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01.4 The newsletter of ltsn-01, February 2004

Issues and news on learning and teaching in medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine

Welcome to the 4th issue of the LTSN-01 newsletter.

In this issue...

  • FDTL4 updates: ePortfolios and WILEN
  • Miniproject and workshop 2004 funding call
  • Introduction to Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETLs)

N.B. This issue is also available as a high quality PDF document suitable for printing.

Contents

Welcome to the fourth edition of 01, the newsletter of the LTSN-01

The LTSN-01 newsletter, 01, is a year old! In this time many developments have taken place, which could have far reaching effects on learning and teaching in our subject areas. Amongst these is the formation of the Higher Education Academy, which will incorporate the LTSN subject centres, the Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (ILTHE) and the National Coordination Team, who look after many projects like FDTL and TLTP.You can find the latest news and developments as well as the implementation schedule at the HEA website http://www.heacademy.ac.uk.

Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning

Find out more about Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETLs). The HEFCE call for proposals for Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, as announced in the Education White Paper in January 2003, is available from the HEFCE website (under Publications, 2004) with a closing date of Friday 23rd April 2004 for stage 1 proposals. Go to http://www.hefce.ac.uk/Pubs/hefce/2004/04_05/. The LTSN-01 is supporting proposers (and is not eligible to bid under this call), and would be pleased to assist in any way. Please direct enquiries to Dr Megan Quentin-Baxter, megan@medev.ac.uk, or via enquiries@medev.ac.uk.

New faces

Nigel Purcell has joined us as Senior Education Adviser. Learn more about Nigel. This month we also welcome Jan Roach, our new Centre Secretary, to the team.

Suzanne Hardy, Information Officer/C & IT Manager, LTSN-01.

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FDTL4 update: Developing ePortfolios to support reflective approaches in medicine

Simon Cotterill, University of Newcastle

This is a collaborative FDTL4 project to develop electronic portfolios (ePortfolios) to support, and promote, reflective approaches for evidencing the attainment of programme outcomes in undergraduate Medicine. The ePortfolios are closely integrated with on-line curricula and study guides to become an integral component of managed learning environments (MLE) for Medicine. The three year project, now starting its second year, involves; The University of Newcastle (lead site), The University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield and The University of Dundee (project consultant).

The project aims to help foster reflective approaches to evidencing leaning outcomes, together with the skills and attitudes that are needed to meet the demands of professional audit, appraisal and professional revalidation. These demands are reflected in recently revised GMC recommendations for undergraduate medicine (Tomorrow's Doctors, 2002) which calls for portfolio-like approaches to allow students to monitor their progress and plan their learning and development. The project is also of relevance to the wider HE sector which is embracing personal development planning, in light of the QAA requirements for implementation of Progress Files by 2005.

Developing the ePortfolios

There has been significant development work using Internet technologies, with ePortfolio systems in place for the start of the 2003/4 academic year. The ePortfolios can link with the virtual learning environment (VLE) at the unit/module and learning outcomes levels. The project team have worked in close liaison with managers & committees responsible for the Medical curricula and virtual learning environments (VLEs) at the partner institutions. As well as being integrated within our specific VLEs the generic ePortfolio framework that we have developed has been designed so that it can also be run on a stand-alone basis. This can be customised for component selection by course/module and by year/stage. The terminology can also be customised at the course level (e.g. year or stage, learning outcomes or key skills etc.). The framework allows sharing content with supervisors, peers and others, with the facility for viewers to add formative comments.

Piloting and Evaluation

ePortfolio systems are being piloted at the three partner institutions from September 2003. The system developed at Newcastle has components designed to support stage four student selected components (SSCs), a stage three rotation, and reflective tools for stage one and two students.

Reflective ePortfolios tools are also being piloted with stage two students at Leeds and year one students in Sheffield and reflective ePortfolio tools have been introduced for. A programme of evaluation is being developed which includes input from David Baume, the external evaluator for the project. Ethical approval is also being sought for a research study to evaluate the use of ePortfolios to support SSCs.

Other Project Activities

The project team have also been involved in a range of other activities including close collaboration with LTSN-01 and LTSN Generic Centre, and participation in the LTSN/NCT Assessment Project Network. Dissemination activities have included articles in the LTSN-01 and TQEF/NCT newsletters and presentations during 2003 at the Breaking Boundaries Conference, UK eUniversities Worldwide (UKeU) and the joint SEDA/SRHE conference. The project team have also contributed cases in response to the international IMS interest group defining information transfer standards for ePortfolios.

Focus for Year Two

As well as the continuing development, refinement and evaluation of the ePortfolios a key focus for the second year of the project will be on interoperability - the electronic transfer of data between systems. This will allow different systems to work together to provide a seamless service to users, for example we will be exploring ePortfolio interoperability with the Blackboard VLE. Interoperability will also be very important for supporting life-long learning, for example allowing the transfer of undergraduate ePortfolio information into postgraduate systems to support the new Foundation programmes.

Get Involved

We would welcome views and input from others who are interested in ePortfolios. Why not visit the project website (http://www.eportfolios.ac.uk) and try out the demonstration version of the ePortfolio or contribute to the discussion forum Portfolios in medical education which is hosted by LTSN-01. We are also keen to work with non-funded partners to test the wider applicability of the ePortfolio systems developed in this project.

Contact Details

Website: http://www.eportfolios.ac.uk Email: Simon Cotterill, Senior Project Officer, S.J.Cotterill@ncl.ac.uk

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FDTL4 update: The Web-based Interprofessional Learning Network

Dr Christopher Stokes, University of Sheffield

This project based at the University of Sheffield was started in December 2002. The WILeN project plans to develop a web-based inter-professional learning environment across the university sectors. It is being led by The University of Sheffield with plans to be implemented across consortium universities.

The WILeN project is building on the experience of the Information and Communication Technologies (iCT) project at the University of Sheffield which has developed a website with an e-learning zone, is establishing the use of video-conferencing as a student led learning environment and is developing courses that can be offered across the Medical Faculty establishing inter-professional education.

The WILeN project will benefit from current practice and experience while developing generic practice and web-based materials across dental, nursing and other subjects allied to medicine with the emphasis on inter-professional education. The project will be widely disseminated to other disciplines identified as likely to derive benefits from the knowledge, materials and experience gained.

Activities and progress

The following is a summary of the first year's progress of the WILeN project. In the first nine months WILeN has successfully met its planned targets, and is looking forward to completing its first year and implementing and disseminating the findings in its second and third years.The main tasks for the first year of WILeN were:

  • To bring together a team to deliver and evaluate the project
  • To identify other institutions for collaboration
  • To specify and implement a website for dissemination and to deliver an e-learning environment
  • To identify suitable topics for inter-professional courses, and to develop the delivery of these.

The first main achievement is the assembling of the WILeN team, under the guidance of Dr Giuseppe Cannavina (Project Director). Specific appointments to WILeN have been Dr Christopher Stokes (e-Technologies and Course Development) and Miss Paula Mullins (Clerical Officer).

In addition, Professor Lynn Basford is remaining involved with WILeN from a distance, maintaining an external evaluator role from her new post at the University of Lethbridge, Canada. External evaluation of WILeN will be conducted by Ms Sheena Banks, with Mr Vic Lally who together bring considerable experience of evaluating projects developing and delivering e-learning content.

Few changes have been made to the initial plan. WILeN has taken the opportunity to involve itself with the Team Training in Practice Project at Sheffield, and to further the development of a novel e-learning web site component it has become involved with the student software company, Genesys Solutions. All of these have allowed WILeN to further its technical expertise and increase the quality of materials to be delivered in its second year.

Outputs in the first year

There have been a number of outputs from the WILeN project in its first year. Drs Cannavina and Stokes recently attended a multidisciplinary meeting in Italy (SSGRR Summer Conference) to disseminate the state-of-readiness findings and early video-conferencing work at a forum for education and ICT.

WILeN has also published articles in both the NCT and LTSN-01 newsletters that have stimulated enquiries and led to further contacts. Further dissemination in the Centre for the Advancement of Inter-Professional Education (CAIPE) Bulletin, the LTSN for Health Science and Practice, and a British Dental Association meeting in Edinburgh have also generated awareness and stimulated contact.

Dr Cannavina has had a paper accepted on the initial work that he has conducted on the inter-professional delivery of ethics to students across the medical faculty at a conference in Newcastle, Australia. It is hoped that this international conference will further disseminate WILeN's work to a broad range of people that are involved in inter-professional health education, a number of which are potential partners in the UK.

WILeN is also progressing in the development of online course materials and the effective delivery of these to students. Dr Christopher Stokes has been active in developing a new learning environment from open source software components that is designed to be both familiar and easy to use, but also offers increased interaction of the students. The work to date has focussed on managing a change of culture within the Dental and Hygiene and Therapy students in order to encourage online collaboration. The iCT Portal, running on WILeN technology, is currently being evaluated. This work has been in collaboration with the Department of Computer Science (MSc and Genesys Solutions), the Department of Information Studies and technical assistance brought in specifically for a five week period.

Using the new systems, the ICT course for dental and therapy students at Sheffield has been redesigned by the WILeN team to encourage a culture of online learning and communication. This has resulted in a completely new ICT course at Sheffield, and one that is delivered longitudinally to BDS students (in the 1st, 3rd and 4th years) with online support when required. This has continued work established by the iCT Project at Sheffield.

Dr Cannavina has recently taken over the chair of the Trent Institute for Inter-Professional Practice, Learning and Education (TIIPPLE) group. It was found that TIIPPLE and WILeN had much in common, and a joint workshop/conference is planned for 2004. Exploratory discussions have also been made with the FDTL4 projects, PIPE, and APPLET: Advancing the Provision of Pharmacy Law and Ethics Teaching, with which a collaborative ethics teaching development is under discussion. The work on video-conferencing presented by Dr Giuseppe Cannavina at the SSGRR Summer conference in L'Aquila has led to a contact at James Cook University in Australia.

Dr Colin Beskin, an expert in the field of building online communities, invited Dr. Cannavina to present an overview of WILeN in Australia in October. A further benefit is that Dr Beskin has agreed to be the keynote speaker at an e-learning community workshop to be hosted by WILeN and to be held in Sheffield in 2004.

The WILeN website is now online, and allows visitors to track the progress of the WILeN project. This is currently available from http://www.shef.ac.uk/wilen.

Contact details

Dr Christopher W. Stokes, e-Technologies and Course Development Officer, WILeN Project, University of Sheffield. E-mail: c.w.stokes@sheffield.ac.uk

Dr Giuseppe Cannavina, Director, WILeN and iCT Projects, University of Sheffield, E-mail: g.cannavina@sheffield.ac.uk

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News: Elizabeth Davenport takes on new role

Professor of Dental Education

Elizabeth Davenport has been promoted to Professor of Dental Education at Barts and The London Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry. The appointment is the first of its kind in the UK.

Elizabeth has been committed to a career in paediatric dentistry having spent two years gaining a wider experience in hospital, community and general practice. She qualified BDS from the Royal Dental Hospital of London School of Dental Surgery in 1974. She was appointed lecturer in Child Dental Health at the London Hospital Medical College Dental School in 1980. She obtained her PhD and also completed an MSc in Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 1993 and was awarded FDS RCS Ed without examination in 2003.

The offices she has held in the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry demonstrate Liz's commitment to paediatric dentistry. These include Honorary Secretary and the running of a successful International Association of Paediatric Dentistry Congress in 1999 at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, London, founder chair of the Teachers Branch and currently chair of the Specialist's Branch of the BSPD. She is also a member of the British Society of Dental Research Management Committee and a member of the Ethics Committee of the International Association of Dental Research. Her research interests are centred on the delivery of education and most especially assessment issues, and the outcome of periodontal disease in women of child bearing age and caries risk of children. Her educational research has resulted in the development of a Progress File Learning System for use by undergraduate dental and PCD students and their tutors.

She is currently working with colleagues from five UK dental schools and the Northern and Durham & Tees Deanery to develop an Electronic Progress File for the Dental Education Continuum. In her spare time she enjoys skiing, her garden, and most especially spending time on the North Norfolk coast at the retreat she and her husband have recently found.

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Meet LTSN-01: Nigel Purcell

We introduce our new Senior Educational Advisor.

Describe your job in LTSN-01

Well I am pretty new here - this is only my second week - so there is still scope for a lot of flexibility in interpreting my role. My job title is Senior Educational Advisor and my key role is to provide professional educational support to the teachers, students and practitioners of medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine throughout the UK. This includes leading on a wide range of projects, developing and commissioning curriculum resources for the sector, fostering networking and the sharing of good practice, supporting workshops and so on. For example, one of my first tasks is to lead on a new project exploring the employability agenda, which is a relatively new concern for our sector. There is an invitation to join in this project, so if it is an area of interest for you then please contact me.

What is your professional background?

For the first eighteen years of my career I worked in a Further Education College and I have gained very extensive teaching experience with a wide range of learners aged from sixteen to sixty plus and of just about every ability level. For example, I taught communication skills to builders and decorators as well as economics to A-Level students and the Teaching Certificate course for teachers in Further Education.

Towards the end of my time in FE I picked up the first of two Masters in Education (don't ask!). Since leaving the college I have also taught on Open University undergraduate and Masters programmes, including modules on Adult learning and Education Management. Although most of my teaching has been in an FE and HE context I even spent one year teaching part time in a school.

From 1995 I worked as an educational consultant on a variety of projects, workshops, networks and publications all concentrated in the area of supporting and disseminating good practice in the delivery of new and innovative curricula. In 1999, I was appointed to the post of Staff Development Officer at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Liverpool. I then spent the next four years providing support to the faculty and in particular delivering training and development programmes for the staff supporting the PBL based MB ChB programme.

I hope, through my new role at LTSN, to be able to draw on this range of experience and knowledge to provide effective support to the sector.

And your professional interests?

My main areas of interest are in the processes of staff development and the effective dissemination of good practice and also in the teaching and learning process itself, particularly as it functions in the working environment. How can we make the best use of that environment for learning? And how can we do so without undermining the quality and quantity of the service provided?

At present service demands are putting great pressure on the education process and we need to find ways to reconcile the seemingly conflicting demands of learning and service provision. I believe that the concept of the learning organisation is key to the future of the education and development of our future doctors, dentists and vets.

Tell us about your personal interests

I enjoy reading fiction ranging from the works of Tolkien to Jane Austen and also watching and moaning about the TV and cinema adaptations! Incidentally, I thought the recent Lord of the Rings cycle was terrific. I am also an active member of my local church. Recently I have started to learn the piano - rather late in the day you might think - but it is proving to be a fascinating experience. I am learning a great deal, at first hand, about the processes of acquiring and building a very complex technical skill.

I'm married with three children, two boys and a girl. All grown up, but not all flown the nest.

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News: An introduction to Centres for Excellence in Learning and Teaching

Dr Megan Quentin-Baxter, Deputy Director, LTSN-01

In January 2003 the government published its white paper The Future of Higher Education and in July 2003 the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) published their Strategic Plan 2003-08. This plan included proposals to establish Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETLs) which have since been further developed into a policy consultation document and a call for proposals. Details of the call can be found at: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2004/04_05.

HEFCE have committed over £300 million to fund the establishment and operation of at least 70 CETLs over a five year period. Each will receive a capital investment of up to £2 million, and a recurrent annual grant of up to £500,000. The first stage bids are required by 23 April 2004. This is a short time frame and institutions will need to act quickly to prepare bids for these new centres. This document provides a brief overview of the scheme and outlines the support LTSN can provide in bid preparation.

Characteristics of a CETL

Each CETL proposal must clearly set out the intended focus of activity and the way in which it will be structured.

Activity focus

Proposals will need to define the focus of the CETL in terms of a distinctive approach to learning and teaching, that has delivered excellent learning and that the proposers wish to identify as a model of excellent practice. Examples given include:

  • A form of teaching (e.g. lecturing, distance and online learning, research-led teaching, mentoring)
  • A way of conceptualising, organising or supporting student learning (e.g. small group discussions, laboratory, studio work, study skills support, student-centred learning, games and simulations, peer tutoring)
  • A way of designing the curriculum, including its assessment (e.g. problem-based learning, work placements, work-based learning, personal development plans, online assessment, formative assessment)
  • A goal of higher education (e.g. employability, creativity, critical thinking, widening access and/or participation, enterprise, social inclusion, autonomous learning)
  • An identified issue or problem area in teaching HE (e.g. addressing the needs of ethnic/cultural minorities, internationalising the curriculum, plagiarism, mental illness, student feedback).

Structure

CETLs are not necessarily expected to exist within a single department but could be based across subject, department, faculty or institutional boundaries. There is a high degree of flexibility in the CETL structure but appears to point towards two principal types:

  • Within one institution but across several disciplines - for example PBL in Medicine, Engineering and Physical Sciences at University of Loughborough
  • Across a number of institutions but with a single subject focus - for example the use of VLEs in Engineering at the Universities of Liverpool, Manchester and Bath.

The emphasis of the document appears to favour the former although this is not explicitly stated. Examples of excellence are given at Annex B of the call for bids.

Who can bid?

Any HEFCE funded institution is eligible to bid for CETL funding. As yet there is no facility for involving institutions from the other UK countries. There is a limit on the number of bids any institution can make dependant on the number of FTE students registered:

  • Fewer than 5000: one individual bid
  • Between 5000 and 15000: two individual bids
  • Over 15000 three individual bids.

Each institution will also be allowed to be involved in one collaborative bid with other institutions. This limit on the number of institutional bids means that any department wishing to apply for funding will first need to go through some form of internal selection process.

Level and purpose of funding

There are two elements of CETL funding:

  1. Recurrent: £200k, £350K and £500k per year for five years
  2. Capital: Between £800k and £2M

This funding is intended to:

  • reward practice that demonstrates excellent learning outcomes for students
  • identify beacons of good teaching practice and encourage development of this practice so that the benefits are delivered more widely
  • enable institutions to develop approaches to teaching and learning that encourage a deeper understanding within the sector of methods of addressing student learning needs
  • encourage collaboration and sharing of good practice and so enhance the standard of teaching throughout the sector
  • to contribute to the information available to inform student choice.

Timetable

A provisional timetable has been defined but this may be liable to change:

  • Publication of Invitation to Bid: January 2004
  • First stage submissions by: 23 April 2004
  • Recommendations to proceed by: end June 2004
  • Second stage submissions by: 29 October 2004
  • Recommendations for funding by: January 2005
  • Commencement of funding: March 2005

LTSN support

LTSN Subject Centres are not permitted to lead bids themselves but will provide close support to bids from within their discipline communities. CETLs will be required to develop close working relationships with relevant Subject Centres and to draw on their expertise during bid preparation and throughout the CETLs' lifetime. We can offer general advice and guidance on the CETL scheme and support bidders. As the process progresses we will be working closely with our partner centres, such as LTSN Health Sciences and Practice, to provide a comprehensive programme of support.

If you have any questions on the CETL scheme in general or on the details of the proposed bidding and selection processes then please contact me.

Dr Megan Quentin-Baxter, Deputy Director, LTSN-01 0191 222 5888.

Thanks also to the UK Centre for Materials Education (http://www.materials.ac.uk)

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The Employability Project - A call for participants

Nigel Purcell, Senior Education Advisor, LTSN-01

The LTSN-01 is commencing a project to explore the employability agenda in the context of medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine.

Employability is primarily about preparing students for effective practice in their intended employment and is a comparatively new emphasis in medical, dental and veterinary education.

However with rising student numbers and evidence that students' needs are not always met in this area it is a vital one.

Key questions in this field include:

  • How can we prepare our students for the complex and challenging realities of the workplace and ensure their fitness for practice?
  • How can they be equipped to evaluate the career options open to them?
  • How can they be helped to prepare and present themselves effectively to prospective employers?

The project aims are to:

  • Identify and raise awareness of the main employability issues and priorities.
  • Obtain case studies and examples of good practice.
  • Disseminate the project findings via national meetings and publications.

A key strategy for achieving these goals is the setting up of a special interest group consisting of representatives from the constituency with an interest in and commitment to the employability agenda. The group will meet approximately once per term and it's main purpose will be to help to identify and take forward the main priorities and issues.

If you feel this is an area you would like to get involved in then you can indicate your interest by emailing Nigel Purcell at nigel@medev.ac.uk for further details. Please let us know your current role within the field of medical, dental or veterinary education and also briefly indicate why you are interested in employability.

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Charlotte Rees: An ASME diary

Charlotte Rees

ASME this year provided another fantastic conference for anyone interested in medical education research. However, when LTSN requested a report, which outlined my experience of the event, I had to refer to my Limbs and Things bag, still stuffed full of paperwork, which luckily helped enormously to refresh my memory.

Sunday 7th September

ASME was somewhat difficult to get to from Cornwall, but so is everywhere! I must admit, my first impressions of the halls of residence in Edinburgh were not good, mainly due to the long walk to the halls of residence from reception (with a huge suitcase - I nearly did myself an injury!). However, it did have an en-suite - so mightily relieved!

Monday 8th September

Andy Grant's workshop on reflective learning started my day with some stimulating discussions about the evidence supporting reflective learning (or should I say lack of evidence?). Then, onto Sam Leinster's welcome and the research papers. I gave my first paper in this session and went last. Because of the mild levels of pre-presentation anxiety, I wasn't able to focus on the earlier presentations too well, unfortunately. Always the problem with going last, so apologies to Chris and the guys from Dundee.

Masochistically (or perhaps egotistically), I enjoyed presenting in this session and discussing my work. I suppose we've all given presentations at conferences or research seminar series where only a handful of people turn up and nobody asks questions - soul destroying. So, it was nice to present to a big audience and have lots of discussion.

Tuesday 9th September

Tuesday started with a hangover but this was quickly relieved by great plenaries by John Norcini and Lambert Schuwirth on assessment. It's really nice to hear these kinds of overviews given by such renowned experts in medical education. It was useful to hear such sensible and pragmatic approaches to assessment in an era where we're so obsessed with generalisability theory (I know because I too am obsessed by GT - but I am receiving medication for it).

The annual dinner was fabulous that evening. The setting at Edinburgh Castle was truly beautiful and I got to catch up with lots of people who I hadn't managed to speak to yet. Medical educators really are a great bunch, and there was plenty of food and wine and lots of good conversation.

Wednesday 10th September

Wednesday started with an impressive presentation from the Sir John Ellis Student Prize Winner. I then gave my last presentation in one of the parallel sessions on assessment before enjoying a brilliant and entertaining end to the conference, Brian's plenary. Not only did I laugh heartily at his very witty presentation but it was also incredibly informative. Self-assessment is such an important topic in medical education and is rarely addressed. Thinking that the conference was over, I scuttled off to the airport - only to spend several more hours with conference delegates in the airport lounge bar and then on the plane. On a non-conference note I found myself sitting behind Jonathan Davies (Ex-Welsh rugby player turned rugby commentator) on the plane - a brush with fame. What more could a girl want from a conference?

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ADVERTISEMENT: Fringe: Amee 2004

The Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) will be holding its annual meeting in Edinburgh this year between the 5th and 8th of September 2004. A new feature of the conference will be an AMEE Fringe. Based on the concept of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, this new feature provides the opportunity to present or see something different; new and perhaps provocative or idiosyncratic approaches to teaching and learning. A number of slots for fringe events have been put aside and the call is now out for proposals for the AMEE fringe.

If you want to demonstrate a new idea or show a technique in use, or if you have a burning need to challenge existing norms or try something completely new then this might be your chance to bring your ideas and work to a wider audience. The only rules are that an abstract will need to be submitted and assessed and if successful then the only things that are not allowed is a traditional presentation (with or without PowerPoint) or anything that is physically or legally hazardous or likely to cause offence - everything else goes!

If you are in doubt as to whether what you have in mind will qualify for the AMEE Fringe, please contact Rachel Ellaway (rachel.ellaway@ed.ac.uk). Conference details are available at http://www.amee.org/.

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Project perspective: The BioMed Archives seeks digital image donations

Jill Evans and John Mahoney, University of Bristol

The BioMed Image Archive (http://www.brisbio.ac.uk/) has recently undertaken development of a new technical system that will allow owners of biomedical images to deposit these with the archive from their desktops.

The archive has maintained a Web presence since 1997 and is well known to and well used by many in the biomedical community. However, until September 2002, when we received funding from the JISC's FAIR Programme, we were unable to add further images. We are now seeking digital image donations from the teaching community.

We are asking teachers, researchers, ICT and audiovisual staff to consider depositing their collections with the archive. Donors can be certain that their images will be securely stored and easily accessible by bona fide academic users.

While policy is to ensure that the bulk of images in the collection remain accessible to all, the archive is implementing additional security levels for images that are considered to be of sensitive content which will guarantee that access is restricted to authenticated users only. Copyright of the original image resides with the owner/donor who will continue to have unrestricted access to and use of all images deposited.

Digital format

We need the images to be in digital format. It is also necessary that the potential donor is the copyright holder of the image. Many institutions maintain that resources (including images) produced by a lecturer during the course of their everyday duties are owned by that institution. Donors may, therefore need the permission of their institutions to donate images. The archive can advise on copyright issues.

Another important consideration is that of patient consent. If an image depicts or derives from a patient (even in the case of an x-ray or a tissue sample) then we do ask that the permission of the patient involved has been obtained. The project team has carried out extensive research into the area of patient consent and, again, is happy to advise potential donors on current guidelines.

These stipulations may seem draconian, but they have been put in place to protect the privacy and human rights of the patient, to protect the archive and its host, the University of Bristol, from legal action, and to ensure that users of the archive can trust its content and make free use of images without fear of ramifications.

Descriptive texts

We are also asking donors to provide some simple descriptive text to accompany the images. Without text, not only will potential donors be unable to search for and retrieve images, but they will also be unable to make an evaluative judgement of the value and worth of the image in relation to their intended purpose.

In Spring 2004, the project team will be visiting a number of UK universities to demonstrate the new system. Visits will include a demonstration of how to scan biomedical images, how to import digital images into an image management system, using images with PDAs, and finally how to upload your images into the archive. We will also be demonstrating how to add descriptive text to images so that they can easily be found by other users. Additionally, we will be discussing the issues of copyright and patient consent.

Making donations

If you would like to donate images to the archive or would like the project team to visit your department in 2004, please contact us at the address below. We hope to receive the support of the community in accelerating the growth and scope of the archive. The more images that are donated and shared, the more valuable the resource will become for the whole community.

Jill Evans and John Mahoney, BioMed Image Archive, Institute for Learning and Research Technology, University of Bristol, 8-10 Berkeley Square, Bristol, BS8 1HH, 0117 9287164/7148, jill.evans@bristol.ac.uk, john.mahoney@bristol.ac.uk.

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Miniproject perspective: Emotional intelligence and stress-coping in dental undergraduates

Dr Allan Pau, Clinical Lecturer, Barts and The London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry

Training to be a dentist can be hard work! Apart from meeting academic deadlines and clinical requirements, it demands concentration and precision as the mouth is a small and difficult area to access. Encounters with patients, especially those who are anxious or in pain can be challenging. Unsurprisingly, dental undergraduates experience more stress than is usual.

One current idea is that a student's emotional intelligence (EI), or ability to perceive emotions in self and others, manage them, and handle relationships, is an important determinant of successful stress-coping. EI may be measured using the Schutte et al.(1998) 4-factor scale:

  1. Optimism/Mood Regulation: maintaining a positive emotional outlook or to control emotions when under pressure: "I use good moods to keep myself trying in the face of obstacles".
  2. Utilisation of Emotions: using the emotional impact of major events to guide personal development: "Some of the major events of my life have led me to re-evaluate what is important and not important".
  3. Appraisal of Emotions: recognising and perceiving emotions in self and others: "By looking at their facial expressions, I recognise the emotions people are experiencing".
  4. Social Skills: empathising and relating with other people: "When another person tells me about an important event in his or her life, I almost feel as if I have experienced this event myself".

Project aims

This mini-project aimed to investigate the relationships between stress and EI, and explore how dental undergraduates with different levels of EI cope with stress. We found that high EI scoring students reported less stress, especially those who scored highly in the Optimism/Mood Regulation factor. Students with different levels of EI were identified and interviewed.

High EI scorers were more likely to report using skills that may be classified as Reflection and Appraisal, Organisation and Time-management, and Social and Interpersonal skills, whilst low EI scorers were more likely to cope by engaging in health-damaging behaviours.

When reflecting on her first encounter with a patient, a high EI student said, "I was quite anxious myself...", and appraised, rationally and constructively, that "it would be nice for the tutor to sit down and talk it through with me...", whereas low EI students tended to reflect and appraise negatively on their stressful experiences.

A low EI student lacking in Organisation and Time-management skills would find "...it difficult to get organised... when the College throws up things...and my life throws complications in, it all goes terribly to pot...the most delicately balanced bit of organisation I get going...all gets dashed to pieces..." High EI students, on the other hand, were able to manage their time around unexpected obstacles. High EI students coped by being assertive and expressing their concerns to the person involved. They also identified a need for social and family support. In contrast, low EI students procrastinated, did nothing or rejected their social network.

In addition, low EI students typically coped by engaging in health-damaging behaviours such as "...eat more, smoke...go out and get drunk..." or "...get on my bike and go mad...just going at stupid speeds..."

During their clinical training, dental undergraduates often come into contact with their fellow students, tutors and patients in the context of a small-group, usually intimate chair-side learning environment.In this context EI is an important resource that enables students to manage stressful emotions in themselves and in those they work with. Skills and behaviours associated with EI is an important area for further research.

Further research

Findings from this mini-project have been disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and conferences. An LTSN workshop is being planned to promote collaboration and new international partnerships in research around EI in healthcare education.

Contacts and Links

Miniproject report available from: http://www.medev.ac.uk/resources/features/pau_report Contact: Allan Pau, Clinical Lecturer, Barts and The London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, Turner Street, London E1 2AD. Email: akpau@qmul.ac.uk

Publications from this mini-project

Pau AK, Croucher R. Emotional intelligence and perceived stress in dental undergraduates. J Dent Educ. 2003;67:1023-8.

Pau AK, Croucher R, Muirhead V, Sohanpal R, Seymour K. Emotional intelligence and stress-coping in dental undergraduates - a qualitative study. Accepted for publication in the BDJ.

References

Schutte NS, Malouff JM, Hall LE, Haggerty DJ, Cooper JT, Golden CJ, Dornheim L. Development and validation of a measure of emotional intelligence. Personality and individual differences 1998; 25: 167-177.

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Free online clinical education: Reaching the parts others fail to reach

Dr Tim Ringrose, Medical Director, Doctors.net.uk

Doctors.net.uk (http://www.doctors.net.uk) have been working with doctors, education managers and undergraduate students to provide on-line, evidence based educational materials, communication tools and reflective recording tools free of charge in the UK.

Practicing clinicians and undergraduate students are able to take part in accredited learning programmes covering the range of skills needed to be a doctor in the 21st Century; from a comprehensive range of clinical topics to financial matters and how to deal with complaints or difficult colleagues. The discussion lists provide communication among practitioners and a means of making enquiries, and the recording tools can capture experiences and reflection on experiences (for appraisal). Over 80% of doctors in the UK use Doctors.net.uk and have completed over 150,000 hours of accredited learning since 2001. We are looking to see how these materials might benefit other practitioners in health and social care.

Professional groups, such as the Royal Colleges, the General Medical Council, the Medical Protection Society and the National electronic Library for Health work with us to ensure that the modules are of the highest standard and are accredited for professional development points (CPD or PGEA).

The modules

The Doctors.net.uk learning programme is made up of modules each of which is about two hours of accredited learning. These are authored by experienced professionals using relevant clinical evidence, and accredited by the appropriate professional group.

Modules can be taken entirely on-line in any order, and the software records where you are up to so that you can return to a module. It also indicates which are already completed modules.

A pre-test enables a learner to establish their base knowledge, followed by the presentation of multimedia case materials. On-line journals, textbooks and databases (including MedLine, Cochrane and eFormulary) are linked directly to provide support. To achieve a pass you need to attain 70% marks in the post-test to each module. Currently there are over 100 topics covered and the programme is expanding rapidly.

Key success factors

  • Accessibility - learners can take the modules anytime and anyplace
  • Simplicity - the modules work on virtually any computer with an Internet connection - (no fiddly downloads or plug-ins) - and are easy to do.
  • Practicality - the modules address every day issues that doctors face
  • Credibility - the modules are always up-to-date and are accredited for use as part of a PDP
  • Interactivity - doctors can test themselves, take part in opinion polls and discuss further management with their colleagues
  • Enjoyable - familiar cases are presented

Furthermore, its FREE! Doctors.net.uk is able to provide all these services to doctors for free thanks to support from healthcare organisations and companies. Information about our sponsors is on our website.

How to register

Undergraduate students and doctors on the GMC register can sign up with Doctors.net UK by registering on-line (students need to quote their student number). New accounts are allocated a personal email address at Doctors.net.uk, which is private and not exposed to spam. Students can benefit from these real-life cases, communication with other students, and early exposure to the kinds of materials which contribute to CME. Doctors.net.uk is always pleased to receive suggestions and feedback on the materials offered, you can contact us on 01235 828400 or ukinfo@doctors.org.uk

Going global

Doctors.net.uk and the UK eUniversities Worldwide (UKeU) have teamed up to extend these online learning programmes to doctors throughout the world. This allows us to expand the materials offered for free in the UK.

Links

What do doctors think about Doctors.net?

"Doctors.net.uk education provides an enormous saving of time and money" Consultant

"The modules are so up to date and relevant" Consultant

"... an absolute boon" GP

"The number of modules available is incredible" Pre-registration house officer

"the education modules are especially well thought out and offer a hugely reliable resource" GP

"Doctors.net.uk education is probably the most useful thing on the Internet" GP

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LTSN-01 in action: The Sequel... A follow-up to Pushing The Boat Out

Issues relating to the admission of disabled applicants to UK medical, dental and veterinary schools - Anne Tynan, director, DIVERSE

Pushing the Boat Out was published in March 2003 as a result of an LTSN-01 funded miniproject carried out between November 2002 and January 2003. The report had a considerable impact, leading LTSN-01 to commission a follow up study from September to December 2003.

The second report, entitled The Sequel, is due for publication in Spring 2004. This article explains the links between the two reports and highlights some of the key findings. The report Pushing the Boat Out crossed the three subject areas of medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine. The aim was to examine the levels of information offered by the websites of the UK medical, dental and veterinary schools for applicants with disabilities. As the focus was on students wanting to qualify as doctors, dentists or veterinary surgeons, the report also assessed the relevant requirements of the registration or professional bodies.

There was one central question. Did the websites make it clear that the nature of a registerable degree - with the intrinsic link with the legal ability to treat patients - currently has an automatic and sometimes significant impact upon whether a particular student is considered fit to enter the course and subsequently to practise in the profession?

Website scrutiny

The report explored a range of issues which arose from the scrutiny of websites and policy documents. These ranged from an in-depth analysis of the concept of fitness to practise to technical issues relating to how easily information could be accessed from websites.

Pushing the Boat Out had two print runs, with a total print distribution of 2,000 copies. These were distributed to the deans and a range of other staff in medical, dental and veterinary schools. The report was also sent to the main professional bodies and other relevant organisations in the health and education sectors as well as to the main disability organisations.

Copies were sent to individuals and organisations across the world, based on contacts already established by LTSN-01 and the report's author. The report was also made available online on the LTSN-01 website and this continues to be accessed. The confidence that the appropriate audiences had been circulated was almost instantly rewarded by the responses that began to pour in to both LTSN-01 and the author.

Shock response

The report had clearly come as a considerable shock to people in some institutions. Having previously paid little attention to websites including that of their own institution, they were anxious to remedy this. There was a flurry of activity, which provided the backdrop for the other types of responses which were received. Such responses demonstrated that if Pushing the Boat Out had achieved anything at all, it was to provoke widespread debate. It was in order to further this debate that The Sequel report was commissioned.

Many staff and institutions were keen for issues to be further explored so that they could ensure that policies and procedures would offer the best possible guarantee that aspiring doctors, dentists and veterinary surgeons who happen to have a physical or mental disability would be fit to practise within these professions.

Challenging reaction

Although the overall reaction to Pushing the Boat Out was positive, it must be said that there was also a negative reaction. This has been more difficult to quantify because negative views were often not expressed directly. The author did receive feedback, however, through other channels. One of the issues that The Sequel explores is the causes and the characteristics of such negative reactions.

This is not a question of insisting that people must share the same views but of expecting educated people to be willing to continue to be educated. Negativity is frequently based on ignorance, an idea that will be developed in The Sequel. Part of the preparatory work for the second report involved carrying out a further scrutiny of the websites. The Sequel will reveal the findings of the second scrutiny.

Improvements

One fundamental question lay behind the follow up scrutiny: Have medical, dental and veterinary schools made any improvements in the information provided for applicants who have a disability? Although Pushing the Boat Out contained quotations from some websites, institutions were not named. In The Sequel, however, named examples will be provided of institutions whose websites provide comprehensive information for a disabled applicant as well as for disabled students already enrolled within the schools.

Whatever the eventual outcome of the second report and the reactions it provokes, one detail remains outstandingly clear. All the UK medical, dental and veterinary schools have been given not one but two opportunities to confront the issue of disabled applicants. Most rose to the challenge on the first occasion and it is to be expected that their colleagues will now join them. If they do, the UK will lead the world in considering disabled applicants for a career in healthcare.

Pushing The Boat Out can be downloaded from: http://www.medev.ac.uk/resources/features/pushing_the_boat_out

Anne Tynan is the Director of DIVERSE, the UK Veterinary Medicine Disability Project based at The Royal Veterinary College, University of London.

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ADVERTISEMENT: LTSN offer: Win places at leading conferences!

You can go to AMEE, ASME or ADEE, the leading European conferences for those involved in learning and teaching in healthcare education by telling us about an innovation in learning and teaching.

LTSN-01 would, for the second year, like to reward excellence in learning and teaching through three separate competitions for teachers involved in medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine education in the UK.

The winners will receive financial support towards attending one of these three major conferences, which offer exciting opportunities to hear more on current educational topics through a programme of seminars, lectures, workshops, interactive discussions and poster sessions. They also offer a forum for debate and the exchange of information.

If you have been involved in learning and teaching on undergraduate programmes of medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine in the UK for over 12 months then you are eligible to apply. In order to enter a competition you will need to describe in 500 words or less:

  • An educational approach you have used (this could address teaching, learning or assessment) that has in your opinion, enhanced student learning
  • An approach you would like to use in the future

As well as explaining the method itself you might like to include the rationale behind your approach and how you were able to judge its success.

If successful you will be invited (with support from LTSN-01) to turn your entry into a poster submission for entry to one of the conferences.

Prizes: The winners of each competition will be given financial support towards attendance at one of these conferences.

Deadlines: The deadline for all three competitions is Friday 5 March 2004.

Conditions: Entries will only be accepted via the online competition form. For this together with full competition details please see the LTSN-01 website: http://www.medev.ac.uk/resources/competitions. You must have been teaching for over 12 months on a UK undergraduate programme in medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine to be eligible to enter these competitions.

The judges' decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Conferences

ADEE: 30th Annual Meeting Managing Change in Dental Education: Research in Education, 1st-4th September 2004, Cardiff

AMEE 2004: An international meeting on education in the healthcare professions, 5th-8th September 2004, Edinburgh International Conference Centre

ASME Annual Scientific Meeting 2004 - Fitness to Practise, 1st-3rd September 2004, University of Liverpool

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Workshop report: Novel assessment methods for a lecture-free final year course in veterinary medicine

Andrew Short, LTSN-01 Veterinary Liaison Officer

In September 2003 LTSN-01 co-funded this workshop held at University College Dublin (UCD) It was organised by Dr Anne Healy, College Lecturer in Large Animal Clinical Studies and UCD and attended by myself, Dr Andrew Short, LTSN-01's Veterinary Liaison Officer.

UCD has a new veterinary curriculum which has learning objectives similar to the RCVS Day 1 Competencies. The 4th year starts in 2003-2004 and will be assessed by written and oral examination. This workshop was arranged to consider how the lecture-free final year will be assessed in 2004-2005 and subsequently.

The workshop included three guest speakers, Dr Bonnie Campbell of Washington State University (WSU), Dr John Mould of the University of Glasgow and Dr Geraldine O'Neill of UCD. Dr O'Neill, from the Centre for Teaching and Learning at UCD, gave delegates a useful introduction to portfolios and Dr Mould described the final year OSCE examination to be introduced in Glasgow in 2003/2004 which includes 20 five minute stations. Dr Campbell gave a presentation on the "Oral Clinical Proficiency Examination" developed recently at WSU.

Assessment structure

This is a 40 minute simulated case with 3 examiners, one of whom is the simulated client and one asks scripted questions (non-scripted questions are also allowed). Various props including dummies may be used. Each examiner independently scores nine criteria on a scale of 1 to 5 and each score of each criterion has a detailed description to standardise scoring.

Break-out groups

Delegates broke out into three break-out groups and were asked to consider the UCD final year assessment in the light of the morning's presentations. Both CPEs and OSCEs were supported, also logs of skills attained and structured assessment of rotations.

It was a very interesting workshop, on an issue that I don't believe any school has got right yet, or has tackled as carefully as UCD is now doing. It is very good to look at ideas from around the world. I was particularly interested in the information from North America. Despite extensive use of OSCEs in medical education, Bonnie knew of only one North American veterinary school (Minnesota) trying them. I think North America is at about the same stage as the UK and Ireland in assessment of practice-based final year veterinary courses.

Exam format options

Reflecting on the outcomes of the workshop, Anne felt that the workshop provided staff with exam format options which are very exciting and very useful considering the nature of the course which will be taught in final year. There was a general consensus on the day that all of these options had a potential role as an examination tool in UCD's new curriculum and that they should consider a combination of some or all of these. Since the workshop, UCD staff have met with Heads of Departments in the three clinical areas and have agreed to move to a single examination subject in final year at the end of the year (as opposed to the three disciplines that are currently examined).

This proposal was brought to Faculty on Nov 10th from the Teaching and Learning Committee and was agreed. It is envisaged that within-term continuous assessment will have a much greater role in the new final year thereby allowing time for remediation of weaker students before the end of the year and taking pressure off students to perform at a single exam sitting.

Fresh template

Anne Healy is currently putting together a template for the assessment of final year students in her own area which will then form the basis of a discussion document to get a consensus on the examination format across all the disciplines. In summary Anne feels that the workshop provided a very powerful kickstart for the whole process of the development of an assessment format which would allow UCD to assess whether the objectives of their new course are being achieved.

For more information about the Oral Clinical Proficiency Examination at WSU contact bjgc@vetmed.wsu.edu. For information on the work at UCD please contact anne.healy@ucd.ie

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Focus: Are we ready for e-learning?

Chris Stokes, University of Sheffield

Dr Chris Stokes was the dental category winner of the Rewarding Excellence in Learning and Teaching prize sponsored by LTSN-01 and the Association for Dental Education in Europe's Annual Meeting. The winner's prize was to attend the ADEE Annual Meeting in Dresden back in September. Below is an overview of the paper that Chris presented.

The First Five Years and The Nuffield report have recently proposed changes that indicate that students within dentistry and professions allied to dentistry will be increasingly trained away from the dental school and in placements in Dental Access Centres and Community Dental Centres.

The web is being looked upon as the ideal platform from which to deliver learning material and to communicate with students during their placements. Additionally, the web is also becoming increasingly prevalent in the provision of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) materials in medical and dental professions. As computer technology changes rapidly, with the commonly quoted Moore's Law stating that computer power will double about every 18 months, it is difficult to provide current training, and is equally difficult for a student to keep track of all the latest developments in IT.

Learning delivery

The delivery of learning via the web is a key component of the Web-based Inter-professional Learning Network. Before the FDTL4 funded project could start, a survey to assess the current students' state of readiness was designed and distributed that sought to elicit an answer to how successful the implementation of new technologies into the learning environment would be.

This formed the analysis phase of the preparation for a wider implementation of a learning environment which will collaborate with institutions across the UK to develop e-learning and inter-professional education with courses being developed in topics such as ICT, research ethics, dental materials, dental technology and statistics.

E-survey responses

The survey, conducted electronically and therefore available across the medical faculty at Sheffield, sought to find a base level of student IT skills that could be used to design the next-generation of interactive and inter-professional learning materials.

Previous work has centred on the interaction of the students with the learning material (such as the use of web sites) but constructivist learning theories put an emphasis on communication not just between the student and the teacher, but also between students. Therefore, are students ready to participate in online discussions, contribute to message forums and interact via video-conferencing?

The response to the survey was good, considering many of the students were on placement, with a total of 191 valid responses. The essential results of the survey are that most (95.8%) students check their e-mail every few days or more, with slightly less (82.8%) using the web frequently. It was apparent though that there was a high incidence of students having never used technologies identified as providing the technology for future on-line learning environments: Internet Relay Chat (62.3%), Message Forums (50.3%) and video-conferencing (94.2%).

It was interesting to note that although two-thirds of students had used an e-learning environment in the last year, significantly less had reported using message forums, a principle feature of an online learning environment.

Due to the electronic distribution of this survey, the reader should consider that the above results represent very much a best case scenario. Based on these results, therefore, the initial short answer to the question of the state of readiness for the use of computers for collaborative e-learning purposes must therefore be no. But to test the hypothesis that the low incidence of use was due to the students not having access to video-conferencing and message forums, a series of seminars using video-conferencing were devised.

The series of trial seminars on denture design were successfully run using video-conferencing, aiming to provide the students with experience of remote consultancy. These demonstrated that the students can apply transferable skills with computer technology if given access to it. It is indicated that by putting an emphasis on ICT transferable skills the ICT training provided to our students can be successful, wherever technology takes us.

Dr Christopher W. Stokes, e-Technologies and Course Development Officer, WILeN Project, University of Sheffield. E-mail: c.w.stokes@sheffield.ac.uk

Dr Giuseppe Cannavina, Director, WILeN and iCT Projects, University of Sheffield. E-mail: g.cannavina@sheffield.ac.uk

Prof. Trevor F. Walsh, Dean of School of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield. E-mail: t.walsh@sheffield.ac.uk

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ETHICS project workshop on shared learning

Susan Illingworth, PRS-LTSN, University of Leeds

In November the ETHICS (Ethics Teaching Highlighted in Contextualised Surroundings) Project offered twinned workshops. The first was held at Birkbeck College, London on 12th November, and the second at King's Manor, York on 26th November. Together they attracted a total of 47 delegates.

Each day was structured around short presentations followed by facilitated small group discussion and had two main themes, the first of which focussed on the interdisciplinarity of professional ethics learning and teaching. While events bringing together ethicists from related fields such as healthcare or bioscience are not uncommon, the ETHICS Project's inclusion of six subject centres , between them serving the needs of at least 56 separate disciplines, give it a much wider base on which to draw. Many delegates expressed an appreciation of the opportunity to meet ethics teachers from a wide range of disciplines and it was instructive to note how many areas of common interest and concern were identified.

The second theme reflected the direct and immediate relationship between the teaching of Professional ethics in Higher Education and its application in real life situations. The workshops juxtaposed presentations on learning and teaching initiatives with contributions from those involved with Research Ethics Committees and Clinical Ethics Committees to present a broad perspective on the challenges facing those charged with the task of helping students acquire the knowledge and skills they need to function within the rapidly evolving moral framework of professional working practice.

Both days were productive in terms of networking and interdisciplinary collaboration. The presentations were well received, stimulating lots of lively discussion. A hardcopy guide, based on the issues and concerns identified at the workshops will be available in the spring of 2004.

Dr Susan Illingworth, ETHICS Project Coordinator, PRS-LTSN, School of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Leeds, Tel: +44(0)113 343 5789 email: susan@prs-ltsn.ac.uk

Further information: http://www.prs-ltsn.ac.uk

Workshop report: http://www.prs-ltsn.leeds.ac.uk/ethics/event.html

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LTSN-01 Call For Proposals

Funding available for miniprojects

Do you have a great idea for an innovation in learning in teaching in one of our priority areas, listed on this page?

This is the fourth year that the miniproject scheme has run, with over 40 projects supported to date (see http://www.medev.ac.uk/resources/features/miniprojects/ for further information supplied to us by the projects). You can apply for up to £3,000 to help you to promote and disseminate effective and innovative educational strategies in medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine.

Proposals for less than £3,000 are particularly welcome, allowing us to fund more projects. Further information including full guidelines, priority areas (copied here also) and application forms are available from http://www.medev.ac.uk/resources/proposals/miniprojects4/

Deadline: Friday 28th May 2004. Successful applicants will be notified by the end of June 2004.

Funding to support workshops

To further share good practice in learning and teaching in medicine dentistry and veterinary medicine the LTSN-01 is inviting proposals for workshops that you either wish to host or run.

You can apply for up to £500 to pay speakers (including yourself!) or acilities/subsistence, etc. Proposals for less than £500 are particularly welcome, allowing us to fund more workshops. Our workshop programme is available from http://www.medev.ac.uk/resources/meetings/workshops/ (including the resources from past workshops, where available). Full guidelines and application forms are available from http://www.medev.ac.uk/resources/proposals/workshops3/.

Deadline: Friday 26th March 2004. Successful applicants will be notified by the end of April 2004.

Priority topic areas for LTSN-01

The primary purpose of LTSN-01 funding is to:

  • Support dissemination of good practice to a wider audience
  • Promote collaboration to enhance new and existing projects and partnerships
  • Pump prime feasibility studies in innovative areas
  • Raise awareness of new national initiatives,
  • Recommendations and government policy
  • Promote evaluation and high quality educational
  • Research studies including systematic review
  • Promote staff development

Workshop proposals may be in any topic area. Due to the limitation on funding available priority will be given to miniproject proposals in the following areas:

  • Interprofessional education
  • Supporting students and staff in work based learning
  • Widening participation (including admissions)

Proposals from SHEFC funded institutions must relate to the Scottish Quality Enhancement themes of employability and flexible provision (http://www.qaa.ac.uk/scottishenhancement/themes/ for further information).

You are very welcome to contact LTSN-01 staff to discuss these priority areas and your ideas at any time. Call 0191 222 5888, or email enquiries@medev.ac.uk

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Workshop programme 2004

Forthcomong workshops

LTSN-01 workshops are free and open to anyone involved in learning and teaching in undergraduate medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine. All participants of medical and dental workshops are eligible for CPD credits. Forthcoming workshops include:

Scholarship of learning and teaching

26th March 2004. Facilitator: John Sweet, University of Wales College of Medicine

Venue: Seminar Room 7 West, Birmingham Dental Hospital and School of Dentistry

This is a follow-up workshop to the Scholarship of Learning and Teaching workshop held in May 2003. This workshop is designed to give participants the opportunity to present how their projects in scholarship have developed over a period of six months. It aims to help individuals with their separate projects in scholarship, and make it possible to study the factors that permit scholarship from a scholarly approach to learning and teaching.

John Sweet, lecturer at University of Wales Dental School, has conducted a number of staff development workshops on topics such as progress files and problem-based learning. He has been involved in dental teaching for over twenty years and has much experience in the use of small group teaching and the jig-saw technique. He is lead editor of a book on Effective Learning and Teaching and has co-written a chapter on practical application of andragogy to clinical teaching. He holds a postgraduate certificate in educational development.

Further details: http://www.medev.ac.uk/resources/meetings/workshops/

Exploring key elements of supervising undergraduate research projects in medicine and biological sciences

1st April 2004. Facilitator: Caroline Beardsmore, University of Leicester

Venue: The Gartree and Rutland Meeting Rooms, University of Leicester

This workshop is directed at anyone who supervises (or may supervise in the future) undergraduate research projects. After a day of presentations, small group work and discussion, delegates will have a greater insight into the needs and expectations of their students and the factors that make for effective supervision. Dr Caroline Beardsmore, chair of the Intercalated BSc Committee in Leicester since 1999, has supervised several student projects and been involved in resolving some of the difficulties that occasionally arise. She has worked with the Student Learning Centre to devise and run workshops for students doing research projects and has regularly reviewed student feedback on their experiences. Guest speakers at this workshop will be Dr Annie Grant, the Director of the Educational Development and Support Centre and Ms Maria Graal who works in the Student Learning Centre (all at University of Leicester).

Further details: http://www.medev.ac.uk/resources/meetings/workshops/supervisingug

Booking forms and details of the full workshop programme are available on the LTSN-01 website at http://www.medev.ac.uk/resources/meetings/workshops.

If you can't attend a workshop but are interested in the topics being covered you can download resources from all our events at the following webpage: http://www.medev.ac.uk/resources/meetings/workshops.

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Newly-funded LTSN workshops

Announcing more workshops

We are pleased to announce that the October call for proposals to facilitate future LTSN-01 workshops resulted in the commissioning of four new workshops for 2004. Keep an eye on the LTSN-01 website for further details on dates and venues. Or just email us at enquiries@medev.ac.uk with a request to be added to our mailing list and you'll receive an email alert when booking comes on line.

Teaching medical undergraduates to teach

Dr Reg Dennick, Assistant Director of Medical Education, University of Nottingham.

Developing case studies for learning and e-learning

Dr Philip Bradley, LTSN-01 subject specialist and Sub-Dean for Teaching, Learning and Assessment, University of Newcastle upon Tyne.

Examiner training for OSCEs (x2)

Dr Kathy Boursicot, Education and Assessment Specialist, University of Cambridge.

LTSN-01 also agreed to co-fund the following event in November 2003:

Systematic Review Workshop

Dr Jan Illing, Senior Research Associate, University of Newcastle upon Tyne.

We are always looking for other workshop topics you would like us to cover. Please feel free to send your ideas to LTSN-01 at enquiries@medev.ac.uk.

Alternatively, if you would like to facilitate a workshop yourself, please complete an application form under our call for workshop proposals http://www.medev.ac.uk/resources/workshop_proposals.

The next deadline for applications is 26th March 2004.

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Book review: Effective learning and teaching in medical, dental and veterinary education

Edited by John Sweet, Sharon Huttly & Ian Taylor. Published by Kogan Page for the ILTHE and the Times Higher Education Supplement.

Reviewed by Professor John Spencer, University of Newcastle.

This is the 4th in a series of Effective learning and teaching volumes commissioned by the Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (ILTHE), published in association with the Times Higher Education Supplement. According to Sally Brown's Foreword, these volumes are to play an important part in the ILTHE's mission to enhance the status of teaching, improve the experience of learning and support innovation in higher education, and to this end the book sets out to address generic issues in higher education (HE) from medical, dental and veterinary (MDV) perspectives.

A curate's egg

It is an interesting book, but there's a touch of the 'curate's egg' about it. Furthermore, although the intended audience is both new and experienced teachers in MDV education, I wonder whether in trying to be all things to all readers, the book fails to meet the needs of any particular group. For example, we are told that the new teacher will find themselves pointed in the direction of new sources of outside help, and ways to develop and assess student learning and their own teaching.

In my experience, new teachers, indeed most jobbing teachers, are busy, pragmatic people who want clear, succinct, no nonsense guidance and tips about teaching and learning methods.

As a potential source of such advice, I think the book might not quite match up. There are chapters that get near to fulfilling this function, for example those on communication skills, small group and large group teaching, but their approach and coverage is necessarily superficial, and there are many more appropriate and useful texts on the market.

Discussions

What is interesting, however, are the discussions, albeit usually brief ones, of the similarities and differences between the three disciplines, in terms of how they approach the particular topic, not only from an educational perspective (in the case of communication skills, for example, medical educators are way ahead of dental and veterinary educators in developing relevant teaching and assessment), but also in terms of those requirements of real-life practice that should guide curriculum development (taking communication skills again, dental and veterinary students differ from medics in that they need to develop specific skills early on because they actually treat patients during their training).

Most chapter authors have made a stab at drawing together common themes and differences between the three disciplines, inevitably focussing on their own disciplinary background. However, I feel a trick may have been missed in not delving deeper into these issues.

Although they may not be of much concern, and are certainly of little practical use to most teachers, these issues are of great interest and relevance to those involved in working across disciplines, for example through LTSN-01 or within their own institutions.

In fairness, Chapter Two does look at the commonalities of MDV education, highlighting three areas: repair, healing and care (and the social dimensions and ethical imperatives that prevail as a consequence); positivism and humanism (something the authors identify as perhaps the most important feature of MDV culture, not least the tension that exists between them, increasingly so in the research-driven environment of the contemporary university,); and transmission and imitation (as the predominant educational modes in MDV courses for centuries, with all their quirks and foibles). The authors argue forcefully how important it is for educators to understand the culture in which they operate, especially if they aspire to change it! They also discuss the value of collaborative learning to promote collegiality, which they claim to be one of the foundations of lifelong learning.

Use of jargon

Another issue that might deter the ordinary teacher from delving too far is the use of jargon. There is a smattering throughout the book, thankfully kept to minimum, of the kind that has crept into education-speak in the past few years, most of it from the business and management world - old friends like stakeholders, agendas and vision feature prominently, along with the odd horror such as performativity!

What about the meeting the needs of the experienced educator? As previously argued, the coverage of some topic areas is somewhat basic and superficial. The big picture chapters, such as Chapter Two described above and Chapter Three on curriculum do provide food for thought, but some of the other chapters do not really provide much in the way of new or interesting insights.

However, the final chapter - The way ahead for MDV education - rounds the book off nicely with some interesting ideas and speculation, focussed on three themes: integrated pedagogy for practice (essentially an argument for learner-centred approaches supported by a mixed menu of methods including communications and information technology - being wary of letting the technology drive the learning); professional practice (designing curricula that are appropriate to working in the real world).

Omissions

Inevitably in a book attempting to cover so much ground, there are lots of omissions and plenty of nits to pick. For example, I would challenge the throw-away statement on page 18 in Chapter Two that, despite the exhortations of official bodies such as the General Medical Council, there have not yet been radical changes in MDV education in Britain, nor in medical or dental education in the United States.

The authors don't tell us exactly what they mean by radical, but I would argue that there have been some positively dramatic developments over the past decade, albeit mostly in medical education: the breakdown of the pre-clinical/clinical divide; introduction of outcome-based approaches; greater student choice; graduate entry; problem-based learning; innovations in teaching and assessment methods; and increasing emphasis on personal and professional development.

In Chapter Nine, on student support, little is said about the challenges of continuing to provide comprehensive academic and pastoral support, because of increasing pressures and demands on academic staff, increased student numbers, and budget constraints. Pertinent to this, more might have been said about peer support and mentoring schemes, which many schools are developing.

Chapter 12, on reflection in clinical practice, explores the theory behind reflective practice, but there is not much about its assessment, which is surely one of the major challenges in health care education at this time. I was also surprised there was so little about inter-professional education (IPE), comprising only a couple of paragraphs buried towards the end of the final chapter.

Since this is currently a major policy issue, and most certainly flavour of the month, surely a discussion about the hoped-for benefits, the problems and challenges, and the evidence-base of IPE would have been useful and appropriate for such a volume. Similarly, there is virtually nothing about faculty development, which some would argue is absolutely crucial to successful curriculum development.

Conclusion

.....the (sic) guide to surveying and understanding the key issues, best practices and new developments in medical, dental and veterinary education, as claimed on the cover, this book is not. However, despite its limitations, there is something in it for everyone, and a copy should find its way onto bookshelves in university libraries and educators' offices. It could, for example, be a useful resource for students undertaking higher professional qualifications in MDV education. At the very least it puts down a marker describing, albeit patchily, the state of the art of MDV education for future reference.

John Spencer, Professor of Medical Education in Primary Health Care, University of Newcastle

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