Problem-based learning faculty development: a comprehensive approach.

摘要

Context and setting In 2003, a pre-clerkship hybrid curriculum, consisting of didactic presentations and problem-based learning (PBL) cases, was launched at the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles. The pre-clerkship curriculum is comprised of 9 blocks situated around organ systems themes (i.e. cardiovascular, renal and respiratory) and weekly PBL cases. Approximately 180 PBL faculty staff (18-20 per block) are needed annually to lead small-group discussions with medical students. Why the idea was necessary Because of the high volume of faculty staff needed to teach in this new curriculum, recruitment and retention required attention. Thus, the training of faculty, many of whom were inexperienced with the specialised skill set required to lead PBL small groups, implied that a comprehensive, faculty training programme was vital to obtaining and maintaining knowledgeable PBL faculty. Before 2006, an introductory workshop, lasting a few hours, was the only formal training opportunity afforded to PBL faculty. Further, student evaluations indicated that faculty members were struggling with several aspects of the PBL process: they were perceived as providing insufficient feedback, giving copious lectures, and not supporting a multidisciplinary perspective. Thus we concluded that more regularly scheduled faculty PBL training was needed to address the skills, concepts and problems that arise in the course of the teaching experience.