Evaluation of a faculty development program aimed at increasing residents' active learning in lectures

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Pediatrics Residency Training

Background:

• Active learning is crucial for knowledge acquisition, retention, and cognitive skill development.
• This study investigated the impact of a faculty development workshop on active teaching and learning in a pediatrics residency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if a 1-hour faculty development workshop increased faculty use of active teaching strategies.
• To determine if the workshop enhanced residents' active learning and thinking skills.

Main Methods:

• A 1-hour workshop was delivered to pediatrics faculty.
• Faculty self-efficacy and workshop quality were assessed via questionnaires.
• Trained observers evaluated lectures using scales for active learning strategies and resident engagement before and after the intervention.

Main Results:

• Workshop participants reported increased confidence in facilitating active learning.
• Faculty demonstrated statistically significant increases in using 5/6 interactive teaching strategies (P≤0.01).
• Residents showed significant improvements in all 7 measures of active learning behaviors (P≤0.01), including higher-order questioning and justification requests.

Conclusions:

• A concise, 1-hour faculty development program effectively enhanced active learning strategies used by faculty.
• The program led to increased resident engagement in active learning during core curriculum lectures.