Elaboration is the active processing of information by learners, and includes many possible strategies such as discussions to apply content to cases, creating summaries, tables and diagrams, restating information in one's own words, etc. In many cases, elaboration only takes place by learners individually, at the end of a course as they prepare for exams. There is compelling evidence that working with information enhances understanding and learning, and moves beyond strategies that focus solely on content transmission.

 

Cooperative Learning, that is learning with others, is more effective than learning individually. Learning with others is most productive when group members equitably participate and take responsibility for the group's learning. While there are some disadvantages to group learning, they are outweighed by the benefits. The team-based nature of health care delivery means that learning in cooperation with others will not only enhance learning but can also enhance the ability to work with others and participate in what has become a team-based profession.

 

Feedback is one of the most powerful components of learning and in many educational systems it is limited to test scores and course grades, which represent the poorest quality of feedback a learner can receive.   Narrative feedback from a credible source that is specific to desired outcomes is the most effective form of feedback. When incorporated as part of a dialogue that includes follow-up on feedback and resources to support change, the impact of feedback can be maximized.

 

Mentoring helps to support learners through the use of reflection and feedback to enhance personal and professional development, as well as enhance engagement and reduce burnout. Mentors can support the intrinsic motivation of learners, through coaching to enhance performance and asking questions rather than providing answers. Mentoring is typically underused in medical education because of the time required and the lack of incentives for faculty, as well as structure of the curriculum that does not support longitudinal relationships. Mentoring programs, a supportive environment and shared commitment all can enhance the outcomes of mentoring relationships.

 

Engagement is the opposite of burnout and represents a high level of satisfaction for learners and faculty. In the organizational psychology literature, engagement is supported through environments that support autonomy, social support and coaching, diversity, teamwork, meaningful challenges and self-control. Engagement builds intrinsic motivation, which increases the likelihood of success and sustained resolve in the face of challenges. Traditionally, engaging is not how educational settings have been characterized, with external controls, boring tasks, limited support, stressful exams and poor feedback. Educational programs have traditionally been more teacher-centered than learner-centered, which tends to create learning environments that learners find unsupportive, depressing and stressful.

 

Learning in a Social Context clearly focuses attention on learning as a social and collaborative enterprise rather than an individual experience. Medical school is largely based on apprenticeship, which is learning by watching, learning by participating and learning by imitating. To the extent learning environments limit learners' opportunities to learn from others, the power of social learning to develop skills, build professional identity and apply knowledge is lost.

 

The Shared Discovery Curriculum goes a long way to address the misalignment of research and practice in medical education. Many though not all of the concerns raised by the authors have been addressed, guided by the principles underlying the Shared Discovery Curriculum. The infrastructure provided by the student learning societies supports longer-term faculty-student mentoring relationships. The use of portfolios will provide rich formative feedback, and progress testing will yield summative feedback measured against consistent developmental criteria. Early meaningful clinical experiences will support learning that is active, social and cooperative. Whether we intended or not, we soon might be able to answer the rhetorical question posed by van der Vleuten and Driessen.

Paper citation:

Van der Vleuten CPM & Driessen EW. What would happen to education if we take education evidence seriously? Perspectives in Medical Education. 2014; 3: 222-231. 

Keeping up with teaching--emerging trends, new technology, instructional issues--is time-consuming. Here is a resource that may help.

 

One of the latest articles, dated November 17^th, 2015, is titled

 

The authors are generally faculty in higher education institutions. These articles go back several years, and if there are authors you particularly like, you can click on the author's name and see their previous articles.

 

 

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