A systematic review of faculty development initiatives designed to enhance teaching effectiveness: A 10-year update: BEME Guide No. 40

Abstract

Background: This review, which focused on faculty development initiatives designed to improve teaching effectiveness, synthesized findings related to intervention types, study characteristics, individual and organizational outcomes, key features, and community building.

Methods: This review included 111 studies (between 2002 and 2012) that met the review criteria.

Findings: Overall satisfaction with faculty development programs was high. Participants reported increased confidence, enthusiasm, and awareness of effective educational practices. Gains in knowledge and skills, and self-reported changes in teaching behaviors, were frequently noted. Observed behavior changes included enhanced teaching practices, new educational initiatives, new leadership positions, and increased academic output. Organizational changes were infrequently explored. Key features included evidence-informed educational design, relevant content, experiential learning, feedback and reflection, educational projects, intentional community building, longitudinal program design, and institutional support.

Conclusion: This review holds implications for practice and research. Moving forward, we should build on current success, broaden the focus beyond individual teaching effectiveness, develop programs that extend over time, promote workplace learning, foster community development, and secure institutional support. We should also embed studies in a theoretical framework, conduct more qualitative and mixed methods studies, assess behavioral and organizational change, evaluate transfer to practice, analyse key features, and explore the role of faculty development within the larger organizational context.

Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada for a Faculty Development Grant and Ms. Melissa Como for her invaluable help and administrative support in conducting this BEME review.

Disclosure statement

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

Notes on contributors

Yvonne Steinert, PhD, is a Professor of Family Medicine, Director of the Centre for Medical Education, and the Richard and Sylvia Cruess Chair in Medical Education in the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Her educational research and practice interests relate to teaching and learning in medicine, the impact of faculty development on the individual and the organization, and professional identity formation among students and faculty members.

Karen Mann, PhD, is a Professor Emeritus in the Division of Medical Education in the Faculty of Medicine of Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Her research and practice interests lie in teaching and learning in medicine, faculty/staff development, self-assessment, feedback, reflective practice, and the preparation of residents as teachers.

Brownell (Brownie) Anderson, MEd, is a Vice President, International Programs, at the National Board of Medical Examiners, Philadelphia, PA, USA. In this capacity, she works with medical schools around the world to better align curriculum outcomes with student assessments and with organizations to improve certification of healthcare professionals and foster a “culture of assessment” internationally.

Bonnie Maureen Barnett, is a PhD candidate in the Department of Integrated Studies in Education, Faculty of Education, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Angel Centeno, MD, PhD, is a Professor of Internal Medicine and Medical Education, and Director of the Department of Biomedical Education at the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Austral University in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is also the Chief Editor of Revista Argentina de Educación Médica (Argentinian Review of Medical Education). His educational research and practice interests include faculty development and the academic development of medical education as a science.

Laura Naismith, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the HoPingKong Centre for Excellence in Education and Practice and The Wilson Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

David Prideaux, PhD, is an Emeritus Professor of Medical Education in the Prideaux Centre for Research in Health Professions Education, School of Medicine at Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia. He is an educator by background with expertise in curriculum development, assessment and evaluation. His research interests focus on curriculum models for sustainable and symbiotic clinical education.

John Spencer, FRCGP, FAcadMedEd, is an Emeritus Professor of Clinical Education and Primary Care at Newcastle University, UK. He was coordinator of faculty development in the medical school for nearly 20 years. Other special interests included teaching and learning in clinical settings, community-based education, and the role of the patient in healthcare education.

Ellen Tullo, PhD candidate, is a geriatrician and lecturer in ageing and education. Her interests include designing and delivering teaching about ageing for students from a range of academic backgrounds, improving medical education about dementia, and patient and public involvement in teaching and research.

Thomas R. Viggiano, MD, MEd, is an Emeritus Faculty Dean, Barbara Woodward Lips Professor of Medical Education, and Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, USA. He has served as Chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Group on Faculty Affairs and is on the AAMC Board of Directors.

Helena Ward, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer in Medical Education at the University of Adelaide, South Australia. She has a PhD in microbiology, and her current role is in curriculum development and assessment. Her research interests in health professional education include outcomes-based curricula, interprofessional education, and simulation-based education.

Diana Dolmans, PhD, is a Professor in the School of Health Professions Education (SHE) at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. Her research interests relate to teaching and learning in innovative learning environments.