation for small group learning in a health education setting: technology (including audio and visual), facilitator (including quality of facilitation and facilitator expertise), and group dynamics (including ground rules, roles and responsibilities, and learning style). Each of these influences acted independently and interdependently to shape participants’ perceptions. Conclusion: This study prompts a widening of the concept of distance learning to also include distance teaching, which may have wide applicability to health profession programs.

A Mandala of Faculty Development: Using Theory-Based Evaluation to Explore Contexts, Mechanisms and Outcomes.

Demonstrating the impact of faculty development, is an increasingly mandated and ever elusive goal. Questions have been raised about the adequacy of current approaches. Here, we integrate realist and theory-driven evaluation approaches, to evaluate an intensive longitudinal program. Our aim is to elucidate how faculty development can work to support a range of outcomes among individuals and sub-systems in the academic health sciences. We conducted retrospective framework analysis of qualitative focus group data gathered from 79 program participants (5 cohorts) over a 10-year period. Additionally, we conducted follow-up interviews with 15 alumni. We represent the interactive relationships among contexts, mechanisms, and outcomes as a “mandala” of faculty development. The mandala illustrates the relationship between the immediate program context, and the broader institutional context of academic health sciences, and identifies relevant change mechanisms. Four primary mechanisms were collaborative-reflection, self-reflection and self-regulation, relationship building, and pedagogical knowledge acquisition. Individual outcomes, including changed teaching practices, are described. Perhaps most interestingly, secondary mechanisms—psychological and structural empowerment—contributed to institutional outcomes through participants’ engagement in change leadership in their local contexts. Our theoretically informed evaluation approach models how faculty development, situated in appropriate institutional contexts, can trigger mechanisms that yield a range of benefits for faculty and their institutions. The adopted methods hold potential as a way to demonstrate the often difficult-to-measure outcomes of educational programs, and allow for critical examination as to how and whether faculty development programs can accomplish their espoused goals.

Let's Talk about the Talk: Exploring the Experience of Discussing Student Performance at the Mid- and Final Points of the Clinical Internship

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of physiotherapy students and clinical instructors (CIs) when discussing student clinical performance at the mid- and final points of clinical internships. The objectives were to identify why performance assessment discussions are valuable, explore the role of each participant throughout the discussion, identify the challenges associated with these discussions, and explore the effect of the standardized assessment tool on the discussion. Methods: This study used a qualitative descriptive design, consisting of student and CI focus groups in the Greater Toronto Area from January to June 2016. Results: All participants (N=29) recognized the importance of having face-to-face performance assessment discussions in a quiet and private space. Students and CIs agreed that the Canadian Physiotherapy Assessment of Clinical Performance helped to structure and focus the discussions. Valuable discussions occurred when students were open minded and self-reflected on their performance and when CIs were honest and used their expertise to guide learning. Other key features included mutual preparedness, two-way feedback that was constructive and tangible, and a goal-setting process. Students described the emotional component of these discussions as being challenging, and CIs found it difficult when a student took a more passive role in the discussion. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that valuable discussions can provide meaningful feedback, strengthen the student-CI relationship, and engage the learner in an ongoing and cumulative learning process that contributes to professional development.