Papers by Stephanie Sutherland
ABSTRACT. This study examines students' perceptions of the impact of the implementation of a ... more ABSTRACT. This study examines students' perceptions of the impact of the implementation of a broad-based secondary school reform agenda on their engagement with their schools and with their learning. The literature related to large-scale reform is largely based on educators' perceptions and on the influence of the reforms on teachers and schools. This paper adds the voice of students by focusing specifically on how Secondary School Reform in Ontario was being understood and felt in schools by students. As part of a larger study, researchers conducted focus groups with teachers and students in 6 geographically dispersed schools in Ontario in the early stages of implementation of the provincial governments Secondary School Reform (SSR). SSR not only encompasses a multitude of changes, but the political context in the early days of implementation was particularly rocky and rancorous. The students in the study gave vivid accounts ofhow the reforms and the context in which they w...
Advances in Health Sciences Education, 2014
Growth in the field of medical education is evidenced by the proliferation of units dedicated to ... more Growth in the field of medical education is evidenced by the proliferation of units dedicated to advancing Medical Education Research and Innovation (MERI). While a review of the literature discovered narrative accounts of MERI unit development, we found no systematic examinations of the dimensions of and structures that facilitate the success of these units. We conducted qualitative interviews with the directors of 12 MERI units across Canada. Data were analyzed using qualitative description (
Advances in medical education and practice, 2017
Evaluation capacity building (ECB) is a topic of great interest to many organizations as they fac... more Evaluation capacity building (ECB) is a topic of great interest to many organizations as they face increasing demands for accountability and evidence-based practices. ECB is about building the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of organizational members, the sustainability of rigorous evaluative practices, and providing the resources and motivations to engage in ongoing evaluative work. There exists a solid foundation of theoretical research on ECB, however, understanding what ECB looks like in practice is relatively thin. Our purpose was to investigate what ECB looks like firsthand within a national medical educational organization. The context for this study was the Acute Critical Events Simulation (ACES) organization in Canada, which has successfully evolved into a national educational program, driven by physicians. We conducted an exploratory qualitative study to better understand and describe ECB in practice. In doing so, interviews were conducted with program leaders and instruc...
BMJ open, Jan 23, 2017
Conceptual clarity on physician volunteer engagement is lacking in the medical literature. The ai... more Conceptual clarity on physician volunteer engagement is lacking in the medical literature. The aim of this study was to present a conceptual framework to describe the elements which influence physician volunteer engagement and to explore volunteer engagement within a national educational programme. The context for this study was the Acute Critical Events Simulation (ACES) programme in Canada, which has successfully evolved into a national educational programme, driven by physician volunteers. From 2010 to 2014, the programme recruited 73 volunteer healthcare professionals who contributed to the creation of educational materials and/or served as instructors. A conceptual framework was constructed based on an extensive literature review and expert consultation. Secondary qualitative analysis was undertaken on 15 semistructured interviews conducted from 2012 to 2013 with programme directors and healthcare professionals across Canada. An additional 15 interviews were conducted in 2015 w...
Medical teacher, Jan 27, 2015
The hidden and informal curricula refer to learning in response to unarticulated processes and co... more The hidden and informal curricula refer to learning in response to unarticulated processes and constraints, falling outside the formal medical curriculum. The hidden curriculum has been identified as requiring attention across all levels of learning. We sought to assess the knowledge and perceptions of the hidden and informal curricula across the continuum of learning at a single institution. Focus groups were held with undergraduate and postgraduate learners and faculty to explore knowledge and perceptions relating to the hidden and informal curricula. Thematic analysis was conducted both inductively by research team members and deductively using questions structured by the existing literature. Participants highlighted several themes related to the presence of the hidden and informal curricula in medical training and practice, including: the privileging of some specialties over others; the reinforcement of hierarchies within medicine; and a culture of tolerance towards unprofession...
Springer International Handbooks of Education, 2005
The purpose of this chapter is to discuss five key factors that contribute to supporting the succ... more The purpose of this chapter is to discuss five key factors that contribute to supporting the successful implementation of comprehensive school reform. We discuss the effects of various systemic and school factors including: (1) the reform selection process; (2) leadership at site and district levels; (3) design team support and professional development; (4) fiscal resources to support reform; and (5)
Evaluation and Program Planning, 2005
In this paper, concept mapping is suggested as a methodological catalyst for organizational learn... more In this paper, concept mapping is suggested as a methodological catalyst for organizational learning. Concept mapping, by virtue of its psychological and sociological foundations, offers a way to simultaneously understand complex systems in terms of both intra- and inter-personal relationships. We posit that key stakeholders, when taken together, represent the organization as a bounded unit and set the stage for
Teachers College Record, 2005
In this article we chronicle a particular professional development initiative designed to promote... more In this article we chronicle a particular professional development initiative designed to promote the acquisition of an evaluation habit of mind within an educational context. After describing the rationale behind this initiative in some detail, we proceed to map the experiences of four ...
Academic Medicine, 2012
The University of Ottawa (uOttawa) Faculty of Medicine in 2008 launched a revised undergraduate m... more The University of Ottawa (uOttawa) Faculty of Medicine in 2008 launched a revised undergraduate medical education (UGME) curriculum that was based on the seven CanMEDS roles (medical expert, communicator, collaborator, health advocate, manager, scholar, and professional) and added an eighth role of person to incorporate the dimension of mindfulness and personal well-being. In this article, the authors describe the development of an electronic Portfolio (ePortfolio) program that enables uOttawa medical students to document their activities and to demonstrate their development of competence in each of the eight roles. The ePortfolio program supports reflective practice, an important component of professional competence, and provides a means for addressing the "hidden curriculum." It is bilingual, mandatory, and spans the four years of UGME. It includes both an online component for students to document their personal development and for student-coach dialogue, as well as twice-yearly, small-group meetings in which students engage in reflective discussions and learn to give and receive feedback.The authors reflect on the challenges they faced in the development and implementation of the ePortfolio program and share the lessons they have learned along the way to a successful and sustainable program. These lessons include switching from a complex information technology system to a user-friendly, Web-based blog platform; rethinking orientation sessions to ensure that faculty and students understand the value of the ePortfolio program; soliciting student input to improve the program and increase student buy-in; and providing faculty development opportunities and recognition.
CMAJ Open, 2015
The current outbreak of Ebola has been declared a public health emergency of international concer... more The current outbreak of Ebola has been declared a public health emergency of international concern. We performed a rigorous and rapid needs assessment to identify the desired results, the gaps in current practice, and the barriers and facilitators to the development of solutions in the provision of critical care to patients with suspected or confirmed Ebola. We conducted a qualitative study with an emergent design at a tertiary hospital in Ontario, Canada, recently designated as an Ebola centre, from Oct. 21 to Nov. 7, 2014. Participants included physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, and staff from infection control, housekeeping, waste management, administration, facilities, and occupational health and safety. Data collection included document analysis, focus groups, interviews and walk-throughs of critical care areas with key stakeholders. Fifteen themes and 73 desired results were identified, of which 55 had gaps. During the study period, solutions were implemented to fully address 8 gaps and partially address 18 gaps. Themes identified included the following: screening; response team activation; personal protective equipment; postexposure to virus; patient placement, room setup, logging and signage; intrahospital patient movement; interhospital patient movement; critical care management; Ebola-specific diagnosis and treatment; critical care staffing; visitation and contacts; waste management, environmental cleaning and management of linens; postmortem; conflict resolution; and communication. This investigation identified widespread gaps across numerous themes; as such, we have been able to develop a set of credible and measureable results. All hospitals need to be prepared for contact with a patient with Ebola, and the preparedness plan will need to vary based on local context, resources and site designation.
International review of psychiatry (Abingdon, England), Jan 13, 2015
This study set out to explore the ways in which social media can facilitate learning in medical e... more This study set out to explore the ways in which social media can facilitate learning in medical education. In particular we were interested in determining whether the use of Twitter during an academic conference can promote learning for participants. The Twitter transcript from the annual International Conference on Residency Education (ICRE) 2013 was qualitatively analysed for evidence of the three overarching cognitive themes: (1) preconceptions, (2) frameworks, and (3) metacognition/refl ection in regard to the National Research Council ’ s (NRC) How People Learn framework . Content analysis of the Twitter transcript revealed evidence of the three cognitive themes as related to how people learn. Twitter appears to be most effective at stimulating individuals ’ preconceptions, thereby engaging them with the new material acquired during a medical education conference. The study of social media data, such as the Twitter data used in this study, is in its infancy. Having established ...
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Papers by Stephanie Sutherland