Instructional change in health care education

Faculty in the nursing, medical, and pharmacy schools of a midwestern university health sciences center responded to a two-part instrument intended to determine the extent of 1) their commitment to implement recommended changes in their teaching activities and 2) their perceptions of the extent to which such changes had been implemented throughout their respective schools. Factor analysis and analysis of variance revealed variable degrees of commitment to change in teaching activities, as well as perceptions that such changes had not been implemented widely throughout the schools. The data suggested that faculty adjusted traditional instructional practices to fit new resources and expanded programs, rather than implementing changes in their instructional methods and techniques as the overall programs changed.