Pedagogic innovation in Higher Education. From theory to practice

1. Pedagogic innovation in Higher Education.From theory to practice Jean-François Denef Honorary Vice-rector for medical affairs “UniversitéCatholique de Louvain” Belgium President of the SIFEM

2. SIFEM : Société Internationale Francophone pour l’Education MédicaleInternational French Speaking society for medical education • The only French speaking journal in pedagogy • www.pedagogie-medicale.net • Special prioritary action groups • Social responsability of medical schools • Communication • Research • Work groups • Portfolio • Simulation in medical education • Meetings • Cooperation with AMEE (Association for medical education in Europe)

3. Overview • Take home message • Introduction : some basic definitions • Three phases of innovation • Conception / appropriation • Implementation • Evaluation and transfer to routine • Conclusion and comments

4. (« Take home message ») • Three major steps in introducing pedagogic innovation: • Conception/appropriation, implementation, evaluation. • A strategy based on projects management is useful to cover all the aspects of the innovation • A systemic approach is needed • (needs, objectives, methods, evaluation, communication) • Consider all possible partners • (teachers, students, administrations, …)

5. RAMSDEN, P. (1998). Learning to lead in higher education Routledge / Falmer. London & New York 288p. 2009

6. A few definitions… • Novation : invention, true novelty • Innovation : implementation of a novation in a defined environment • Renovation : revision of a situation, of a program, in order to improve or to adapt it to a changing environment • Reform : Any change to respond to external changes Bédard et Béchard, 2009

7. A basic innovation From the teacher centered approach To the learner centered approach What should I teach ? What should they learn ? Teaching Objectives What should they know ? Educational objectives What should they do ? Who should they be ? Competences Learning outcomes

8. Conception / Appropriation Evaluation Societal needs Course or program evaluation Learning outcomes Students Implementation Student assessment Teaching methods

9. Why to develop pedagogic innovations ? Contextual elements • The world is rapidly changing • Students change • The numeric student • Increase of the number of students in higher education • Science is advancing : new concepts old statements turn out to be wrong • Increased social accountability • Increased and more specific demands of the society • New technologies • Turbulent changes of the environment • …

10. The numeric students • Spend more than 4 hours a day with a monitor (PC, TV, Mobile, electronic games) • Manipulate more than 3.300 Mobile messages/a month • use « meta – meta – information's » Information’s « about information » • Prefer pictograms to words • is doing « zapping » Le monde de l’éducation, 2008

11. Change of the relations between teachers and students I want my diploma ! Just a little question OUT ! Plantu

12. Obesity of the curriculum We expect to much from our students et we teach them too many things. Let’s give them good methodologies ans a critical senses. Everything will come as their experience will develop Sir W. OSLER 1849 – 1919. Abrahamson S., Diseases of the Curriculum. Journal of Medical Education. 1978: 53 : 951-957. Guilbert J.- J., Les maladies du curriculum. Revue française d’Education médicale, 1981 : IV, 6. Denef-JF, Pédagogie médicale, 3 : 123-124, 2002

13. Change in the expectations of the society towards medical schools

14. Development of IT in the Professional practice Tecfa, Genève

15. Let’s stop doingsimilarthings withdifferenttools M Lebrun 2002

16. Motivation of the different actors involved in pedagogical innovation Program managers Institutional succes Quality of the program (conception, process) Student Diploma To pass exams Teachers Professional succes Sucess in various aspects

17. Teachers Convergence Of Actions Manager Student Convergence of motivations

18. Convergence of motivations Divergence of actions

19. A basic innovation From the teacher centered approach To the learner centered approach What should I teach ? What should they learn ? Teaching Objectives What should they know ? Educational objectives What should they do ? Who should they be ? Competences Learning outcomes

20. Educational objectives verbes Wertz V., 2010

21. verbes After the apporach by objectives, the approach through learning outcomes Words or Adjectives

22. Societalneeds Course or program evaluation Learning outcomes Students Implementation Student Assessment Teachingmethods

23. Conditions required to implement pedagogic innovations • Leadership • Evaluation of the social consequences • Process for consulting stakeholders and to reach a consensus • More transparency, more involvement of all groups in the management and decision for change • Need for the stakeholders to understand which are the gain of the change in term of quality and equity Experton W., Mondial bank CUD 2009

24. What kind of innovation • New curricula • New pedagogical approaches • New didactical methods • New assessment methods • Change in the relations between students and teachers • New institutional entities • …

25. How and when to implement change… • Has the present situation been fully analysed ? • Are initial conditions present to start a change ? • Are all partners ready to change ? • Are the project, the chronogram, the means coherent with the change ? • Is Communication planned during change ?

26. The partners involved in innovation • Political level : • Commission for education, program, … • Piloting the process • Executive level : • People in charge of implementing the innovation • Administrative level : - People who will be in charge of transforming the innovation into routine • Students

27. Faculty Department The key role of leaders must be considered at each level Teams Individuals Who is concerned in strategic management for change? Society University

28. Réactions facinginnovation OverMyDeadBodyGroup : they are pessisitic and will be claiming against change if any trouble It will never work ! Good Idea Let’s try ! Why not ? Late majority Early majority supporters OMDBG • Supporters: They like to take risks, are impatient, put pressure on other people • Early majority : are in favor of change as soon as they understand the objectives • Late majority : ask for early results and first consider all the possible negative consequences of change 28

29. How to generate adhesion or resistance Listen to people Discuss first, try to solve problems and convince later on Rely your project with the people Identify and promote early supporters Try to get quick positive results Be an example Ignore feelings Restrict to logical and formal arguments Change often vision and priorities Blame persons for problems instead of looking for causes Expect from others more than you expect from yourself 29

30. Why do people resist to innovation? Loss of control To much uncertainty Surprise… Loss of his personal self confidence Fear of the future Rebound effects Work overload Personal attachment to the past Contamination problems

31. Continuous management of the implementation

32. One non classical way of changing • Consider the learning outcomes • Change progressively the contents and the form of the students assessments • In turn, students will ask to change the teaching methods Student assessment driven change of the curriculum

33. Projects Procedures Products Communication

34. In summary : what to keep in mind about the implementation phase ? • The implementation phase is critical • (2/3 of projects fail during the implementation phase!) • Major role of the communication • Should not be restricted to “information” • Faculties are not only teaching institutions but are also “learning communities” • “Learning by doing” • How to animate the project? • “Let’s share our positive and negative experiences”

35. Societal needs Evaluation Course or program evaluation Learning outcomes Students Student assessment Teaching methods

36. Basic questions about evaluation What ? Process ? Results ? When ? How ? By who ? To communicate what to who ? To do what ?

37. A systemic approach to evaluate major pedagogic innovation ? ? ? Education al setup Professional outcomes Professional practice Patients health • Program evaluation • Quality insurance • Pratice hability • Certification • Evaluation of the professional • productivity Use Indicators Adaped from J Jouquan

38. Indicators Smart Simple Measurable Accurate Realistic Timely (measurable at a given time)

39. Final comments and questions

40. To takedifferent points of vue intoconsideration

41. Pedagogic innovation is not an objective “per se” To increase the quality or to extend of the educational mission of the faculty To increase effectiveness To meet the everyone’s expectations

42. (« Take home message ») • Three major steps in introducing pedagogic innovation: • Conception/appropriation, implementation, evaluation. • A strategy based on projects management is useful to cover all aspects of the innovation • A systemic approach is needed • (needs, objectives, méthods, évaluation, communication) • Consider all possible partners • (teachers, students, administrations, …)

43. Change is life Any change may pass through a feeling of loss Resistance is related to the attachment to the past Resistance is normal, natural and even necessary Resistance will increase with pressure Pressure induce compliance, not adhesion Participation generates adhesion Anyone should find his own advantage in change Adhesion to change is in fact an … individual choice Keys for change