A model for design of online health professions education faculty development courses in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

The design of faculty development courses requires a contextually aware theoretical foundation. Therefore, the study aimed to determine the feasibility of a specific conjecture map as a model for designing online health professions education faculty development courses in sub-Saharan Africa through a heuristic evaluation approach. The authors hypothesise that using heuristic evaluation strengthens an educational model's theoretical basis and feasibility.Twenty-five health professions educators from nine sub-Saharan African countries participated in this multi-phased study. In the first phase, the participants completed a survey evaluating the model and the accompanying author-generated heuristics. Then, participants' recommendations were used to make revisions. In the subsequent phase, participants reviewed these revisions and commented on the feasibility of the model within their local context.All six heuristics were revised following the initial phase, where 80 problems had been identified. Upon revision, the model was deemed feasible by all except one participant. There was a strong relationship and inter-rater agreement of feasibility between 0.84 and 0.95 regarding the model's practicality, demand, acceptability, and adaptability. Revisions to the final model and guidance documents incorporated all changes the participants recommended, confirming the model's feasibility.Theoretical models are often developed through a top-down approach, omitting the practice-based considerations that could change the formulation of the model. This study demonstrates the convergence of a theoretical and process model with theoretical, expert and end-user data triangulation. Further research is needed to test this empirically developed model.

Understanding the capacity development of faculty development programs: a sequential explanatory mixed methods study

“…Capacity development of faculty development programs is a process of strengthening individuals’ attitudes, values, behaviors, and abilities [ 2 ]. This process also enables the teacher to increase their participation within the wider system, with subsequent improvement of the collective ability of organizations to support change and progress [ 3 , 4 ]. An important aspect of this process is that it enhances the collective abilities and relationships of individuals within a wider system to foster a sense of ownership and development in the organization, which supports a new level of performance [ 5 ].…”

“…Most previous research on faculty development programs has had a particular lens for capacity development, which is the human resource training lens with a limited focus on individual teaching knowledge and skills, and increasingly professional identity development. However, considering the pace of health system transformations, funding concerns, and innovation in caring for patients, there is an urgent need for faculty development programs to produce organizational change globally [ 11 – 13 ].…”