Medical Education

MA Medical Education
Mode: part-time

This innovative programme combines study days, workshops and master-classes with remote access on-line learning.

The programme has a strong practice based approach, designed to address the development needs of those new to medical education and training and those with considerable experience.

It has a flexible structure, with interim awards (Pg Cert and Pg Dip) and the opportunity to engage in stand-alone modules or study days for continuing professional development purposes.

The programme has a clear emphasis on the development of medical educator and educational leadership skills and affords opportunities to explore inter-professional, inter-disciplinary and disciplinary specific aspects of education and training.

Education and training in medicine, health and social care have undergone significant reform in the past decade, creating new challenges and opportunities for those with educational roles and responsibilities.

A unique characteristic of this programme is its explicit focus on policy and strategy, change management and educational leadership, offering a stand-alone PgCert in Medical Education (Leadership).

The programme is led by Clare Morris, Associate Dean BHPMS. The programme team are established medical and healthcare educators with experience spanning undergraduate and postgraduate medical, nursing and allied healthcare education and training.

Visiting experts will make regular contributions to study days, masterclasses and on-line activity.

Why choose this course?

• This innovative, flexible programme combines study days with supported on-line learning
• The experienced inter-disciplinary programme team have local /national advisory and consultancy roles in medical and healthcare education – with professional bodies and organisations and other Higher Education Institutions
• The programme has a unique focus on the development of medical educator and educational leadership capabilities for staff working in NHS, HEI and Independent sector contexts

Career Opportunities

This programme supports the development of individuals who wish to pursue explicit educational and/or educational leadership roles in the context of medicine and health.

Teaching/learning methods and strategies

The programme team aim to model best practice in learning, teaching and assessment and draw upon a wide range of established and innovative approaches to learner support and development. There are three key learning and teaching elements:

• An ‘experiential element’ - a wide range of learning and teaching methods including small group work, action learning sets, role rehearsal, micro-teaching and presentations, problem based learning, case studies, significant event and critical incident analysis, individual and group work;
• A ‘virtual learning’ element –within a supported learning environment specific to the programme;
• An ‘independent activity’ element – including reading and reflection, workplace based activity, individual and group work, peer discussions and engagement with a range of e-learning resources.

Assessment

Assessment methods are closely aligned to learning and teaching methods and are designed to foster the targeted medical educator skill sets. The assessment strategy is designed to incorporate both assessment of learning and assessment for learning elements, linked to the development of medical educator and leadership skills.

Several of the assessment elements focus on writing for a range of academic purposes, including academic papers, grant applications, reflective narrative, management reports, policy briefings, poster presentations and systematic review of literature.

Others focus on opportunities for peer assessment (allowing students to experience both being assessed and assessing.) These opportunities include peer observation of teaching, educational appraisal, peer feedback on written work, peer review of grant applications and individual and group oral presentations.

Dissertation/project and research

The medical education project module provides the opportunity to develop interests and expertise in a chosen area of medical education research, development or leadership.

It enables students to: identify an area of research/development/leadership interest that merits research/development activity; plan, design, manage and evaluate a small scale project and demonstrate innovation in medical education and /or leadership.

Recommended reading

• Hays, R. (2006)Teaching and learning in clinical settings.Radcliffe Publishing: Oxford
• Fry, H., Ketteridge, S. and Marshall, S. (2000) A handbook for teaching and learning in higher education. Kogan Page: London

Entry requirements

When applying to the programme you will be invited to meet the programme lead to discuss your learning needs and requirements and the appropriateness of the programme to meet these.

Special entry requirements

Due to the nature of the programme and emphasis on medical educator skill development, those applying for the Medical Education programme must be able to demonstrate teaching and/or training responsibilities.

Applicants require basic computing skills and should have ready access to off campus word processing and internet facilities (broadband desirable).

The University of Bedfordshire English language qualifications for international students apply.

APL routes are potentially available to those with 60 M Level credits from comparable programmes (e.g. PgCert in Medical Educaton/Healthcare Education/Academic Practice/Learning and Teaching etc. )

Attendance

Each module has a specified number of ‘contact days’ over each semester– typically two or three for a 15 credit module and 4 or 5 for a 30 credit module.

It is expected that in order to meet the requirements for satisfactory completion of a module, students will attend programmed contact days as is specified in module handbooks.