Education is most engaging and effective when situated in real-world contexts. Participants will explore and discuss an innovative, blended instructional package that integrates three levels of experiential learning: an online course featuring immersive video-based decision-making; scenario-based collaborative learning activities; and questions to prompt reflection following community-based practice experiences.
We know that education is most engaging and effective when situated in real-world contexts, particularly for adult learners. The Interprofessional Care of People with Multiple Chronic Conditions (IPCMCC) blended experiential learning packages integrates three levels of situated learning experiences that incrementally guide and reinforce learners as they progress toward practice competency. The Open Educational Resources (OERs) that comprise the package, including an eLearning course, collaborative learning activities, and reflective clinical experience questions, are described along with links to resources and guidance for facilitation in the IPCMCC Instructor Guide. This session will invite participants to explore the online course and instructor guide, and engage them in conversation about the value of this unique approach to embedding multiple opportunities for competency building across the academic curriculum of health professional programs.
The first component of the IPCMCC package is the eLearning course, which includes five interactive multimedia modules. The first overview module introduces the core concepts of chronic illness care, supporting patient self-management of chronic conditions, and interprofessional teamwork. Three modules that delve deeper into each of these topics follow this introductory module. All of these modules incorporate real-world examples presented with rich multimedia, along with scenario-based interactive exercises that enable students to practice new knowledge and skills. The fifth module supports students in integrating and applying prior learning through a “day in the life” of an interprofessional healthcare team. In this module, the learner follows the team at Green Valley Health Care through team meetings and interactions with patients experiencing various chronic conditions. Through a series of immersive, video-based scenarios featuring professional actors, students practice interprofessional teamwork and clinical decision-making by selecting from alternative courses of action at key points in the story. Learners receive feedback and view videos of positive or negative outcomes based on their choices. All of the modules are available for review by creating a free account at http://ipcmcc.gwnursing.org.
The second component of the package consists of 6 collaborative learning activities that provide learners with an opportunity for peer-to-peer dialogue and problem solving. These activities engage students in applying the communication and collaboration skills needed for interprofessional practice through interactions with real people, adding an increased level of fidelity to the situated-learning experience. The collaborative activities include role-plays and case-based problem solving set in the context of real-world situations. The instructor guide includes links to videos that can be presented in class or posted online to set the stage for each activity. These videos are posted online at bit.ly/ipcmcc.
The third component of the package allows students to apply newly developed knowledge and skills during real clinical experiences in community-based, interprofessional practice settings. At this level, faculty guide the students in applying the principles learned through the eLearning modules and collaborative learning activities with real patients. Faculty guidance throughout the clinical experience is key to helping students purposefully integrate the concepts of interprofessional care of people with multiple chronic conditions into their clinical practice experiences. The IPCMCC instructor guide includes questions that instructors can use to promote students’ critical thinking and encourage reflective practice.
The IPCMCC package is unique in its holistic approach that goes beyond a single self-directed eLearning experience to reinforce concepts and support learners in transferring new skills to the practice environment. The package integrates self-directed, peer-to-peer and community-based experiential learning components that are threaded throughout the curriculum to guide learners through three levels of applied learning. At the first level, students learn and apply core concepts by completing the eLearning course. At the second level, students engage with their peers in case-based collaborative problem-solving and role-playing activities. At the third level, students participate in community-based clinical experiences followed by instructor-guided reflective practice questions designed to reinforce essential knowledge and skills. By offering iterative opportunities to learn, practice, apply and reflect, students are incrementally guided toward practice competency.
The IPCMCC blended experiential learning package was developed in response to a critical need identified by the US Health Services and Resources Administration to prepare health professionals with the competencies needed to care for the growing population of people living with multiple chronic conditions as members of high-functioning interprofessional teams. Chronic health problems are a leading cause of death and disability worldwide, with nearly 50% of Americans affected, one in four with multiple chronic conditions (Ward, Schiller and Goodman, 2014). The substantial human and economic costs associated with chronic disease can be ameliorated by well-educated health professionals equipped with the knowledge and skill needed to participate as members of interprofessional teams to provide effective care for people with multiple chronic illnesses. The IPCMCC blended experiential learning package is available as an Open Educational Resource for the benefit of health professional educators’ worldwide and will be disseminated as broadly as possible to maximize its effect. The program components are grounded in nationally defined, evidence-based models of chronic care and interprofessional teamwork. The project engaged an interdisciplinary team of subject matter experts with instructional design and eLearning development professionals in a careful and systematic development process that resulted in an instructionally sound, high-quality educational package.
References:
Ward BW, Schiller JS, & Goodman RA. (2014). Multiple chronic conditions among US adults: A 2012 update. Prevention of Chronic Disease, 11:130389. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd11.130389