Project-based faculty development by international health professions educators: Practical strategies

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Practice points

Faculty development dealing with innovation and curriculum change requires a focus that extends beyond health professions discipline, education specialization, and individual needs to embrace social skills necessary for collaboration, professional growth and management, and leadership abilities. Collaboration, networking, and mentoring emerge as central to project-based faculty development. Challenges for project-based faculty development in resource constrained settings include some issues similar to those in resourced settings (competing responsibilities, lack of protected time to work on projects) and some that may be unique (lack of trained technical support and inconsistent or poor internet connectivity). Twelve key practical recommended strategies essential for successful project-based faculty development emerged from this work.

Table 1  Skills most frequently mentioned as useful in implementing education innovation projects

Skill theme	Specific examples
Educational methods	“I have become more conscious of [the] need for the assessment  … assessment is not just a question of taking a survey or asking questions, but it has to do with making the correct survey and asking the right questions.” “Program evaluation and student assessment are two important issues that should be addressed at the beginning of the design of the project.”
Methods and techniques for leadership and management	“Used every day skills learned … on leadership, teamwork and conflict management” “Learned the importance of persistence – to organize, evaluate and sustain ideas until they gel” “I especially learned and gained from the Logic Model too, and linked it to program evaluation within a working group …” “Working with people in a team, capitalizing on their positive points” “Tools for program development, project management, change management, large group teaching, curriculum planning and program evaluation” “I have learned to work appreciatively. This really had an impact on the people around me.” “Everywhere you can find small but very important found pilots – other faculty members with similar ideas regarding your project. “ “Listen to those who oppose your ideas. Bring people in to be owners and part of the project.”
Relationships – collaboration, networking, and mentoring	“A sense of sharing – am willing to share with anyone, even other institutions considered as competitors” “The experience helped me to see the importance of networking, mentoring, and being mentored; it broadened my worldview toward greater possibilities  … Networking was valuable for sustainable development of projects” “Managed to interest a senior staff member to help follow-up the project.”

Table 2  Challenges frequently encountered in implementing education innovation projects

Challenge theme	Specific examples
Workplace environment	“The real challenge of my project has thus been to find an innovative way of adding an important educational dimension (formative assessment and structured regular feedback) to our existing clinical bedside teaching program without placing undue strain on busy clinical service sites and overworked clinician tutors whose teaching efforts are often inadequately recognized.” “Convincing local institutional faculty and/or administrators about the importance of innovation in medical education”
Limited resources	“Lack of trained technical people for implementation of projects related to information technology” “Lack of adequate office or classroom space, or administrative personnel” “Connectivity problems for accessing internet educational materials and for participating in intersession faculty development discussions” “Translation of educational materials for local use and for those not proficient in reading and comprehending English”