Education Scholar
Advanced Teaching Skills
for Health Professions Educators
The quality of faculty teaching and student learning continues to be a focus both within and outside of the college and university. Calls for greater accountability and a renewed commitment to teaching have placed additional role demands on health professions educators, who are already juggling their teaching responsibilities with expectations for excellence in the areas of service and research. While most of these educators are committed to improved student learning, many have never acquired the knowledge and skills to become exemplary teachers.
The Education Scholar project was conceived to provide a national, health professions-wide program that develops and enables the recognition of excellence in teaching. Key partners in this effort are Western University of Health Sciences and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) through its Center for the Advancement of Pharmaceutical Education (CAPE). Other organizations that participated in the development project include the:
- American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)
- American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM)
- American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine (AACPM)
- American Dental Education Association (ADEA)
- Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO)
- Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions (ASAHP)
- Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH)
A panel of curriculum design experts selected from AACP and the above national organizations of health professions education was assembled to determine educational outcomes and content for the Education Scholar program. Content experts, instructional design specialists, and technical advisors were then recruited to develop educational content, determine delivery and assessment methods, and produce the necessary courseware. A marketing survey conducted in 1998 identified a growing need for such a program among health professions faculty, and additional sponsorship was sought.
In Fall of 1999, a pilot module was completed, marking the official launch of the Education Scholar Program. The remaining modules were released in 2002. A major upgrade to the program was completed in early 2013.