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Ronald M Harden

Publications and source records attributed to Ronald M Harden.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Study guides: a study of different formats.

More emphasis is being placed on students as independent learners with teachers acting as facilitators. It has been argued that student-centred learning can be supported usefully by study guides. This paper supports previous claims as to the value of study guides as perceived by students. But what should study guides look like? A total of 151 second-year medical students at the University of Dundee were given three versions of a study guide covering the topic of hypertension, each incorporating a different educational approach but with the same content. A timetable-based version of the guide focused on the students' day-to-day timetable and related the learning outcomes to each of the scheduled learning opportunities. A problem-based version of the guide introduced a clinical problem and encouraged the students to think of the learning outcome for the module as they related to the problem. Thirdly, an outcome-based version was structured round the 12 key areas of the learning outcomes. The timetable-based guide was preferred by the majority of students, although some preferred the problem-based guide and others the outcome-based guide. This may in part be due to students' lack of familiarity with a problem-based and outcome-based approach. It may also relate to what is seen as a key function of a study guide: to lead the student through the day-to-day learning experiences in a course and to introduce a student to a course or a topic and provide an overview of what is to be achieved in their studies of it.

Attitude↗
PubMed2006

International medical education and future directions: a global perspective.

Internationalization, one of the most important forces in higher education today, presents a powerful challenge and an opportunity for medical schools. Factors encouraging internationalization include (1) globalization of health care delivery, (2) governmental pressures, (3) improved communication channels, (4) development of a common vocabulary, (5) outcome-based education and standards, (6) staff development initiatives, and (7) competitiveness and commercialization. A three-dimensional model--based on the student (local or international), the teacher (local or international), and the curriculum (local, imported, or international)-offers a range of perspectives for international medical education. In the traditional approach to teaching and learning medicine, local students and local teachers use a local curriculum. In the international medical graduate or overseas student model, students from one country pursue in another country a curriculum taught and developed by teachers in the latter. In the branch-campus model, students, usually local, have an imported curriculum taught jointly by international and local teachers. The future of medical education, facilitated by the new learning technologies and pedagogies, lies in a move from such international interconnected approaches, which emphasize the mobility of students, teachers, and curriculum across the boundaries of two countries, to a transnational approach in which internationalization is integrated and embedded within a curriculum and involves collaboration between a number of schools in different countries. In this approach, the study of medicine is exemplified in the global context rather than the context of a single country. The International Virtual Medical School serves as an example in this regard.

Curriculum↗
PubMed2005

A new vision for distance learning and continuing medical education.

Increasing demands on continuing medical education (CME) are taking place at a time of significant developments in educational thinking and new learning technologies. Such developments allow today's CME providers to better meet the CRISIS criteria for effective continuing education: convenience, relevance, individualization, self-assessment, independent learning, and a systematic approach. The International Virtual Medical School (IVIMEDS) provides a case study that illustrates how rapid growth of the Internet and e-learning can alter undergraduate education and has the potential to alter the nature of CME. Key components are a bank of reusable learning objects, a virtual practice with virtual patients, a learning-outcomes framework, and self-assessment instruments. Learning is facilitated by a curriculum map, guided-learning resources, "ask-the-expert" opportunities, and collaborative or peer-to-peer learning. The educational philosophy is "just-for-you" learning (learning customized to the content, educational strategy, and distribution needs of the individual physician) and "just-in-time" learning (learning resources available to physicians when they are required). Implications of the new learning technologies are profound. E-learning provides a bridge between the cutting edge of education and training and outdated procedures embedded in institutions and professional organizations. There are important implications, too, for globalization in medical education, for multiprofessional education, and for the continuum of education from undergraduate to postgraduate and continuing education.

Education, Distance↗
PubMed2005

AMEE Education Guide no. 28: the development and role of departments of medical education.

A department of medical education is becoming an essential requirement for a medical school. This publication is intended for those wishing to establish or develop a medical education department. It may also prove useful to teachers in medicine by providing information on how such a department can support their activities. This will vary with the local context but the principles are generalizable. Medical education departments are established in response to increased public expectations relating to healthcare, societal trends towards increased accountability, educational developments, increased interest in what to teach and how to educate doctors and the need to train more doctors. The functions of a department of medical education include research, teaching, service provision and career development of the staff. The scope of its activities includes undergraduate and postgraduate education, continuing professional development and continuing medical education. These activities may be extended to other healthcare professions. Flexibility is the key to staffing a department of medical education. Various contractual arrangements, affiliations and support from non-affiliated personnel are needed to provide a multi-professional team with a range of expertise. The precise structure of the department will depend on the individual institution. The name of the department may suggest its position within the university structure. The director provides academic leadership for the department and his/her responsibilities include promotion of staff collaboration, fostering career development of the staff and establishing local, regional and international links. Financial support may come from external funding agencies, government or university sources. Some departments of medical education are financially self-supporting. The department should be closely integrated with the medical school. Support for the department from the dean is an essential factor for sustainability. Several case studies of medical education departments throughout the world are included as examples of the different roles and functions of a department of medical education.

Education, Medical↗
PubMed2003

The design of distance-learning programmes and the role of content experts in their production.

This paper describes an effective and efficient approach to the production of distance-learning materials in which content experts, editors and instructional designers collaborate. The approach is based on the development of a clearly defined agreed educational strategy and the use of a template for the programme. This allows the content experts to assemble the first draft of the programme in an appropriate format, with further revisions being carried out by the educationists in collaboration with the content editor. A task-based approach was adopted in the programme and a two-column layout incorporating nine different types of educational enhancements was used. Useful educational strategies which should be considered in the development of the template for a distance learning programme can be categorized into the following three areas: (1). interactivity enhancements including questions posed, think points for reflection, and case scenarios linking theory to practice; (2). enrichment enhancements including illustrations, readings and quotes from experts; (3). action/practice enhancements highlighting the application of portfolio building--provides useful advice on topics covered as they relate to the AFRC examination, and encourages trainees to apply their knowledge. The use made of the enhancements varies in the different modules. This project was challenging and ambitious but our objectives were met with all 39 authors satisfactorily producing the 42 SELECT Units.

Critical Care↗
PubMed2003

Planning and implementing an undergraduate medical curriculum: the lessons learned.

In 1995 Dundee medical school introduced an integrated, systems-based spiral curriculum with a number of innovative features. The medical school has now had eight years' experience of the curriculum. This paper describes the changes that have taken place in the curriculum over the eight years. Evidence from internal and external reviews and student examination data are used to identify the lessons learned from implementing the curriculum. The Dundee experience, the approaches to the curriculum described and the conclusions reached are relevant to all with an interest in medical education.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2002

Effectiveness of a cardiology review course for internal medicine residents using simulation technology and deliberate practice.

BACKGROUND: Objective evaluations of residents' clinical skills reveal serious deficits. PURPOSE: To develop, implement, and evaluate outcomes from a review course in cardiology bedside skills for internal medicine residents. METHODS: We used a 1-group pretest-posttest design with historical comparisons. The study was conducted at the University of Miami School of Medicine as part of the internal medicine residency program from July 1999 to June 2000. A total of 67 2nd- and 3rd-year medicine residents received an educational intervention involving deliberate practice using simulation technology. A total of 155 4th-year medical students in one intervention and one comparison group (n = 53) served as historical comparisons. Outcome measures were a reliable computer-delivered pretest and posttest that evaluate cardiology bedside skills. RESULTS: Residents who received the review course and medical students who received a comparable educational intervention showed large and statistically significant pretest-to-posttest improvement in bedside skills. These 2 groups are also significantly and substantially different at posttest from a comparison group of 4th-year medical students that did not receive a specific educational intervention. CONCLUSION: Educational interventions using simulation technology that engage learners in deliberate practice of clinical skills produce large improvements in a relatively short time, with little faculty involvement.

Cardiology↗