Colla J. MacDonald

The Demand-Driven Learning Model: A Framework for Web-Based Learning.

This paper reviews recent philosophical debate surrounding the future role and activities of universities in a technological society. In this text, an argument is put forward for academics to take a proactive role in the development and use of technology in the teaching process. For a large segment of the population (working adults) traditional universities have designed, or will need to design, new learning models in order to meet consumer demands. This paper presents the demand-driven learning model (DDLM) as one response to this need. The DDLM was developed as a collaborative effort between academics and experts from private and public industries. A significant contribution of the DDLM is that it provides an explicit statement of a high-quality standard of Web-based learning (WBL); this is defined as Superior Structure. The DDLM is founded in customer demands for quality content, delivery, and service that lead to desired learner outcomes. Prior to presenting this model, a critical review of the pertinent literature in the field of WBL will be presented.

Developing a curriculum framework for global health in family medicine: emerging principles, competencies, and educational approaches

BackgroundRecognizing the growing demand from medical students and residents for more comprehensive global health training, and the paucity of explicit curricula on such issues, global health and curriculum experts from the six Ontario Family Medicine Residency Programs worked together to design a framework for global health curricula in family medicine training programs.MethodsA working group comprised of global health educators from Ontarios six medical schools conducted a scoping review of global health curricula, competencies, and pedagogical approaches. The working group then hosted a full day meeting, inviting experts in education, clinical care, family medicine and public health, and developed a consensus process and draft framework to design global health curricula. Through a series of weekly teleconferences over the next six months, the framework was revised and used to guide the identification of enabling global health competencies (behaviours, skills and attitudes) for Canadian Family Medicine training.ResultsThe main outcome was an evidence-informed interactive framework http://globalhealth.ennovativesolution.com/ to provide a shared foundation to guide the design, delivery and evaluation of global health education programs for Ontarios family medicine residency programs. The curriculum framework blended a definition and mission for global health training, core values and principles, global health competencies aligning with the Canadian Medical Education Directives for Specialists (CanMEDS) competencies, and key learning approaches. The framework guided the development of subsequent enabling competencies.ConclusionsThe shared curriculum framework can support the design, delivery and evaluation of global health curriculum in Canada and around the world, lay the foundation for research and development, provide consistency across programmes, and support the creation of learning and evaluation tools to align with the framework. The process used to develop this framework can be applied to other aspects of residency curriculum development.

Grounding theories of W(e)Learn: a framework for online interprofessional education.

Interprofessional care (IPC) is a prerequisite for enhanced communication between healthcare team members, improved quality of care, and better outcomes for patients. A move to an IPC model requires changing the learning experiences of healthcare providers during and after their qualification program. With the rapid growth of online and blended approaches to learning, an educational framework that explains how to construct quality learning events to provide IPC is pressing. Such a framework would offer a quality standard to help educators design, develop, deliver, and evaluate online interprofessional education (IPE) programs. IPE is an extremely delicate process due to issues related to knowledge, status, power, accountability, personality traits, and culture that surround IPC. In this paper, a review of the pertinent literature that would inform the development of such a framework is presented. The review covers IPC, IPE, learning theories, and eLearning in healthcare.

Validation of the interprofessional collaborative competency attainment survey (ICCAS)

Abstract The purpose of this study was to obtain evidence regarding the validity and reliability of an instrument to measure the self-reported competencies of interprofessional care in interprofessional education programs. Five hundred and eighty-four students and clinicians in Canada and New Zealand who were registered in 15 interprofessional education undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing professional development programs completed the Interprofessional Collaborative Competency Attainment Survey (ICCAS) using a retrospective pre-test/post-test design. Factor analyses showed the presence of two factors in the pre-program items and one factor in the post-program items. Tests conducted provided evidence in support of the validity and reliability of the ICCAS as a self-assessment instrument for interprofessional collaborative practice. Internal consistency was high for items loading on factor 1 (α = 0.96) and factor 2 (α = 0.94) in the pre-program assessment and for the items in the post-program assessment (α = 0.98). The transition from a two factor solution to a single factor structure suggests interventions influence learners’ understanding of interprofessional care by promoting the recognition of the high degree of interrelation among interprofessional care competencies. Scores on the ICCAS are reliable and predict meaningful outcomes with regard to attitudes toward interprofessional competency attainment.

Building positive relationships in healthcare: Evaluation of the teams of interprofessional staff interprofessional education program

The Teams of Interprofessional Staff (TIPS) project consisted of five healthcare teams from across Ontario, participating in three, two-day face-to-face interprofessional educational (IPE) sessions over an 8-month period. The purpose of TIPS was to explore whether interprofessional team development for practicing healthcare professionals, makes a difference in team functioning, team member satisfaction, ability to work effectively both individually and as a team, and improved patient well-being. A comprehensive formative and summative evaluation revealed that all teams perceived they benefitted from and engaged in successful team development. Success meant different things to each team reflecting the continuum of team development from building a safe, trusted group to becoming leaders of team development for other interprofessional teams. Effective teamwork is crucial to nurses who often take on the role of coordinator of care on a day-to-day basis, or are in managerial roles in interprofessional clinics or clinical program teams.

Addressing the eLearning contradiction: A collaborative approach for developing a conceptual framework learning object

In many universities there seems to be an “eLearning Contradiction” between the expressed need to integrate technology into the teaching-learning process and what is actually occurring in the majority of classrooms. In this paper we describe the collaborative process we used to design an online Conceptual Framework Learning Object (C-FLO). The object can be viewed at http://innovation.dc-uoit.ca/cloe/lo/cf/ This account is grounded in practical experiences and supported by the research literature. First, we offer a rationale for the development of C-FLO. We then illustrate how an interdisciplinary collaborative perspective enhanced both the process and learning outcomes. The impact of this learning object from both the learners’ and professors’ perspectives is detailed. Collaborative projects such as C-FLO, where professors share resources and expertise to improve student learning, could be a first step toward addressing the eLearning Contradiction.

W(e)Learn: A framework for online interprofessional education

A framework is required to guide online Interprofessional Education (IPE) (Casimiro et al., 2009). The purpose of this paper is to present such a framework: W(e)Learn. W(e)Learn can be used as a quality standard and a guide to design, develop, deliver and evaluate online IPE in both pre- and post-qualification educational settings. The framework is presented in the spirit that educational programs have defining features that, when carefully designed with the appropriate blend of factors, can help achieve desired outcomes. W(e)Learn must now be applied in various contexts to assess its constructs and its applicability.

Evaluation of Web-Based Educational Programs Via the Demand-Driven Learning Model: A Measure of Web-Based Learning

This report describes the development and testing of an online survey to assess Web-based learning (WBL) educational programs. This study extends theoretical work on the Demand Driven Learning Model (DDLM), and provides a test of validity for WBL programs in a variety of applied settings. Three research questions were addressed in this study: Is the DDLM survey valid and reliable? Is the DDLM structure supported in this case of real data? How do the WBL programs compare based on the DDLM? A description of the initial development and analysis of the measure is provided, followed by a description of three participating WBL programs. The process used to develop the model is offered as one example of a collaborative research environment used to construct an appropriate measurement system.

Conceptualizing the successful product development project as a basis for evaluating management training in technology-based companies: a participatory concept mapping application

Abstract This study provides a basis for the development of outcome indicators for management training programs suited to technology–intensive companies. We argue that training outcomes should be conceptualized in terms of dimensions associated with the success of product development projects (PDPs), a perspective that departs from conventional trainee satisfaction and cognitive growth indicators and, at the organizational level, economic performance and productivity metrics. A participatory team consisting of academics and human resource development personnel applied concept mapping procedures to develop such a conceptual basis. Ten expert managers in technology-intensive firms were interviewed and later called upon to sort for similarity and rate for importance 47 factors in terms of their importance to the success of PDPs. Software that integrates multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis routines was used to produce a concept map of successful PDPs. This conceptual framework is discussed in terms of its utility as a basis for developing outcome indicators and as a guide for the evaluation of management training in technology-intensive companies. The benefits to firms invoking a participatory concept mapping process are also discussed.

Factors influencing adult learning in technology based firms

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of applying adult education principles to training in advanced‐technology companies. First, we wanted to identify strengths and weaknesses of the training program’s content and delivery using a framework of adult education principles, in an effort to improve program design, curriculum development, and teaching strategies. Second, this research utilized the framework of the principles of adult learning to identify, describe, and understand various aspects of the program in order to maximize the impact of training on technology‐based firms. Finally, we wanted to identify some of the conditions and factors influencing adult learning in a training program developed specifically for managers in technology‐based firms, in so far as they might inform and provide useful insights for program planners, implementers, and evaluators of management training in technology‐based companies.