Transfer of knowledge, skills and confidence from a faculty development programme for health professions educators into practice

Abstract

Background

Faculty development programmes should incorporate the transfer of knowledge, skills, and confidence from the training to educational practice. However, there is a risk that transfer may fail due to inadequate integration of knowledge, skills, and confidence. The study evaluated transfer levels, guided by learned principles from a faculty development programme.

Method

The submitted self-reports on a pedagogical intervention of 92 out of 190 health professions educators who participated in a mandatory teaching and learning training programme, were analysed by a mixed-method approach guided by a structured conceptual framework.

Results

Overall 93.4% reported the successful transfer of learning. Participants incorporated sustainable changed practice (level A, 57.6%), showed reflection on the impact of changed practice (level B, 21.7%), and performed effect analysis (level C, 14.1%). The rest planned application of learning (level D, 4.4%) and identified gaps in current practice or developed an idea for educational intervention but did not implement (level E, 2.2%).

Conclusion

The majority of participants transferred their learning. Faculty development programmes must ensure successful transfer of knowledge, skills, and confidence from the training to educational practice to ensure sustainable development of teaching and learning practices.

Keywords:

• Staff development
• roles of teacher
• teaching & learning

Ethical approval

This study was approved by the IMU Research and Ethics Committee (ref no. IMU332/2015). Data has been anonymised, meaning direct identifiers such as names, private information such as e-mail addresses were removed and substituted by numbers.

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank all participants in this project. We also thank the staff from the IMU Centre for Education (ICE) for administrative support.

The IMU supplement is sponsored and supported by IMU Education Sdn Bhd.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Glossary

Transfer of learning: The effective and continuing application in the job environment of the skills, knowledge and conceptions gained in a staff development context.

Baldwin T, Ford JK. 1988. Transfer of training: A review and directions for future research. Pers Psychol. 41(1):63–105.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

C. F. Chia

C. F. Chia, is a senior lecturer, involved in the design of faculty development programmes and curriculum development at the International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

V. D. Nadarajah

V. D. Nadarajah, is a Professor in Human Biology and Pro Vice Chancellor, Education at the International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

V. Lim

V. Lim, is a Professor of Pathology and Pro Vice Chancellor, Institutional Advancement at the International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

S. Kutzsche

S. Kutzsche, is a paediatrician and anaesthetist, former associate professor and director of the IMU Centre for Education and currently an Educational Advisor at the Department of Education, Oslo University Hospital, Norway.