Tamar Chachibaia, PhD Candidate

1. Tamar Chachibaia, PhD Candidate “Strategy and policy issues for implementation of nanotechnologies in medical education” Advanced Course ‘Research in Medical Education’ School of Health Professions Education Maastricht University, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences 2-7 November, 2008

2. Nanotechnologies in Medicine Some of the greatest impacts of N&N are taking place in the context of medicine. However, as of mid-2006, 130 nanotech-based drugs and delivery systems and 125 devices or diagnostic tests are in preclinical, clinical or commercial development.The combined market for nanoenabled medicine (drug delivery, therapeutics and diagnostics) will jump from just over $1 billion in 2005 to almost $10 billion in 2010 and the US National Science Foundation predicts that nanotechnology will produce half of the pharmaceutical industry product line by 2015.

3. The aim of the study To prioritize methods for effective implementation of nanoscience learning modules in medical education system. Central research question: How the potential education programs, research topics, and valuable kinds of infrastructure should be incorporated earlier in medical education system concerning NT to receive appropriate return and support.

4. Which learning methods are described in the literature concerning Nanotechnologies for medical education and how this knowledge should be used in current project. • What are opportunities and challenges, strengths and weaknesses (SWOT analysis) for implementation of nanosciense education in medicine. How this knowledge will contribute to development of N&N curriculum. • How perform assessment of nanoscience education needs and on which basics develop questionnaire to highlight and reveal nanoscience education needs. • How adequate are the existing medical institutions and their rules in terms of how nanotechnology fits into existing educational system? • Why is needed and how to benchmark relevant strategic levels of N&N education in the short, middle and long term? • How to evaluate implemented results of training program. • What kind of learning materials and methods may contribute maximally for which developmental and curricular levels. • Which education program is most reliable in medical education system for emerging field of N&N. Secondary research questions

5. Methods 1) Bibliographic survey, bibliometric analysis/statistics for measurement of the spread of N&N education, content analysis of documents and materials, web-pages, SWOT.2) Natural or true experiments allowing to answer precise questions of current developments at the frontiers of research in domains 3) Survey research, representative sample surveys, self-report surveys and interviews; supplemented by focus groups and open-ended interviews (to talk directly to and listen to top representatives of discipline, NT researchers and educators, measure affective, cognitive, and psychosocial parameters.) 4) Direct observation, interview (of, for example, meetings, point of use NT equipment, computer games, simulations)

6. Methods 5) Major data collection and original data collection with survey;6) Network analysis of relationships across multidisciplinary teams of university units; and feedback assessment of alternative models of teaching (e.g., learning by doing; learning by searching, learning by training; learning by using, learning by interacting); 7) Case studies (e.g. in universities ); which will permit a rich set of information gathered around particular cases of NT education in different universities and units, etc.8) Longitudinal research to chart how the competing perspectives evolve, especially to the extent that they diverge from the consensus among scientists and educators about the implementation of N&N.

7. Study design - Short, middle and long term goals The strategic levels are planned for short, middle and long term goals :1) in short term - NT education needs assessment, 2) in middleterm - formation of infrastructure and development of training model of curricula, 3) in long term – evaluation of implemented results of training program and defining the role of associate, undergraduate, postgraduate, doctorate and post doctorate training. In all parts of research interviews should be conducted with focus groups, mainly with decision makers and responsible teaching staff of the faculty. To state out needs will be planned meetings with the focus groups. Discussions about issues of strategic planning will be held.

8. Methods - focus group Focus group method. This study might use statements originally developed in focus group to measure general values and beliefs about influences of nanoscience learning in medicine. The principle mediator for the design of this part of research is the focus group, to study reactions to NT education in general.

9. Method - questionnaire Survey research - questionnaireThe research is in part designed in order to investigate and perform the needs assessment of NT education in medicine. The survey will be designed to investigate attitudes to NT education needs. For this purposes open-ended questions are offered, along with close ended questions. The questionnaire will include items, which follows other existing surveys. Of note, the measurement of general values has been recommended in studies of reactions to nanotechnology in the US (Bainbridge, 2002; Cobb & Macoubrie, 2004).

10. Method - case study Case study The method of choice is ‘case study’ which is to be performed in certain university to anticipated a rich set of information gathered about possibility of NT education diffusion in several units of university.Open-ended interviews supplemented by focus groups to talk directly to and listen to top representatives of discipline, NT researchers and educators, students in medical institutes, direct observations and content analysis may be performed.

11. Course Portfolio development Inquiry portfolio provides with opportunities to document improvement in teaching over time and to assess the long-term impact of teaching changes, the success of teaching approaches, and the accomplishment of student learning. In inquiry portfolio should be stating a research question by identifying issues to investigate, especially discussing why this issue is significant for students’ learning. Next is the developing a methodology for investigation the problem or issue planning to change or study in the teaching of the course (specific methods, course materials or assignments, assessment of student work, etc.). Includes definition of the problem, identifying types of classroom evidence (data) needed to study the issue more fully, and reflecting on the underlying assumptions of the methods that they have selected.

12. To evaluate implemented results of training program Evaluation is to be performed to fulfill both continuous assessment (feedback-oriented e.g. projects, academic exercises, term tests, essays, tutorial participation) and the summative/final assessment. ‘Open Book & Take Home Examination’ is the method of choice for assessment of results of teaching and learning. For evaluation of student learning in my research I decided to use this assessment method. This is innovative assessment task to encourage students to adopt deep approaches to learning. The reason of choice is to find assessment methods that best encourage and support deep, holistic learning. Two different types of Open-book exams: 1) Students write a test in the exam room with a specified limited time period, and "varying degrees of access to resource materials and references" 2) Take home exam-students receive examination questions, to complete and return them with a specified period of time (often the next day), without getting help from other people.

13. Georgian National NanoInnovation Initiativeis the Alliance Union inclusive ofInitiative Group &NanoInnovation Centerhttp://gnni.com.ge Tamar Chachibaia, PhD candidate Georgian NationalNanoInnovation Initiative Head of the Responsible Nanotechnology Center E-mail:nanogeorgia@gmail.com

14. Thank you