Evaluating Multimodal Learning Designs for Health Professions Education Advanced Degree Programs

Abstract

Background: The Certificate Programme for Medical and Health Sciences Education (CIMHSE) was designed and delivered as an asynchronous online programme for health professions educators within Hong Kong and Southeast Asia using Moodle. The conceptual challenge for the PBL Course co-designers/co-teachers (SB & LKC) was to adopt an inquiry-based approach to both model aligned pedagogy and support learners’ understanding of PBL as philosophy, curriculum design, and approach in a distributed, asynchronous online environment. The design was positively received and has been appropriated in other online courses across the University. The aim of this reflexive study is to surface the course’s underlying design-thinking to make the patterns and tools accessible in a novel Learning Design Studio (LDS) tool that can externalize knowledge to allow the discussion, generalization and accumulation of solutions in a design community (Mor et al., 2014). Inspired by Alexander’s (1977) work in architecture, we have developed a learning design pattern language to capture course designs (Law, Li, Herrera, Chan and Pong, 2017). A design pattern includes a name, description of the targeted learning outcome(s), problem context statement, task sequence as a pedagogical solution to the targeted learning outcome(s), and detailed description of settings (e.g., tools, resources, social organization) required to support a satisfactory implementation of tasks. In considering design patterns devised and, the design evaluation team sought to address the question: how did the course instructors orchestrate the authentic and intensive PBL experience in a distributed, asynchronous online learning environment by utilizing multimodal tools? Approach: Following four years of implementation, the research team undertook a dual approach to identifying the course design principles employed. A reflexive approach through interviews with one co-designer (SB) was combined with independent analysis of the archived Moodle course to examine the patterns and tools evident in the design. Analysis & Findings: The course design adopted three dominant patterns (below) in addressing the learning outcomes. Pattern Task sequence Tool Feedback 1: Self-introduction video. To develop interpersonal relationship and a team identity, students viewed the instructors’ welcome video, produced self-introduction videos, and commented on each other’s videos. Video recording Peer-review 2: Problem understanding Students engaged with a gradually unfolding, authentic, ill-defined scenario as a context to implementing PBL throughout the course. Each sequentially disclosed segment provided increasing challenges and intellectual demands. Students were assigned a role to complete various tasks (concept maps, SWOT analysis, report, presentation, and interactional analysis) CMap tool, PPT, demo video, sample cases, journal paper peer-review and teachers’ feedback 3: Reflection and evaluation To promote reflection on learning, students responded to the instructors’ reflection video, with their own recording that reviewed their learning process and considered how this module met learning outcomes. Peers commented on each other’s videos. video recording peer-review Conclusion: The reflective, evaluative process of reconstructing the design thinking underpinning this online certificate course is contributing to both the ongoing development of the Learning Design Studio (LDS) for higher education in general and, more specifically, forward planning for a new masters-level programme in Medical and Allied Health Education.