Backward Design

October 25th, 2012

BACKWARD DESIGN:
“If you don’t know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else.” – Yogi Berra

Stage 1:

  • Identify Desired Results – From the session learning objectives, identify your learning goals by focusing on what physician-learners need to understand or be able to do upon leaving the course.  Look for the “big ideas.”  Remember, the focus of CME is to improve physician competency such that it positively impacts physician performance and ultimately patient care.

Stage 2:

  • Determine the means to assess learning – Early in the planning process, determining how to assess understanding to give both you and your learner’s clear direction of the learning experiences necessary to get there.
  • Learners demonstrate true understand when they:
    –        can explain
    –        can interpret
    –        can apply
    –        have perspective
    –        can empathize
    –        have self-knowledge

Stage 3:

  • Plan the learning experiences and instruction. This includes:
  • Determine the learning activities (i.e. small group, interactive lecture, etc.).
  • determine what is essential for the physician-learner to know
  • definition of knowledge (know-that), skills and procedures (know-how) learners ought to master
  • consider materials needed

Create online courses in CME

June 20th, 2012

Managing CME program in an online environment is a big challenge with every CME group. Some groups have created a home grown product to serve the need where as others are using CME Tracker to help with with the CME process. But the wish remains to make the whole process to be automated. Thus there are software companies trying to automate the CME process with tools and technology. Recently I reviewed EthosCE and SABA for our CME learning management portal.

Here are a couple of Pros and Cons for each of them:

EthosCE – Built with CME is mind SABA – Enterprise Learning management system can be tweaked for the CME needs, so the process is longer and cannot be implemented right away.

EthosCE is a free open source based product build on Drupal and Moodle and can be easily tweaked around where as SABA is a proprietary product.

EthosCE is way more cost effective than SABA.

EthosCE capabilities being limited to CME do not have some of the features of SABA where as if you are trying to use it in particular for CME activity SABA will take way longer to set up than EthosCE.

Here are some resources talking about EthosCE and SABA.

Pedagogy Vs. Andragogy

April 30th, 2012

Moving from Pedagogy to Andragogy is really quite unique. So far I have been designing courses with SME to help the undergraduate student learn things. But none of these learning was a reflection of self-concept, students experience or their readiness or motivation to learn (somewhat). They were completely based on Pedagogical theories where the instructor solely decided what they want to teach. Not only that the instructor even decides the process of learning as well, how the content will be delivered. The instructor determines the assessment tools to measure the learning outcomes. Even though most instructor will use a subject centered approach to teach content material very few will use techniques like problem based learning or active learning principals in order to write the content.

Now lets see Andragogy – how is that different from Pedagogy. Unlike Pedagogy in Andragogy the adult learners needs to know why specific things are being taught. The learning activities focuses on real problems they (the adult learners) are encountering. The activity is involves things that the adult learner can relate to their everyday lives.  Adult learning facilitators should take into account that adult learners
come from different backgrounds, have different kinds of experience,
and different levels of performance. They should also allow adult learners to “discover” things on their own. Support is important, especially when mistakes are made. However, letting an adult learner have an “a-ha” moment – a learning moment – comes from a learner’s own personal discovery, not a formalized plan.  Lastly, adult learning facilitators should get the adult learners involved in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of their own learning.

Andragogy

Adult Learnig Principles

Welcome to my website

April 10th, 2012

Hi, I am Progyamita Bhattacharya, mostly go by the name Reema! I am currently working as a e-Learning Consultant at Duke CME. Previously I worked as an Instructional Technologist at the Office of Faculty Development at Fayetteville State University. I completed my MA and MLS degrees in Informatics and Library Information Studies at University at Buffalo, State University at New York. I have worked as a Software Support Graduate Assistant in Advanced Consulting and Technologies (ACT) and Web Development Graduate Assistant in Instructional Technology Services (ITS) at University at Buffalo, State University at New York.  I believe technology is the key to success. Access, anywhere anytime, equals success for today’s generation.

Currently at Duke CME, I help in plan, develop and implement educational methodologies and learning techniques in support of educational and continuing medical education-related projects. Use appropriate technology tools to develop interactive learning experiences.  Work with other departments and the staff as needed and provide guidance in the design and development of instructional content.