Postgraduate Diploma in Health Professional Education

Purpose

The primary purpose of the qualification is to enable working health professionals to reflect critically on the theory and practice of teaching in the clinical context, and to ensure that health professionals are competently prepared to meet the health needs of the country. It will serve to strengthen and deepen students' knowledge and skills in health professions education, focussing on learning in the clinical context, within a Primary Health Care-led curriculum.

It is interdisciplinary in that it draws on theories of adult education, learning in higher education, health sciences education and approaches to health service delivery.

The mode of delivery of the programme, based on adult learning principles, enables the students, who are working professionals, to become critical, self-directed lifelong learners. The educational methodology encourages critical engagement with relevant theories related to teaching, learning and assessment; course and curriculum design and development and course evaluation, and to critically reflect on application of theory to practice. The modules cover current thinking, practice and research in the field of health professional education.

Rationale

For the purpose of ensuring quality education for health sciences students, internationally and nationally, it is no longer accepted that clinicians are automatically effective educators. New educational methodologies and approaches and changes in health care delivery have prompted the need for training clinicians in appropriate education for effective clinical practice. There is an international trend to train clinicians as educators in their field. This qualification is consistent with that approach. Health Professional Accreditation bodies are also refining their criteria for accreditation to include not only syllabus but delivery and assessment methods as well. This is applies to all health care professionals.

It is assumed that learners

• Have clinical work-based experience.
• Have informal teaching experience of junior undergraduate students.
• Are proficient in the language of learning and teaching of the provider, both written and spoken.
• Are computer literacy.

Recognition of Prior Learning

Learners who do not meet the admission requirements may be granted access through Recognition of Prior Learning.

Access to the Qualification

The minimum admission requirements are

• An approved undergraduate health professional degree.
• Registration with the relevant Statutory Health Council.
• At least six months' teaching in a health care context or presently working and teaching in a health care context.
• Fluency in the language of learning and teaching of the provider, both written and spoken.
• Basic computer literacy.

All four modules are compulsory.

Each module is at NQF Level 8 and is worth 30 Credits.

List of modules

• Teaching and learning theories in health professions education.
• Learning and Teaching Practice.
• Assessment of Learning.
• Curriculum Development and Course design.

1. Demonstrate and understanding of teaching and learning theories in health professions education.
2. Demonstrate and understanding of the practice of learning and teaching in health professional education.
3. Discuss the application of learning assessment in health professional education.
4. Apply curriculum development and course design in health professional education.

Critical Cross-Field Outcomes

The Exit Level Outcomes and Assessment Criteria are all consistent with the Critical Cross-Field Outcomes as listed, viz:

• Identifying and solving problems.
• Team work.
• Organising self.
• Collating information.
• Effective communicating.
• Utilising science and technology.
• Understanding the world as a set of related systems.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

1.1 Critically reflect on own teaching and facilitation of learning in practice and reflect on the learner and teacher roles in various educational and organisational contexts.

1.2 Critically appraise the theoretical approaches underpinning teaching and facilitation of learning in the clinical context.

1.3 Demonstrate an understanding of how organisational change impacts on teaching and learning.

1.4 Demonstrate an understanding of appropriate research methods to enable critical appraisal of quantitative and qualitative research findings on teaching and learning.

1.5 Critically appraise e-learning in health professions education.

1.6 Demonstrate efficient and effective information retrieval and processing skills, using appropriate information and communication technology (ICT).

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

2.1 Demonstrate awareness to identify opportunities that exist for facilitating learning in clinical and community contexts, beyond scheduled activities.

2.2 Select and apply appropriate methodologies for teaching and facilitation of learning in different situations in clinical and community contexts, demonstrating evidence of best practice of the effectiveness of various approaches.

2.3 Modify, plan, design and structure appropriate teaching and learning activities in the clinical and community contexts.

2.4 Demonstrate the integration of the Primary Health Care approach into clinical teaching.

2.5 Demonstrate the ability to provide constructive, critical feedback.

2.6 Demonstrate an understanding of group dynamics and the principles of effective facilitation in small group learning.

2.7 Identify and raise ethical and human rights issues for discussion within clinical and community contexts.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

3.1 Demonstrate an awareness of concepts, approaches, and debates associated with assessment.

3.2 Critically select, develop or modify an appropriate assessment instrument for specific teaching practice.

3.3 Critically reflect on assessment practices on their own and in relation to alignment of assessment with course/programme outcomes and teaching, learning activities.

3.4 Develop and implement appropriate assessment instruments for the clinical educational context.

3.5 Demonstrate understanding of the role of an Assessment Blueprint.

3.6 Demonstrate the integration of the Primary Health Care approach in Assessment.

3.7 Demonstrate an understanding of appropriate research methods to enable critical appraisal of quantitative and qualitative research findings on assessment.

3.8 Critically appraise on-line assessment in health professions education.

3.9 Demonstrate efficient and effective information retrieval and processing skills, using appropriate ICT.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

4.1 Explain underlying educational theory, values and beliefs of different approaches to curriculum development.

4.2 Describe the models, principles and elements of curriculum and course design.

4.3 Plan and design a course, demonstrating links to the broader programme or curriculum.

4.4 Construct a well-designed course evaluation instrument.

4.5 Critically appraise the value and limitations of course evaluations.

4.6 Discuss the complexity in achieving alignment between curriculum, course planning and implementation.

4.7 Explain the hidden curriculum and identify an instance in the programme or course in which you are teaching.

4.8 Problematise the relationship between health sciences curricula and health service provision.

4.9 Conduct a curriculum mapping exercise.

Integrated Assessment

Formative Assessment

• A written teaching portfolio and assignment will be required for each module.
• The draft writing process will constitute the formative assessment for the Teaching Portfolio.
• The four modules contribute 40% of the final mark.

Summative Assessment

• A variety of assessment methods will be used.
• The summative examination will constitute 60% of the final mark and comprise:

> Written examination that assesses application of theory to practice (15%).

> Oral examination on the Teaching Portfolio (20%).

> Simulated teaching event (25%).