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Lifelong Learning (lifelong + learning)
Selected AbstractsThe use of the OSCE in postgraduate educationEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION, Issue 3 2008R. C. Arnold Abstract Background:, The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is a method of assessing the clinical skills of undergraduates in medicine, dentistry and other health sciences and is employed increasingly in postgraduate education. Aim:, To describe the application of the OSCE to the development of Lifelong Learning and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for General Dental Practitioners (GDPs). Methods:, A postgraduate course was designed as an OSCE for GDPs. The OSCE comprised 12 stations covering different aspects of general dentistry. After an introductory seminar outlining the aim of the course, the participants spent 7 min at each station. Each question or task required 10 answers and was designed to highlight areas of weakness or interest and to stimulate further study of the presenting topic. Solutions and answers were provided at each station for self-assessment along with a list of locally presented courses related to that subject. Participants were invited to leave contact details and to make suggestions for future postgraduate courses. The final session consisted of a group discussion and participants were invited to complete an evaluation form to express opinions on the course. Results:, The evaluation demonstrated that most candidates found participation in the OSCE stimulated their interest in CPD. The OSCE also highlighted areas of weakness in knowledge of certain clinical procedures. Group discussion confirmed that practitioners found the hands-on component valuable and that they were likely to participate in further OSCEs to enhance their CPD. Suggestions received during the discussion were used to modify the course. Conclusions:, The OSCE course fulfilled its aim of assisting practitioners to organise their CPD. The reflective nature of the course was helpful in evaluating clinical knowledge and the unique multidisciplinary style fulfilled its objective in promoting thoughts regarding future study. [source] Lifelong Learning within HE in The NetherlandsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, Issue 3 2009MARJA VAN DEN DUNGEN First page of article [source] Lifelong Learning in the European Union: whither the Lisbon Strategy?EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, Issue 3 2005HYWEL CERI JONES This article traces the Lisbon strategy back to the White Paper issued by President Jacques Delors in 1993 on Growth, Competitiveness, and Jobs as the launching point for the structural reform agenda needed to turn around the massive unemployment crisis and proposing a combination of policies for the structural reform of the labour market and stability-oriented macroeconomic policies designed to stimulate economic growth. The centrality of education and training in the Lisbon strategy is seen as key to the lifelong chances of every citizen linked to the need for Europe to compete on the basis of a knowledge-based economy if it is to maintain its high social standards. Describing the first years of the Lisbon strategy as ,a stuttering start', the mid-term stock-taking which offered European leaders the opportunity to fine-tune or radically modify the strategy is analysed. The article highlights the paradox that, although human capital is claimed to be Europe's most precious resource, there is inadequate focus on the weakest aspects of current systems. It also focuses on policy and financial levers which need to be mobilised within Member States as well as the implications for national budgets. It suggests the prioritisation of a small number of areas on which to concentrate efforts and echoes the Council calling for a ,quantum leap' in the ambition of the EU to ensure that the necessary follow-up is given to meet the challenges. Finally, a strong argument is put forward to take steps to move towards a unified set of proposals for lifelong learning. [source] Conceptualising Lifelong Learning: a reflection on lifelong learning at Lund University (Sweden) and Middlesex University (UK)EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, Issue 2 2005ABDULAI ABUKARI Lifelong Learning has in recent years become a fundamental element of many educational policy strategies aimed at achieving the goal of socio-economic development. The role of universities in this is viewed by some as crucial and requires some attention. This article examines the concept of lifelong learning and suggests another way in which it could be conceptualised. It further reflects on how two European universities understand and implement lifelong learning and the implications for European regional educational policies in view of the knowledge society. [source] Lifelong Learning in Swedish Universities: a familiar policy with new meaningsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, Issue 3 2001Berit Askling First page of article [source] Lifelong Learning in Norwegian UniversitiesEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, Issue 3 2001Ellen Brandt First page of article [source] Lifelong Learning and Higher Education: The Swedish caseEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, Issue 3 2000Berit Askling First page of article [source] Policies for Lifelong Learning and for Higher Education in Norway: correspondence or contradiction?EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, Issue 3 2000Ellen Brandt First page of article [source] The Status of Lifelong Learning in German UnivesitiesEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, Issue 3 2000Bettina Alesi First page of article [source] Six Ages towards a Learning Region , A RetrospectiveEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, Issue 3 2010NORMAN LONGWORTH Learning Cities and Learning Regions are terms now in common use as a result of the growing importance of lifelong learning concepts to the economic, social and environmental future of people and places. Why ,learning' regions? Why not intelligent, creative, clever, smart or knowledge regions? In truth, all of these can, and some do, also exist, but we argue that this is not a semantic debate. The basis of intelligence, smartness, cleverness, creativity and knowledge is effective learning and its intelligent application in creating a better future. We can, we believe, only learn our way into the future and the same is true, in developmental terms, of cities, towns, regions and communities. What therefore is a learning region? Definitions tend to differ according to perception, situation, occupation and objective. Where the focus is on technology a learning region will emphasise the advantages of hi-tech for the development of a physical infrastructure that will assist regeneration and be useful for more efficient behaviour and learning by people and organisations. Hence the growth of ,smart cities,' mainly in North America. Where it is on employment, employability, organisational management and training for industry, the development of human and social capital for economic gain and competitive edge tends to predominate. Most regions concentrate on this aspect. Where the motivation is based on the use of valuable resources, it will concentrate on volunteering, active citizenship and the building of social capital. Such an approach is not well developed in many regions and the optimum balance between economic, community and personal growth is poorly understood. Where the goal is the competent use of organisational potential a learning region will mobilise all its stakeholder institutions as partners in the service of the region as a whole. Here, very little is understood or implemented. This article argues that all of these approaches and others in the fields of environment, personal and cultural growth, innovation, diversity and communication are a holistic part and parcel of learning region development. Its meaning and its characteristics will become clear as it charts the development of ideas about learning regions, particularly those that have occurred during the past 20 years. It suggests the existence of a paradigm shift at work , the age of education and training, which has served us well in the late 20th century in satisfying the needs of a growing, upwardly mobile proportion of the population, has now given way to the era of lifelong learning, in which the means, the tools and techniques are employed to target and motivate everyone in a city, town or region. Those regions that achieve this nirvana will be the winners in the apparent paradox that intelligent local action leads to success in a globalised world, a version of the concept of ,glocalisation' coined by Robertson (1995). [source] The Learning Region between Pedagogy and EconomyEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, Issue 3 2010ROBERTA PIAZZA Economic growth is stimulated through learning. In ,the learning economies' of those European regions that chose to develop their human and intellectual capital wisely, benefits have been visible. But this is a one-dimensional outlook in a multi-dimensional world. A ,Learning Region' is an entirely different entity, pooling and mobilising its resources from the community, its institutions, culture and heritage, and industry, to mention just a few, for the common, social, economic and ecological good. This article examines and critiques recent ideas and perceptions behind the concept of the learning region and suggests why, in the Italian context, they have not been successful so far in entering the consciousness of regional leaders. It argues that greater individualisation, privatisation and the ascendancy of the market approach to learning are, perhaps paradoxically, barriers to establishing the regional structures that would implement lifelong learning for all and enhance economic and social progress. Cooperation, partnership, sharing and the integration of stakeholders in respecting a common goal are far more difficult to achieve in today's climate. [source] Educators at Work in two Sectors of Adult and Vocational Education: an overview of two European Research projectsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, Issue 2 2009BERT-JAN BUISKOOL Adult learning staff play a key role in making lifelong learning a reality. It is they who facilitate learners to develop knowledge, skills and attributes. At the European level there is a lack of information about various aspects of the profession, such as who they are, how they are recruited, what their specific roles and tasks are, what competences and qualifications they are expected or required to possess, what their employment status is, how their professional development is organised, how they are assessed, and how attractive their profession is. This article is meant to bridge this gap and describes the variety of contexts in which adult learning staff are working. Furthermore, it seeks to reveal the factors that promote or affect the quality of the work provided by these practitioners and will address a number of issues that should be on the agenda of policy makers. This article is based on the outcomes of a study that have been carried out by an international research group in the period 2007 -2008, under guidance of Research voor Beleid and PLATO University Leiden under contract of the European Commission (DG Education and Culture). [source] Moving Mountains: will qualifications systems promote lifelong learning?EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, Issue 4 2007PATRICK WERQUIN This article aims at providing a check list of possible mechanisms to trigger more and better lifelong learning from within the national qualifications system. It analyses the existing policy responses to the lifelong learning agenda in the countries under study and identifies possible mechanisms within the qualifications system that could impact on the behaviour of the many stakeholders. There are many other ways to impact on lifelong learning but they are not addressed in this article which focuses on the role of national qualifications systems. Two mechanisms in particular are studied in more detail because they seem to be at the top of the research and policy agenda of many countries: qualifications frameworks and recognition of non-formal and informal learning systems. [source] Lifelong Learning in the European Union: whither the Lisbon Strategy?EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, Issue 3 2005HYWEL CERI JONES This article traces the Lisbon strategy back to the White Paper issued by President Jacques Delors in 1993 on Growth, Competitiveness, and Jobs as the launching point for the structural reform agenda needed to turn around the massive unemployment crisis and proposing a combination of policies for the structural reform of the labour market and stability-oriented macroeconomic policies designed to stimulate economic growth. The centrality of education and training in the Lisbon strategy is seen as key to the lifelong chances of every citizen linked to the need for Europe to compete on the basis of a knowledge-based economy if it is to maintain its high social standards. Describing the first years of the Lisbon strategy as ,a stuttering start', the mid-term stock-taking which offered European leaders the opportunity to fine-tune or radically modify the strategy is analysed. The article highlights the paradox that, although human capital is claimed to be Europe's most precious resource, there is inadequate focus on the weakest aspects of current systems. It also focuses on policy and financial levers which need to be mobilised within Member States as well as the implications for national budgets. It suggests the prioritisation of a small number of areas on which to concentrate efforts and echoes the Council calling for a ,quantum leap' in the ambition of the EU to ensure that the necessary follow-up is given to meet the challenges. Finally, a strong argument is put forward to take steps to move towards a unified set of proposals for lifelong learning. [source] Conceptualising Lifelong Learning: a reflection on lifelong learning at Lund University (Sweden) and Middlesex University (UK)EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, Issue 2 2005ABDULAI ABUKARI Lifelong Learning has in recent years become a fundamental element of many educational policy strategies aimed at achieving the goal of socio-economic development. The role of universities in this is viewed by some as crucial and requires some attention. This article examines the concept of lifelong learning and suggests another way in which it could be conceptualised. It further reflects on how two European universities understand and implement lifelong learning and the implications for European regional educational policies in view of the knowledge society. [source] Exploring the Challenges of Climate Science Literacy: Lessons from Students, Teachers and Lifelong LearnersGEOGRAPHY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 9 2010Lesley-Ann L. Dupigny-Giroux Today more than ever, being climate literate is a critical skill and knowledge area that influences our interaction with the environment around us, our understanding of scientific news and the daily decisions that we make. Yet, the term climate literacy can be misunderstood, as are the terms weather, climate and climate variability. This article surveys the existing literature and highlights six challenges to achieving a climate literate citizenry in both formal and informal or lifelong learning. The lessons learned from high school and undergraduate students, teachers and lifelong learners, many of whom are retired, serve as the threads which are woven into a tapestry of strategies for embedding climate science principles across entire school curricula as well as society at large. [source] Lost Opportunity: What a Credit Framework Would Have Added to the National Qualification FrameworksHIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2001David Gosling This paper outlines the recent work of the Southern England Consortium, SEEC, and the principles to which it is committed. It is argued that the failure of the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) to grasp the nettle of credit in the recently published National Qualification Framework (NQF) is a blow, although not a fatal one, to the achievement of the objectives which SEEC is attempting to achieve on behalf of its member institutions. In particular, the opportunity to improve access, increase flexibility and support lifelong learning through the use of credit in the NQF has been lost. The value of the concept of level in a credit framework is defended and contrasted with the use of ,qualification level' in the NQF. [source] The costs and benefits of lifelong learning: The case of the NetherlandsHUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY, Issue 2 2002Marko J. van Leeuwen This article deals with costs and benefits related to on-the-job training. For calculating costs and benefits of on-the-job training at the sector and macroeconomic levels, a model is developed. Model parameters are estimated using information from a survey of employers and employees in the Netherlands. Exogenous model variables are taken from the survey as well as from several official statistical sources. The model is used for running a baseline scenario and several policy scenarios. The policy scenarios describe proposed policy measures for stimulating lifelong learning in the Netherlands. The model calculates detailed costs and benefits for players in the market for on-the-job training and the macroeconomic consequences. It is shown that the differences in cost-effectiveness of policy measures can be large. Another important conclusion is that the results may differ strongly among employers, employees, and the government. [source] Company-based education programmes: what's the pay-off for employers?HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 4 2001Graeme Martin This article addresses the question of whether company-based programmes of education repay employer investment in terms of learning transfer to the workplace. Building on earlier work by the authors, we use an in-depth longitudinal case study of a long-standing programme of continuous education sponsored by the US-based NCR corporation in Scotland. As educators, we expected to find that the programme would have been associated with positive outcomes, based on the belief that 'embrained' or formal, abstract knowledge can be transferred to the workplace. We were aware, however, that research in this area has not been promising in demonstrating learning transfer, in part because such a process is mediated by the quality of the transfer climate. Drawing on survey data and in-depth interviewing of a sample cohort, we found that the programme of company-based education had significant implications for learning transfer. Surprisingly, however, transfer climate had little influence on the willingness of employees to use their knowledge to make improvements or generate innovations at work. Finally, we found that these data supported situated learning theory, stressing the importance of tacit knowledge, informal learning, the communal nature of workplace learning and the difficulties in evaluating learning transfer. We believe that these results have important implications for the literature on the evaluation of HRD interventions, for human resource development (HRD) specialists interested in developing programmes of so-called lifelong learning and for practitioners working in the area of organisational learning and learning organisations. [source] Sharing in teams of heterogeneous, collaborative learning agentsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 2 2009Christopher M. Gifford This paper is focused on the effects of sharing knowledge and collaboration of multiple heterogeneous, intelligent agents (hardware or software) which work together to learn a task. As each agent employs a different machine learning technique, the system consists of multiple knowledge sources and their respective heterogeneous knowledge representations. Collaboration between agents involves sharing knowledge to both speed up team learning, as well as refine the team's overall performance and group behavior. Experiments have been performed that vary the team composition in terms of machine learning algorithms, learning strategies employed by the agents, and sharing frequency for a predator-prey cooperative pursuit task. For lifelong learning, heterogeneous learning teams were more successful than homogeneous learning counterparts. Interestingly, sharing increased the learning rate, but sharing with higher frequency showed diminishing results. Lastly, knowledge conflicts are reduced over time the more sharing takes place. These results support further investigation of the merits of heterogeneous learning. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] An exploratory study of web-enhanced learning in undergraduate nurse educationJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 12 2007BSc (Hons), Elizabeth A Mitchell MSc, PG Dip Ed Aim.,The aim of the study was to explore undergraduate nursing students' views of web-enhanced learning and to examine issues relating to their pattern of access to a rehabilitation nursing module website. Background.,As information technology is an integral component of western health care, all nurses are expected to have the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes to be competent in its use. Methods.,In phase 1, a focus group interview was conducted with students (n = 6) who had not logged onto a similar module website. In phase 2, a questionnaire was administered to students undertaking the web-enhanced module. In phase 3, each student's (n = 231) pattern of access to the module was identified and compared with the student's performance as evidenced by their module assignment mark. Results.,Students held favourable attitudes towards web-enhanced learning but some students experienced difficulties. There was a significant positive association between the students' assignment mark and the number of times logged onto the module website. Significant negative correlations were found between mark and week of first log on, and week of first log on and number of hits onto the module site. This suggests that students who logged onto the module in the first few weeks were more likely to achieve higher marks. Conclusions.,This study's findings suggest that students who accessed the module website early and often were more likely to produce more comprehensive nursing assessments and consequently achieve higher assignment marks than their colleagues. Relevance to clinical practice.,The findings have relevance to all nurses as lifelong learning is a mandatory requirement for maintaining clinical competence and electronic learning can provide students (regardless of registration status) with the flexibility to gain access to course content at a time and place convenient to them. The role of electronic learning in promoting a more holistic nursing assessment is also discussed. [source] Evidence-based practice in clinical psychology: What it is, why it matters; what you need to knowJOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 7 2007Bonnie Spring The history and meaning of evidence-based practice (EBP) in the health disciplines was described to the Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology (CUDCP) training programs. Evidence-based practice designates a process of clinical decision-making that integrates research evidence, clinical expertise, and patient preferences and characteristics. Evidence-based practice is a transdisciplinary, idiographic approach that promotes lifelong learning. Empirically supported treatments (ESTs) are an important component of EBP, but EBP cannot be reduced to ESTs. Psychologists need additional skills to act as creators, synthesizers, and consumers of research evidence, who act within their scope of clinical expertise and engage patients in shared decision-making. Training needs are identified in the areas of clinical trial methodology and reporting, systematic reviews, search strategies, measuring patient preferences, and acquisition of clinical skills to perform ESTs. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 63: 611,631, 2007. [source] Strategy for Implementation of IFAC International Education Guideline No. 9: "Prequalification Education, Tests of Professional Competence and Practical Experience of Professional Accountants": A Task Force Report of the International Association for Accounting Education and Research (IAAER)JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT & ACCOUNTING, Issue 3 2001Belverd E. Needles This paper provides strategies for implementing the recommendations of the International Education Guideline No. 9 (hereafter referred to as Guideline), issued by the International Federation of Accountants. The three principal implementation issues addressed in this paper are as follows. (1) How to instill the characteristics of lifelong learning in future professional accountants through accounting education. (2) How to design and implement a program of accounting education that achieves the objectives of the Guideline. (3) How to develop awareness and encourage adoption of the recommendations of the Guideline by communicating and disseminating information through a series of projects within IFAC's constraints and policies. [source] Predicting doctor performance outcomes of curriculum interventions: problem-based learning and continuing competenceMEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 8 2008Geoffrey R Norman Context, Problem-based learning (PBL) is an educational strategy designed to enhance self-assessment, self-directed learning and lifelong learning. The present study examines a peer review programme to determine whether the impact of PBL on continuing competence can be detected in practice. Objectives, This study aimed to establish whether McMaster graduates who graduated between 1972 and 1991 were any less likely to be identified as having issues of competence by a systematic peer review programme than graduates of other Ontario medical schools. Methods, We identified a total of 1166 doctors who had graduated after 1972 and had completed a mandated peer review programme. Of these, 108 had graduated from McMaster and 857 from other Canadian schools. School of graduation was cross-tabulated against peer rating. A secondary analysis examined predictors of ratings using multiple regression. Results, We found that 4% of McMaster graduates and 5% of other graduates were deemed to demonstrate cause for concern or serious concern, and that 24% of McMaster doctors and 28% of other doctors were rated as excellent. These differences were not significant. Multiple regression indicated that certification by family medicine or a specialty, female gender and younger age were all predictors of practice outcomes, but school of graduation was not. Conclusions, There is no evidence from this study that PBL graduates are better able to maintain competence than graduates of conventional schools. The study highlights potential problems in attempting to link undergraduate educational interventions to doctor performance outcomes. [source] Learning the New Technologies: Strategies for SuccessNEW DIRECTIONS FOR ADULT & CONTINUING EDUCATION, Issue 98 2003Kathleen P. King Educators of adults come to professional development in educational technology with many needs and concerns. The model presented in this chapter provides principles, insights, and strategies to meet these needs and prepare educators for lifelong learning in this challenging area. [source] Making self-assessment more effectiveTHE JOURNAL OF CONTINUING EDUCATION IN THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS, Issue 1 2008Robert M. Galbraith MD Abstract Self-assessment has been held out as an important mechanism for lifelong learning and self-improvement for health care professionals. However, there is growing concern that individual learners often interpret the results inaccurately. This idea has led to skepticism that self-assessment in its current form can ever be truly useful for lifelong professional development. We examine the proposal that self-assessment can and should be made more effective. First, relevance should be improved. The process should be tied more explicitly to the individual's actual practice profile, rather than being loosely relevant to broader constructs around the permitted scope of practice (eg, certification or licensure). In addition, self-assessment should include not only knowledge and reasoning but also what is done every day in practice, thereby broadening from competence in simulated settings to performance in real settings. Second, the impact of self-assessment should be substantially strengthened by periodic external validation of self-assessment results, together with goals set as a result and plans for further improvement. This offers to the individual the very tangible benefit of satisfying external mandates (eg, licensure and certification). In addition, impact should be reinforced by linking the results of self-assessment to subsequent learning activities including Continuing Medical Education (CME). Although these enhancements individually may not cure all of what ails self-assessment, they might ensure greater effectiveness for the purposes of lifelong learning. [source] The need for specialty curricula based on core competencies: A white paper of the conjoint committee on continuing medical educationTHE JOURNAL OF CONTINUING EDUCATION IN THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS, Issue 2 2007Marcia J. Jackson PhD Abstract Introduction: At present there is no curriculum to guide physician lifelong learning in a prescribed, deliberate manner. The Conjoint Committee on Continuing Medical Education, a group representing 16 major stakeholder organizations in continuing medical education, recommends that each specialty society and corresponding board reach consensus on the competencies expected of physicians in that specialty. Experts in a specialty will define content-based core competencies in the areas of patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, and systems-based practice. These competencies, when cross-referenced with expertise, comprise a framework for specialty curricula and board maintenance of certification programs. The American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Board of Ophthalmology already have implemented this recommendation. Their work is reported as a model for further development. A competency-based curriculum framework offers a foundation for continuing medical education in diverse practice settings and provider organizations. [source] Council of medical specialty societies: Committed to continuing medical education ReformTHE JOURNAL OF CONTINUING EDUCATION IN THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS, Issue 3 2005MACP Executive Vice President, Walter J. McDonald MD Abstract The Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) recognizes the need for continuing medical education (CME) reform and intends to be actively engaged in that process. While recognizing that CME reform must involve many organizations, the CMSS and particularly the 23 societies that make up the CMSS are in a position to affect many of the needed changes. Of these, perhaps the most important is the need to link CME to a change in physician behavior and patient outcomes. Other important tasks involve the expansion and improvement of available needs assessment modalities, the development and updating of curricula, the official recognition of multiple modalities available for physician learning, the broadening of the CME research agenda, and the need to explore alternate ways of financing lifelong learning. With the accomplishment of these reforms, medical education may finally be viewed as a continuum from undergraduate education through education of the practicing physician, and patient safety will be favorably impacted. Education will change from an episodic experience to a continuous process and one that is based on the realities of practice. These reforms will take time to accomplish and to be accepted by a profession that currently views itself as besieged by regulatory agencies and without the time and resources needed to comply with the changes. [source] American board of medical specialties and repositioning for excellence in lifelong learning: Maintenance of certificationTHE JOURNAL OF CONTINUING EDUCATION IN THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS, Issue 3 2005FACS President, Stephen H. Miller MD Abstract The board certification movement was founded out of a concern for the quality of care, and today, more than 85% of all physicians licensed to practice medicine in the United States have been certified by an American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) member board. There is increasing evidence of a need for continuous monitoring and promotion of quality as well as for assessment and documentation that certified medical specialists are keeping up-to-date so that their continuing competence can be documented. To help, the ABMS established a program called Maintenance of Certification, a system that includes periodic examination of knowledge and the comprehensive evaluation of practice. Maintenance of Certification includes 4 major components: professional standing, including an unrestricted license to practice medicine; lifelong learning and self-assessment; demonstrated cognitive expertise; and practice performance assessment. The efforts of the Conjoint Committee on Continuing Medical Education press continuing medical education providers to facilitate self-directed learning and directed self-learning while driving lifelong learning and assessment into the clinical practices of all physicians who seek to continuously upgrade their knowledge, skills, and behaviors to provide quality medical care. [source] Assessment of online continuing dental education in North CarolinaTHE JOURNAL OF CONTINUING EDUCATION IN THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS, Issue 2 2000Ms. Bonnie Francis RDH Abstract Background: Dental professionals are discovering the unique advantages of asynchronous lifelong learning through continuing dental education (CDE) opportunities offered online. The purpose of this study was to evaluate both the process and outcomes of online CDE in North Carolina. The assessment was designed to provide a better understanding of practicing dental professionals experiences with online CDE and to determine the effectiveness of this learning strategy. Methods: Dental professionals from four North Carolina Area Health Education Centers regions evaluated two pilot online CDE modules in 1998. Thirty-one participants were recruited and subsequently enrolled with 23 completing at least one module. Each module included objectives, a multiple-choice pretest, interactive core material, and a post-test. Participants completed three online surveys measuring individual demographics and computer skill level, module design, and use and overall reaction to online learning. Results: Most participants agreed that the modules were comprehensive, were pleasing in appearance, provided clear instructions, provided adequate feedback, and were easy to navigate. Most participants agreed that knowledge of the material increased. This was validated by a significant increase in mean pre- to post-test scores (p =.0001). Participants agreed that convenience was a definite advantage, and they would choose online courses again to meet their CDE needs. The least-liked aspects included technical and formatting issues. Implications: Participants were enthusiastic about online learning and learned effectively with this teaching strategy, but desired much more interactivity than existed in the current design. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||