MEDEV

School of Medical Sciences Education Development

Introduction

Besides the two projects featured in this month’s newsletter, there are a number of projects that may be of interest. The FDTL4 programme funded 36 other projects, a few of which are listed here.

The institution listed is the lead site, but most of these projects are collaborations involving more than one institution. A list of all FDTL4 projects with contact information is available at:

http://www.ncteam.ac.uk/projects/fdtl/fdtl4/projects.htm

Optimising computer aided and traditional assessment in veterinary education (OCTAVE)

Royal Veterinary College, University of London

This project aims to rationalise veterinary assessment schemes by maximising the use of computer-aided assessment, and developing more structured assessments for practical skills, through objective-structured practical examinations.

This strategy will use academic staff more efficiently, increase assessment reliability, and provide more immediate feedback to undergraduate students.

Incorporating disability equality in clinical practice

University of Bristol

This consortium project will develop a curriculum framework for disability equality training suitable for all health professionals. It will be flexible enough for single or inter-professional learning. Its underpinning philosophy will be the social model of disability and disabled people will have input to its design and delivery.

Developing tomorrow’s leaders in healthcare education

University of Leicester

The aim of the project is to design adevelopment programme for continued leadership development, modelled on an agreed specification for skills and competencies of health and social care education leaders. The framework will include opportunity for initially 30, and overall up to 70 staff, to be equipped with the skills necessary to: manage and enhance the quality of students’ learning experience across the HEI/ NHS/ social care interface, manage change and the development of health and social care education, and work within a well established network to ensure rapid spread of good practice.

A core question bank linked to the learning outcomes for UG medicine

University of Manchester

Manchester will host a ‘Question Bank Unit’ on behalf of five Northern Universities based on QAA/GMC subject benchmarks. Questions will be written at workshops attended by experienced examiners and will be stored in a standard format to ensure ease of sharing.

It will evaluate reliability, accessibility, validity and standards of assessments. The aim is to establish a high quality question bank, improved skills and understanding in setting assessments, and develop an assessment process to share with other relevant faculties.

Interprofessional education for pre-registration students

King's College London

The project's full title is: Interprofessional education for all pre-registration students in the health professions across three HEIs within South East London Workforce Development Confederartion.

This project is a collaboration between King's College London and the Universities of the South Bank and Greenwich and NHS trusts within the South East London Workforce Development Confederation.

Its aim is to delvelop, test, disseminate and evaluate inter-professional education (IPE) in practice for pre-registration health and social care students drawn from in professional greoups.

These are nursing, medicine, dentistry, midwifery, physiotherapy, social work, occupational therapy, pharmacy and dietetics.

Dyslexic students' self managed learning of subject specific terminology

South Bank University

This project is producing self-directed learning programmes to help students with dyslexia to learn to read and to spell problematic subject-specific terminology. These programes will be disseminated, in paper and CD-ROM form, to special needs units and libraries of British universities.

Interprofessional medical training by means of a virtual hospital ward

University of Manchester

The object is to develop web and third generation mobile-phone based interactive case studies, requiring active participation of a team, comprising medical, nursing and pharmacy students. It will specifically examine the areas of prescribing practice, medicines administration and error reporting procedures. This will help to develop and enhance their team working skills.

Advancing the Provision of Pharmacy Law and Ethics Teaching (APPLET)

University of Nottingham

The project aims to make a step change in the scope and content of law and ethics teaching in the pharmacy curriculim to support the pharmacists' changing role from supplier of medicines to clinical practitioner and provision of teaching mostly by non-speciliast, part time teacher practitioners.

Interprofessional teaching and learning in contemporary mental health care

University of York

The project wil design, implement and evaluate a shared learning module for final year, pre-qualifying mental health nursing and social work students. The effectiveness of learning and teaching strategies and materials, designed to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes required for interprofessional working, will be evaluated and disseminated widely.

Other projects

Royal Veterinary College

University of London

Disability in Veterinary Education - Resources for Sustainable Enhancement (DIVERSE), funded by HEFCE Disability Funding Programme

Aim: to evaluate the extent to which students with particular disabilities will be able to satisfy the requirements of verterinary courses, including work placements, and to identify accommodations to enable them to do so

University of Middlesex. School of Health, Social and Policy Studies

The efectiveness of problem-based learning in promoting evidence based practice, funded by ESRC.

Aim: To contribute to the development of evidence-based education by evaluating the outcomes achieved using two difference approaches/methods of curriculim delivery for continuing professional education.