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Educator Resources

The Woodward Center provides a variety of resources to educators, many of which will be shared here as available.

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Faculty Scripts and Guidelines to Help Avoid and Address Mistreatment

What Should - and Shouldn't - Educators Say? Expand answer

The Office for a Respectful Learning Environment has provided a list of specific strategies and things to say – and not to say – to help faculty ensure a good experience by students and simultaneously avoid perceptions of mistreatment.

These suggested scripts were not written to offend faculty who are talented teachers, but rather to offer tools to help faculty navigate the complex area of student mistreatment where even well-intentioned efforts are sometimes misinterpreted.

See the suggested scripts and strategies

How Should Faculty Respond to Inappropriate Comments from Patients and Family Members in Clinical Environments? Expand answer

The Office for a Respectful Learning Environment has provided a set of guidelines to help faculty best respond to inappropriate comments made by patients and family members in the clinical environment.

It is important for individuals in leadership roles to take the lead on responding to inappropriate comments. Failure to do so puts learners at the College of Medicine in a vulnerable and awkward position.

See the guidelines

Tip Sheet: Writing Better Objectives

Overview Expand answer

Writing course objectives is a key task for educators. The Woodward Center for Excellence in Health Sciences Education offers the following tips for writing better objectives.

Examining Objectives Expand answer

Consider the objectives listed here. Why are they strong or weak? How could they be revised? Use Bloom’s Taxonomy to help revise.

  • Describe the location of the heart in the thorax and mediastinum.
  • Relate thorax surface anatomy to underlying cardiovascular structures.
  • Describe the anatomy of the heart, including its coverings, chambers, and walls.
  • Identify the valves of the heart. Explain their function, and consequences of valve incompetence.
  • Apply your knowledge of anatomy to understanding clinical conditions related to the heart.
How to Write a Learning Objective Expand answer

From University of Connecticut Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness:

  • Specify both an observable behavior and the object of that behavior.
    • Ex. Students will be able to write a research paper.
  • The criterion should be specified.
    • Ex. Students will be able to write a research paper in the appropriate scientific style.
  • The condition under which the behavior occurs should be specified.
    • Ex. At the end of their field research, students will be able to write a research paper in the appropriate scientific style.
  • Note that the verb you choose will help you focus on what you assess.
Checklist for Objectives/Outcomes Expand answer

From University of Connecticut Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness:

  • Are the outcomes aligned with the mission, vision, values and goals?
  • Do the outcomes clearly describe and define the expected abilities, knowledge, values and attitudes of graduates of the program?
  • Are the outcomes simply stated?
  • Is it possible to collect accurate and reliable data for each outcome?
  • Are they stated so that it is possible to use a single method to measure the outcome? Are they stated so that outcomes requiring different assessment methods are not bundled into one statement?
  • Are they written using action verbs to specify definite, observable behaviors?
  • Does the language describe student rather than teacher behaviors?
  • Does the language describe a learning outcome, not a process?
Writing Effective Learning Objectives Online Training Expand answer

The Woodward Center for Excellence in Health Sciences Education offers a Canvas module about writing effective learning objectives.

Access the training here

Research and Evaluation Resources

Journal and Scholarship Information from AAMC Expand answer

The AAMC’s Medical Education Scholarship Research and Evaluation (MESRE) site has up-to-date information that can help enhance medical education research. Of particular note is the Annotated Bibliography of Journals for Educational Scholarship, which can be found in the “Resources” section.

Explore MESRE resources
(AAMC login required)

Recommended Reading

Measuring Actual Learning vs. Feeling of Learning in Response to Being Actively Engaged in the Classroom Expand answer

Measuring actual learning versus feeling of learning in response to being actively engaged in the classroom
Louis Deslauriers, Logan S. McCarty, Kelly Miller, Kristina Callaghan, and Greg Kestin

View article here
(Accessible on Medline via the Harrell Library; Penn State Access ID login required)

A Controlled Trial of Active vs. Passive Learning Strategies in a Large-Group Setting Expand answer

A controlled trial of active versus passive learning strategies in a large group setting
Paul Haidet, Robert O. Morgan, Kimberly O’Malley, Betty Jeanne Moran, Boyd F. Richards

View article here
(Accessible on Medline via the Harrell Library; Penn State Access ID login required)

Technical Enhancements for Educational Efforts

Search for Information Expand answer

Google searches can become even more successful with a little manipulation.

The Basics, from Google

20 Tips for Better Searching

Surveys and Assessment Expand answer

A number of survey tools are available:

  • Surveys, registration forms and other data collection at the College of Medicine is primarily managed through a tool called FormAssembly, available through the College of Medicine Office of Marketing and Communications. Submit a request for a survey or form here. (Also note that this request form is itself built using the FormAssembly tool.)
  • For surveys or data collection where HIPAA or FERPA-protected data are being collected, the primary approved institutional tool is REDCap, supported by Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute. See details here.
  • In selected cases, faculty may be given the option to use Qualtrics via the University.

Google Forms should not be used for collecting data for any College of Medicine-related product.

Classroom Engagement and Active Learning Expand answer

Poll Everywhere can be used for live classroom engagement.

Contact the Woodward Center for access to the enterprise Poll Everywhere account.

General Presentation Graphics Expand answer

These are potential image banks for photos and illustrations. Please note the attribution and licensing restrictions for each item/set.

Technology Learning and Development from Penn State Expand answer

Many resources are available from Penn State’s IT groups.

See IT Learning and Development