How Do Social Networks and Faculty Development Courses Affect Clinical Supervisors' Adoption of a Medical Education Innovation? An Exploratory Study

摘要

As the theoretical framework of experiential learning has been widely accepted and supported by empirical data,1 most faculty development efforts in medicine take the form of workshops, courses, and seminars.2 At the same time, few experimental studies have documented the effects of such educational interventions on the professional behavior of faculty involved in clinical teaching. A systematic review3 found that faculty development activities were highly valued by participants, who reported positive changes in their attitudes toward teaching in general as well as improvements in their educational knowledge, self-efficacy, and behavior. Participants' perceptions of their own behavioral changes were not, however, consistently reflected in students' or residents' evaluations of their teaching, and few effects on student behavior were demonstrated.3 These findings suggest that we should explore additional factors—beyond formal, structured faculty development activities—that can affect how and whether clinical supervisors transfer knowledge and skills into their teaching practices.