Mainpro+® Certification Education Standards for Faculty Development Activities

Needs assessment

1. Identifies learner needs through gap analysis of learners’ performance and curriculum, material, and modality of teaching
2. Addresses teaching, education, administration, leadership, and research competency through the Fundamental Teaching Activities (FTA) Framework and CanMEDS-FM Roles
3. Obtains information on current knowledge and practise experience as well as potential barriers to implementing change
4. Ensures that diverse needs of the target audience of learners are considered

Learning objectives

• Required for each activity
• Tied to the needs assessment results and demonstrates what a learner will be able to do after completing the activity
• Written in a measurable and learner-centred format addressing CanMEDS-FM competencies and/or the faculty development domain identified at time of application (e.g., clinical coach, competency coach, teacher, education leader, etc.)

Needs assessment data can be gathered by:

• Surveys
• Literature reviews
• Teaching assessments
• Student feedback
• Student assessment results
• Accreditation reports
• Evaluation of feedback from previous events
• Medical education literature
• Institutional/departmental position papers
• Strategic plans
• Personal learning plans
• Interviews with stakeholder(s)
• Departmental goals/plans
• Surveys
• Curriculum planning retreats

Learning objectives can be created using:

• Bloom’s taxonomy
• Moore’s level of outcome measurement
• Kirkpatrick, ADDIE model, etc.

Planning committee:

• The planning committee includes representatives of learners or people with lived experience, or there is evidence that learners have contributed to the needs assessment creation

Submitters must include the following with their application related to this criterion:

1. Evidence that a needs assessment was performed, including a description of how data regarding teaching, education, administration, leadership, and research competency through FTA Framework and CanMEDS-FM Roles were acquired and what learning needs were identified
2. A description of how the planning committee members were selected and how they represent the target audience
3. An explanation of how the diversity of learning populations was addressed/considered in the needs assessment process. If this was not addressed providers will be asked to explain what barriers they encountered and how they could include this in future programs.
4. The sources used to guarantee both perceived and unperceived needs are identified
5. A description of how the learning objectives and CanMEDS-FM competencies and/or FTA Framework domains are relevant to the needs assessment results

• At least 25 per cent of the program is conducted in an interactive manner
  • Live in-person/virtual activities must include interaction with other participants and a facilitator
  • Asynchronous independent learning activities must include a means for participants to ask questions and receive answers about the material being taught
  • All activities should allow participants to engage actively with the subject matter through the incorporation of interactive tools (see examples below)
• Program providers must demonstrate how the learning objectives are achievable considering the participants’ current level of knowledge and skills and how this is supported by the learning activity design including resources and time frames
• To promote social justice education, the program design should consider issues of EDI to create learning activities that demonstrate acknowledgment of racial, ethnic, cultural, and gender diversity, as well as other identities
• It should consider information and perspectives from various cultural, social, and demographic backgrounds
• Instructional and learning design should accommodate different learning preferences, abilities, challenges, interests, and background knowledge
• Program providers should consider options to accommodate learners who may experience barriers to learning due to physical limitations and may request accommodation

Some examples of active learning for live in-person/live virtual include:

• Audience question and answer period
• Audience response systems
• Case discussions
• Role playing
• Simulation activities
• Quizzes and multiple choice questions

Some examples of active learning for asynchronous online activities include:

• Quizzes and multiple-choice questions built into online program content
• Interactive, multi-scenario case exercises
• Game-based learning
• Immersive scenarios
• Discussion boards

Demonstration of learning format appropriateness can include:

• Slide count is reasonable for the program time frame
• Appropriateness of content for online learning versus in person
• Simulation used to teach technique versus didactic lecture

Examples of incorporating social justice education and/or inclusive education include but are not limited to:

Accessible learning environments

• Colours and contrast are accessible to learners with low-vision and colour-vision deficiencies
• Screen reader-friendly documents
• Alternative (alt) text is included for visual content
• Size and type of font is accessible
• Text equivalents are provided for all audio and video content (transcripts and/or captions)
• Audio descriptions of visual information for learners who are visually impaired are provided, including alt text for images
• The learning program includes frequent scheduled breaks

Diversity and inclusion

• Incorporate case studies and scenarios in the program that highlight diverse learner experiences, emphasizing the importance of understanding and addressing disparities in health care education
• Include case studies and examples from different cultural and social contexts to broaden the learners’ understanding of how health care practices and health care education may vary and impact diverse populations
• Include guest speakers from different cultural, social, and demographic backgrounds to share their experiences and insights, providing diverse perspectives on health education challenges
• Offer a variety of learning formats such as workshops, online modules, and interactive discussions to cater to different learning styles, ensuring that participants can engage in ways that suit them
• Use activities that include everyone, and education methods that are thoughtful and supportive of equality among all genders
• Review materials for gendered, racialized, and otherwise oppressive language
• Use a teaching approach that considers past traumas when discussing sensitive topics related to systemic oppression or racism

Submitters must include the following with their application related to this criterion:

1. Demonstrate how the design and format of the activity leads to the achievement of the learning objectives
2. Include an activity agenda or lesson plan outlining time spent in each intervention as well as the interactive elements
3. Explain how participation is tracked for asynchronous online learning activities as well as how learners can ask and receive answers about program content
4. Provide an explanation of how information and perspectives from various cultural, social, and demographic backgrounds were considered to enrich the learning experience
5. Explain the specific strategies used to make sure the program content reflects the diversity of perspectives relevant to the topic/content discussed
6. Describe the approach to designing instructional and learning activities that accommodate diverse learning preferences, abilities, challenges, interests, and background knowledge
7. Provide examples of how they create an inclusive learning environment that considers the accessibility needs of diverse participants

Providers who are unable to meet the requirements in items 4 through 7 will not have their application for certification rejected but will be asked to identify how they might consider these concepts for future activities.

• Demonstrate that the activity content is evidence based, is up to date with current practice trends, and is within the scope of family medicine teaching. Emerging evidence from peer-reviewed sources that challenge currently approved practice may be included for discussion.
• Use the best available clinical evidence when designing faculty development activities for clinical teaching
• Use evidence to develop strategies and resources for learning interventions
• Review resources for discriminatory, outdated, and oppressive language and images
• Provide references for all evidence cited

Sources of non-clinical evidence discussed:

• Pedagogical literature
• Social sciences literature
• Humanities literature
• Business literature
• Educational theory
• Qualitative studies

Appropriate clinical evidence:

• Systematic reviews of studies with/without a meta-analysis
• Observational studies such as prospective or retrospective cohort studies, case-control studies, and case reports
• Randomized control trials and non-inferiority studies
• Clinical guidelines or resources that summarize evidence

Submitters must include the following with their application related to this criterion:

1. A description of how evidence is identified and selected
2. References displayed on slides and content provided to learners

• Participants must be able to:
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of all elements of the learning activity (format, design, facilitators, relevance, etc.) including facilitation and delivery of the activity, and to what extent the instructors/facilitators were able to provide a safe, accessible, and productive learning environment in which to explore and advance knowledge and skills
  • Evaluate self-reported change in teaching, education, administration, leadership, and research competencies through the FTA Framework and/or CanMEDS-FM Roles (as identified in the learning objectives)
  • Evaluate their confidence in achieving/implementing program learning objectives
  • Evaluate potential biases within the program
• Participant evaluations should include the ability to collect (non-identifiable) demographic data where learners can self-identify if they belong to a systematically marginalized and under-represented identity group (e.g., Indigeneity, race, citizenship status, gender identity, sexuality, ability and health status, language, etc.) to inform future planning and support more inclusive learning opportunities
• Participants have the option to provide feedback on how well the activity addressed and incorporated concepts of EDI with respect to the program content
• Programs intended for delivery in the province of Quebec must include the mandatory evaluation question regarding the Quebec Council for the Continuing Professional Development of Physicians (CQDPCM) Code of Ethics
• Program developers must have a plan in place to review and respond to evaluation feedback for quality improvement purposes

Evaluation forms/format

• Self-reported change in knowledge/skill/performance
• Inclusion of bias evaluation related to financial interests, as well as other types of bias (gender, race, speaker, etc.)
• Electronic or paper-based evaluation format
• Evidence of demographic collections in the evaluation form
• Likert scale measurements of confidence
• Mandatory Quebec question:
• Did the activity respect the CQDPCM Code of Ethics?  Yes or No

Evaluation review and response plan

• Summary of previous evaluation feedback
• Evidence of previous evaluation review and response (meeting minutes)
• Evidence of a plan to review and act on evaluation feedback

Submitters must include the following with their application related to this criterion:

1. A description of the evaluation strategy selected and how it serves as a measure of learning objectives effectiveness
2. A description of how participants will be engaged in evaluation of the proposed activity, and how the evaluation approach and tools:
   1. Generate data that can be disaggregated to make certain that feedback from equity-seeking learners can be highlighted and analyzed
   2. Elicit learners’ feedback on the facilitation and delivery of the activity, and how well the instructors or facilitators created a safe, accessible, and productive learning environment for exploring and advancing knowledge and skills
3. A description of how evaluation feedback is used, who reviews it, how frequently and how it is used for quality improvement
4. A copy of the evaluation form/format selected. Program providers should retain copies of evaluation feedback for a minimum of one year post-program certification period in the event of a CFPC audit.

Providers who wish to create opportunities for participants to earn additional optional credits may include the following elements in their program:

• A needs assessment activity that can be completed by actual program participants that incorporates data from their teaching practice
• Teaching tools and resources with follow-up to assess the impact on teaching to increase relevance and reinforce learning after the program
• An exercise that includes formal reflection on the application of learning to teaching over a realistic period to assess practise change
• An objective measurement of change for participants, such as:
• Knowledge test
• Commitment to change with follow-up
• Student outcome measurement

Submitters seeking enhanced activity approval must submit the additional activities for review and describe how these additional activities serve the program learning objectives. Submitters must also provide an estimate of the additional time required to complete the enhanced activities to validate additional optional credit allocation.