Session Planning
Learn more about resources to aid in session planning.
Educator Quick Guides provide brief, focused training on a variety of educational topics.
Active Learning is any instructional method that engages students in the learning process. Active learning is often contrasted to the traditional lecture where students passively receive information from the instructor.
Active Learning (AL) in the Classroom
AL is any instructional method that engages students in the learning process. AL requires students to:
- attend each session prepared
- complete meaningful learning activities
- think about and reflect on what they are doing
The core elements of active learning are student activity and engagement in the learning process. Active learning is often contrasted to the traditional lecture where students passively receive information from the instructor.
Techniques
- Start with a question.
- Create a pre-class knowledge survey.
- Use cases related to a pre-class webcast to prompt discussion.
Benefits
- Students receive immediate feedback.
- Engagement is accomplished through participation – students learn by doing.
- AL methods promote higher order thinking skills by analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating.
Resources Available
- Bookend Learning (PDF)
- Learn before Lecture (PDF)
- Team-Based Learning (PDF)
Need help? Contact educational_improvement@mcw.edu.
ClinicalKey is an online search tool that provides faculty with Elsevier's medical and surgical content in one source.
Using ClinicalKey
ClinicalKey is an online search tool that provides educators with Elsevier's medical and surgical content in one source.
Access to:
- More than 900 top books and 500 journals
- Thousands of videos
- Millions of images
Resources Available
Need help? Contact educational_improvement@mcw.edu.
A tool to offer a visual representation of how information and knowledge is organized.
Concept mapping – a visual representation of how information and knowledge is organized.
Why use concept mapping?
- Visualizes course material
- Connects course concepts
- Assesses student learning of course materials
- Develops conceptual understanding
- Develops problem solving skills
Process
- Define the problem.
- Generate the ideas.
- Structure the ideas.
- Create a concept map.
- Interpret the concept map.
- Utilize the concept map.
Benefits
- Encourages students to brainstorm and generate new ideas
- Assists students with knowledge integration
- Promotes critical thinking
- Helps correlate the process of linking information to practice
- Fosters pattern recognition
- Encourages students to work collaboratively in groups
Resources Available
- A Qualitative Evaluation of Medical Student Learning with Concept Maps (PDF)
- Concept Maps in Medical Education (PDF)
- Apps:
Need help? Contact educational_improvement@mcw.edu.
Give credit to the author for the images, ideas or quotations that you use, and to enable students to locate the original document or eResource if they would like to pursue additional information.
Using External Sources in Lectures and Handouts
The purpose of citing sources is to give credit to the author for the images, ideas or quotations that you use, and to enable students to locate the original document or eResource if they would like to pursue additional information.
Examples of APA styles and formats include many of the most common types of sources used in academic teaching and research. For additional examples and more detailed information about APA citation style, refer to the Citation Guide handout above or the .
- Using ClinicalKey (PDF)
- Narrowing Your Search in ClinicalKey (PDF)
- Websites:
Need help? Contact educational_improvement@mcw.edu.
Instructional Methods including Case-Based Discussion, Concept Mapping, Demonstration, Independent Learning, Preceptorship, Problem-based Learning (PBL), Simulation, Team-based Learning (TBL).
MedBiquitous Terms are a standard set of key terms governed by the AAMC used to classify instruction, assessment, and resource types used in medical and healthcare education.
Best practices for using PowerPoint presentation software in the classroom.
PowerPoint Classroom Presentation
The following are best practices for using PowerPoint presentations in the classroom.
Formatting
- Use San-serif fonts (Arial, Helvetica, Calibri, etc.).
- Use readable font sizes (32 for 5-7 bullets) viewable from front and back rows.
- Use white background.
- Aim for 5-7 bullets per slide.
- Maintain white space in margins for note-taking.
- Integrate images into slides.
Advantages
- Use course/curriculum designed templates for consistent student experience.
- Quickly reorder slides with easy drag and drop feature in Slide Sorter view.
- Advance slides with one key stroke.
- Integrate audio clips, animation and video.
Techniques
- Add an embedded video into the presentation.
- Captivate audiences with transitions or animations.
- Integrate data from other applications such as, an Excel graph, Word table, etc.
- Use the Notes feature to write a script.
Benefits
- Students receive immediate feedback
- Engagement is accomplished through participation – students learn by doing.
- AL methods promote higher order thinking skills by analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating.
Resources Available
- Websites:
- Template:
- Sample PowerPoint Template (PPTX)
Need help? Contact educational_improvement@mcw.edu.