Premium
Online role‐playing for faculty development
Author(s) -
Ladhani Zahra,
Chhatwal Jugesh,
Vyas Rashmi,
Iqbal Mobeen,
Tan Christina,
Diserens Deborah
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the clinical teacher
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.354
H-Index - 26
eISSN - 1743-498X
pISSN - 1743-4971
DOI - 10.1111/j.1743-498x.2010.00401.x
Subject(s) - mandate , medical education , christian ministry , online discussion , psychology , online learning , professional development , faculty development , medicine , political science , multimedia , computer science , law
Summary Background: There has been a rapid growth of online teaching in the past few years, yet the implementation of role‐play for formal educational activities in an online setting is growing more slowly. The use of online role‐playing for the development of health professions educators is virtually un‐documented in the literature. Innovation: In the project reported here we use role‐playing as a method to motivate and increase active participation in an online web‐based discussion on community‐based medical education (CBME). The Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education & Research (FAIMER ® ) Institute hosts virtual group discussions for fellows as part of its fellowship programmes, in order to deepen their knowledge base in health professions education and research. In June 2008, a group of seven FAIMER ® fellows and faculty members moderated an online discussion on CBME using an online role‐play exercise with other fellows and faculty members. Results: Out of a total of 102 fellows, 36 (35.3%) participated actively, which exceeded the typical percentage of list server participation. In addition, a rich discussion resulted in a comprehensive report on the goals, challenges, logistical components, role of Health Ministry policy and the possible ethical mandate of CBME in developing countries. Conclusion: Online role‐play encouraged distributed participation among a highly diverse international group of participants, supporting the conclusion that role‐playing can be used effectively with mid‐career health professional faculty members in the online environment.