An Asynchronous Curriculum

Welcome to the open-access Health Professions Education Research (HPER) course.   

Health professions education research includes experimental, applied and practice-based research.  In fact, education research may be better described as education scholarship, “an umbrella term that can encompass … the many facets of education research, as well as the design, implementation and evaluation of educational innovations.”(Van Melle, 2014)

HPER introduces key ideas and processes in education scholarship.  As academic health professionals, we are committed to advancing our field. If you are new to the health professions or new to education scholarship, this course provides a systematic, structured approach for you to consider before turning your big idea into scholarship.

Unit 1: The Nature of Knowing

Unit 1 is about becoming familiar with a wide variety of current health professions education (HPE) research, scholarship, techniques, and considers several approaches to advancements in the field. It covers a wide range of topics in HPE research, from epistemological philosophy to various applications of research methodologies.

Module 1-1

The Philosophy of Science

Featuring: Meredith Vanstone, Teresa Chan, Lara Varpio

Module 1-2

The Nature of Evidence: Inductive and Deductive Reasoning

Featuring: Lara Varpio

Module 1-3

Common Methods of Education Research

Featuring: Featuring: Shelley-Ann Li, Sandra Monteiro, Meghan McConnell, Allison Brown, and Anthony Artino

Unit 2: Approaching the Project

Unit 2 requires the consideration of aspects of completing research or development activities, including literature searching and reviews, articulating one’s research objectives, methods and analyses, and then defending those methods. Unit 2 will provide a strong foundation for the generation of successful, high-quality research proposals that will foster novel insight in health professions education.

Module 2-1

Searching and Reviewing the Literature

Featuring:  Larkin Larmarche & Teresa Chan

Module 2-2

Defining Research Objectives and Formulating Research Questions

Featuring: Larkin Lamarche & Teresa Chan

Module 2-3

Setting and Defending your Methodological Choices

Featuring: Larkin Lamarche & Teresa Chan

Unit 3: Sharing Your Project

Unit 3 challenges one’s academic and literary skills and provides the foundation to create a strong and compelling research proposal. The topics included in Unit 3 cover the articulation of an introduction, methods and discussion sections, and also examine the impact of rhetoric in the potential impact of research.

Module 3-1

Getting Started on Writing

Featuring:  Lara Varpio, Teresa Chan

Module 3-2

Writing a Methods Section

Featuring:  Tanya Horsley

Module 3-3

The Anatomy of a Discussion

Module 3-4

Explaining your Potential Impact


Unit 4: The Logistics of Your Project

Unit 4 is about becoming familiar with the “behind-the-scenes” work that is integral to every successful research project, including creating a research team, budgeting, timelines, and knowledge translation. By delving into these essential aspects of research, Unit 4 constructs the groundwork for the successful operation of a research project.

Module 4-1

Considerations for Research Ethics in HPE

Module 4-2

Working Collaboratively: Building a Research Team

Featuring:  Yusuf Yilmaz, Michael Gottlieb, Mary Haas, Teresa Chan, Stefanie Sebok-Syer, Sandra Monteiro

Module 4-3

The Road to Publication

Featuring:  Sandra Monteiro & Teresa Chan

Module 4-4

Budgets, Study Schedules, and Project Management

Featuring:  Mark Lee, Teresa Chan, & Larkin Lamarche

Module 4-5

4-5 Planning Knowledge Translation and Dissemination Activities

Featuring:  Teresa Chan & Aliki Thomas

If you are an HSED student, please note that the newly-launched HPER Curriculum is an open-access version of the Capstone proposal modules, however, in order to complete the degree requirement, the modules must be accessed on Avenue to Learn (A2L). Thank you for your understanding!

Reference:

Van Melle E, Lockyer J, Curran V, Lieff S, St Onge C, Goldszmidt M. Toward a common understanding: supporting and promoting education scholarship for medical school faculty. Medical education. 2014 Dec;48(12):1190-200. Get it Mac | Read in Medical Education