Faculty Development

Faculty Development George Trachte & Rick Hoffman 5/6/10

Today’s Agenda • Rick Hoffman presentation on additional data • Review of previous data presented, if needed • Consensus that the data are complete, clear and understood • Discussion of the issue • Determination of the questions • Faculty development strategies for continuation

Is this an issue for the medical school faculty to address? No – not at this time; why not? Yes – we need to do something regarding the scores; what are the questions faculty want answered?

Do we wish to improve Board Scores? • Many responded questioning whether this is a “good” goal • Many questions of why would we wish to improve Board Scores • Some indicated that improving Board Scores will stress our students unnecessarily

Rationale for improving Board Scores • Senior Associate Dean mandates it • Those experienced with LCME site visits feel that our current downward trend will elicit a mandate from the LCME to alter the trend • Be preemptive rather than wait for reprimand • ***I’d like to advantage our students rather than disadvantage them*** • A commitment to excellence seems preferable to a commitment to below average performance • I think informed medical graduates are preferable to scientifically ignorant medical graduates

Sample Questions • The point I’d like you to notice in these sample questions is that ability to apply what you know is more important than what you have memorized • There is a lot of emphasis on interpretation, application etc of knowledge • My interpretation is that we need to expose students to more problem-solving and less rote memorization • Problem based learning or some other developmental form of learning is more useful

20. A 67-year-old man has a restricted diet that includes no fresh citrus fruits or leafy green vegetables. His teeth are loose and his gums bleed easily. This patient's disorder most likely results from a defect in collagen synthesis that involves which of the following amino acids? (A) Arginine (B) Cysteine (C) Histidine (D) Hydroxyproline (E) Leucine (F) Methionine (G) Serine (H) Tryptophan

19. Failure to bind LDL to its receptor results in uncontrolled synthesis of cholesterol. This occurs because synthesis of which of the following enzymes is not repressed? (A) AcylCoA cholesterol acyltransferase (B) 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl (HMG)-CoAreductase (C) Lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (D) Lipoprotein lipase (E) Lysosomal protease

15. An increased concentration of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate in hepatocytes will have a positive regulatory effect on which of the following? (A) Gluconeogenesis and glucose-6-phosphatase (B) Gluconeogenesis and phosphoenolpyruvatecarboxykinase (C) Glycolysis and glucokinase (D) Glycolysis and phosphofructokinase

Possible impact strategies – faculty development focused • Some may be easily implemented in the classroom • To analyze and improve the way we teach • To increase the scores on the Boards • Based on student input – what works from their perspective?

Easily implemented in the classroom • Regular quizzes to provide formative feedback to students • Especially important in early courses • Those employing this technique have higher student satisfaction, higher board scores and higher pass rates • Does not require any extra work from teachers • Simply requires diverting some questions from examinations to weekly quizzes

Analyze and improve the way we teach • Including cases to reinforce basic principles • I’d like to target Genetics and Biochemistry • Pharmacology has shown the most interest in doing this so far • Problem Based Learning would be my preferred route • This requires faculty time and interest • Relatively unengaged faculty members would need to either step up or be forced to participate

Analyze and improve the way we teach • Review good teaching attributes • Assess the teaching philosophies of faculty

Increase scores on the boards • Being aware of the types of questions • Seem to emphasize reasoning ability (at least to me) • A style of teaching emphasizing reasoning might be helpful • Problem based learning is supposed to be the learning format most geared to teaching reasoning • Case-based formats in general seem to stress this process

Based on student input – what works from their perspective? • What do we know?

Faculty Development – “Good Teaching”Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions (2001) Pratt, Arseneau, Collons • Apparently at least 5 types of teaching exist • Transmission • Typical lecture format delivering info • Developmental • Questioning to challenge and advance students; • Assess for reasoning, not just answers • Less is more (less info, more understanding) • Apprentice • Nurturing • Social reform

“Good Teaching” • Apparently at least 5 types of teaching exist • Transmission • Developmental • Apprentice • Engage learners in their zone of development (where they can advance by expert guidance) • Process of enculturation • Nurturing • Anxiety detracts from learning • Teaching requires balance between caring and challenging • Social reform

“Good Teaching” • Apparently at least 5 types of teaching exist • Transmission • Developmental • Apprentice • Nurturing • Social reform • Professional practices saturated with ideals & values but they should be examined and questioned • Typically involves trying to change either profession or society

Teaching Philosophies • Goals for student learning • Enactment of goals (teaching methods) • Assessment of goals (measuring student learning) • Creating an inclusive learning environment • Structure, rhetoric and language of the document itself

Teaching Philosophies • Anyone wish to share their philosophies? • Anyone wish to try and develop one?

Next Steps and Thanks

Faculty Development