Collins J1, Clark E1
1Advent Health University, Physical Therapy, Orlando, United States
Background: It is important for any physical therapist education program to make clear links between its mission and its curriculum. Reasons for this include: institutional and professional accreditation requirements, providing guidance to faculty in course design, allocating program resources, and ensuring that expected outcomes are clear to prospective and enrolled students.
Purpose: As a new program, faculty had the ideal opportunity to infuse the mission of the program into the curriculum. As part of a faith-based, institution, the program mission is to develop Doctors of Physical Therapy who promote holistic, person-centered care and wellness through evidence-based practice, leadership, life-long learning, scholarship, and service to local and global communities. The purpose of this study is to describe how one program used mission to guide decisions about, and evaluate the outcomes of the curriculum.
Methods: As faculty delineated requirements of the curriculum, several approaches to evaluating the outcomes of these were implemented. For example, in a professional foundations course, students were paired with hospital-based chaplains to observe their contribution to holistic, person-centered care. Measures were used before and after to learn more about student attitudes and a focus group was held to determine the impact of the experience on appreciating holistic care. For the program's International Service Learning requirement, students submit reflective journals regarding serving the global community and complete a standardized instrument before and after the experience, the Cross Cultural Adaptability Index (CCAI ). Finally, to facilitate student involvement in leadership and life-long learning, students develop a plan to include participation in these activities during the curriculum, and submit reflections on these into a portfolio. At the end of the program, they are required to set goals to continue to engage in these as DPT graduates. Other program assessment materials such as student course evaluations, faculty course evaluations, and those by external stakeholders require feedback on the elements of the program mission in the curriculum.
Results: Based on focus group results, students gained an appreciation for the role of chaplains in person-centered care. They learned valuable listening skills to better understand the whole person. Results of the CCAI indicate that students developed in cultural adaptability, and journals indicated they found a passion for global service and they will look for additional experiences in the future. Evaluations by various stakeholders indicate that elements of mission are evident in the curriculum and that students are promoting those in their practice.
Conclusion(s): Multiple methods of evaluation indicate that the program is effectively integrating mission into its curriculum. Evaluations of students during their clinical education experiences indicate that they are well prepared to provide evidence based, person-centered care. Completion of the professional portfolio and future plans indicate that students gain an appreciation for the importance of leadership and lifelong learning as an integral part of being a DPT.
Implications: Intentional infusion of mission elements into a curriculum provides an effective guide for faculty in developing course objectives and learning activities. Additionally, building in methods of evaluation of each activity provides important information for program assessment and further curriculum enhancement.
Keywords: Curriculum Development
Funding acknowledgements: There are no funding sources for this project.
Purpose: As a new program, faculty had the ideal opportunity to infuse the mission of the program into the curriculum. As part of a faith-based, institution, the program mission is to develop Doctors of Physical Therapy who promote holistic, person-centered care and wellness through evidence-based practice, leadership, life-long learning, scholarship, and service to local and global communities. The purpose of this study is to describe how one program used mission to guide decisions about, and evaluate the outcomes of the curriculum.
Methods: As faculty delineated requirements of the curriculum, several approaches to evaluating the outcomes of these were implemented. For example, in a professional foundations course, students were paired with hospital-based chaplains to observe their contribution to holistic, person-centered care. Measures were used before and after to learn more about student attitudes and a focus group was held to determine the impact of the experience on appreciating holistic care. For the program's International Service Learning requirement, students submit reflective journals regarding serving the global community and complete a standardized instrument before and after the experience, the Cross Cultural Adaptability Index (CCAI ). Finally, to facilitate student involvement in leadership and life-long learning, students develop a plan to include participation in these activities during the curriculum, and submit reflections on these into a portfolio. At the end of the program, they are required to set goals to continue to engage in these as DPT graduates. Other program assessment materials such as student course evaluations, faculty course evaluations, and those by external stakeholders require feedback on the elements of the program mission in the curriculum.
Results: Based on focus group results, students gained an appreciation for the role of chaplains in person-centered care. They learned valuable listening skills to better understand the whole person. Results of the CCAI indicate that students developed in cultural adaptability, and journals indicated they found a passion for global service and they will look for additional experiences in the future. Evaluations by various stakeholders indicate that elements of mission are evident in the curriculum and that students are promoting those in their practice.
Conclusion(s): Multiple methods of evaluation indicate that the program is effectively integrating mission into its curriculum. Evaluations of students during their clinical education experiences indicate that they are well prepared to provide evidence based, person-centered care. Completion of the professional portfolio and future plans indicate that students gain an appreciation for the importance of leadership and lifelong learning as an integral part of being a DPT.
Implications: Intentional infusion of mission elements into a curriculum provides an effective guide for faculty in developing course objectives and learning activities. Additionally, building in methods of evaluation of each activity provides important information for program assessment and further curriculum enhancement.
Keywords: Curriculum Development
Funding acknowledgements: There are no funding sources for this project.
Topic: Education; Education: methods of teaching & learning
Ethics approval required: No
Institution: Advent Health University
Ethics committee: Institutional Research Review Board
Reason not required: project part of program evaluation
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
