Curriculum renewal towards critically conscious graduates: Implications for faculty development.

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Faculty Development
• Curriculum Renewal

Background:

• Health professions (HP) education is shifting beyond a biomedical focus to include social accountability, social justice, and health equity.
• This necessitates changes in teaching practices for HP educators, raising questions about effective faculty development support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the implications for faculty development in supporting HP educators to integrate critical consciousness and social accountability into their teaching.
• To understand how faculty development can facilitate curriculum renewal processes that emphasize social constructs.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study using thematic analysis of data from 11 focus groups and 11 individual interviews with HP educators.
• Transformative learning theory and change models provided a framework for analysis.

Main Results:

• Curriculum renewal necessitates expanded faculty development, requiring new approaches to support educators.
• Faculty development must enable critical, dialogic encounters to foster critical consciousness.
• New foci for faculty development are needed to address the expanded roles of HP educators.

Conclusions:

• Faculty development plays a crucial role in enabling change within HP education, especially during curriculum renewal.
• Supporting educators in embracing expanded roles requires faculty developers to adapt their own practices.
• Initiatives fostering critical consciousness are essential for driving meaningful change in HP education.