Skip to main content
Unit of study_

MEDF5002: Teaching in the Clinical Environment

Semester 2 Early, 2020 [Distance education/intensive on campus] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Almost all healthcare professionals are involved in education and training throughout their careers. This unit of study provides a practical introduction to the theory and practice of teaching and learning in the health environment. The unit will cover three main areas: planning for and facilitating learning in the clinical environment; assessing performance and providing constructive feedback; and fostering the development of students as professionals. Each of these areas will be underpinned by best evidence from clinical education research and will address current challenges and opportunities in the learning environment from the perspective of both educators and learners. Participants in the course will gain a framework they can use to support their teaching, and will develop a portfolio of evidence to support their professional development as clinician educators.

Unit details and rules

Unit code MEDF5002
Academic unit General Practice
Credit points 6
Prohibitions
? 
None
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Annette Burgess, annette.burgess@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Online task Module graded discussion boards
Discussion contributions
10% Multiple weeks 300 words
Outcomes assessed: LO3 LO4
Assignment Personal learning plan
Written task
15% Week 05
Due date: 06 Sep 2020 at 23:59
1000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO2
Presentation Oral presentation and peer review
Recorded presentation, peer reviews
15% Week 09
Due date: 11 Oct 2020 at 23:59
10 slides and 5-7 minutes
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5
Assignment Personal learning portfolio
Portfolio
60% Week 11
Due date: 25 Oct 2020 at 23:59
3000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO5 LO6

Assessment summary

  • Personal learning plan: The initial learning plan will be based on a provided template. It should include 3-4 clinical education topics/areas that are relevant to the student’s teaching context and interests or needs in relation to their own practice as a health professional educator.
  • Oral presentation and peer review: Powerpoint summary presentation of one learning objective. Students are to include PowerPoint slides and a voiceover recording as if being presented to a seminar. Students will also be required to review and provide feedback for 2 portfolio presentations from other students.
  • Personal learning portfolio: The portfolio is to consist of the following: a learning plan, an activity summary, evidence of achieved learning objectives, and a reflection document.
  • Module graded discussion boards: for each board, students will be asked to provide comments or answer questions on course materials as well as reply to or comment on posts from their peers.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

 

Distinction

75 - 84

 

Credit

65 - 74

 

Pass

50 - 64

 

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Please note, for this unit of study MEDF5002 the late submission penalty will be 5% of the maximum awardable mark for 5 calendar days only. If the assessment is submitted more than 5 calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website  provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.  

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Module 1: introduction to best practice in healthcare education Online class (10 hr)  
Week 02 Module 1: introduction to best practice in healthcare education Online class (10 hr)  
Week 03 Module 2: planning and preparing for teaching Online class (10 hr)  
Week 04 Module 3: delivering teaching Online class (10 hr)  
Week 05 Module 3: delivering teaching Online class (10 hr)  
Week 06 Module 4: teaching communication skills in the clinical context Online class (10 hr)  
Week 07 Module 5: professional behaviour Online class (10 hr)  
Week 08 Module 5: professional behaviour Online class (10 hr)  
Week 09 Module 6: best practice in assessment of health professionals Online class (10 hr)  
Week 10 Module 6: best practice in assessment of health professionals Online class (10 hr)  
Week 11 Module 7: students in difficulty Online class (10 hr)  
Week 12 Module 7: students in difficulty Online class (10 hr)  
Week 13 Module 8: self and program evaluation Online class (10 hr)  

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

There is no prescribed textbook for this unit of study. We encourage you to investigate more deeply into topics of particular interest that will form part of your portfolio. 

Recommended Journals available on-line through the University library website (not an exhaustive list!):

  • Medical Education (Blackwell) 
  • Academic Medicine
  • Clinical Teacher
  • Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education
  • BMC Medical Education on-line

Useful Web resources and forums:

The Library has also compiled a set of useful resources including BMJ Best Practice and UpToDate, at Medicine for StudentsLinks to an external site.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. demonstrate knowledge of adult learning theories relevant to the clinical education context
  • LO2. identify your own professional learning needs as a developing clinical educator, and implement a personal learning plan to fulfill these
  • LO3. demonstrate knowledge of practical clinical education strategies, including assessment and feedback, and apply these in the clinical teaching context
  • LO4. demonstrate non-clinical competencies of leadership, communication, teamwork and collaboration, scholarship and teaching, and the essentials of ethics and health law as they apply to the role of clinical educator
  • LO5. demonstrate an ability to retrieve, critically evaluate, and apply evidence in the performance of health education related activities
  • LO6. develop, plan and conduct a substantial research or professionally-focused project, submitted in the form of a portfolio of evidence.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

We value your feedback about any aspect of the unit of study and your experience as a student of Sydney Medical School. To help ensure our courses meet your needs and maintain a high standard, we welcome your feedback at any time, and we ask you to complete the Mid-Semester Evaluation Survey and the unit of study Evaluation Survey at the end of the semester. You can also rate any component of the unit using our star rating system found at the bottom of many pages as you progress through the unit. Your ratings and comments are anonymous and specifying what you liked and didn’t like about any of the learning materials, assessment items, discussion forums, feedback etc will help us to target our improvement efforts. Please note that your participation in this unit of study permits de-identified information about your learning experience and interaction with learning resources to be used for the purpose of improving the student learning experience.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.