Elective Units of Study

In addition to the two core units of study, this course requires completion of the following number of elective units:

• The master’s degree comprises two core units of study and a further six elective units.
• The graduate diploma comprises two core units of study and a further four elective units.
• The graduate certificate comprises two core units of study and a further two elective units.

The following electives are taught by our coordinators in the Faculty of Medicine:

Unit of Study Code	Unit of Study Title	Mode	Credit Points
MDED5003	Educational Development and Evaluation	Face-to-face OR Fully online	6
MDED5006	Facilitating Clinical Learning	Face-to-face OR Fully online	6
MDED5004/5005	Independent Studies A/B	Face-to-face OR Fully online	6
MDED5010	Facilitating Clinical Reasoning	Face-to-face OR Fully online	6

The following electives are taught by our coordinators in the Faculty of Medicine:

Unit of Study Code	Unit of Study Title	Mode	Credit Points
MDED5007	PBL in Medical Education	Face-to-face OR Fully online	6
MDED5008	Assessment in Medical Education	Face-to-face OR Fully online	6
MDED5009	Promoting Interprofessional Learning	Face-to-face OR Fully online	6
MDED5004/5005	Independent Studies A/B	Face-to-face OR Fully online	6
MDED5011	Research methods in medical education	Face-to-face OR Fully online	6

To complete electives other than those on this list, approval must first be sought from the course coordinator, and from the coordinator of the elective unit of study.

Unit of Study Code	Unit of Study Title	Credit Points
BACH5153	Assessment of Learning	6
BACH5151	Independent Investigation 1	6
BACH5118	Learning in Groups	6
EDPE6016	Adult Learning and Development	6
EDPC6018	Designing Computer Assisted Learning Environments	6
EDPC5015	Emerging IT and Educational Change	6
EDPE5011	Motivation for Learning	6
EDPK5001	Qualitative Research Methods in Ed	6
EDPK5002	Quantitative Methods	6
EDPE5001	Learning, Knowing and Thinking	6
CEPI5200	Quality and Safety in Health Care	6
EDPK5003	Developing a Research Project	6
EDPB6013	Internationalisation of Education	6

Unit of Study Code	Unit of Study Title	Credit Points
EDPR5011	The Scholarship of Uni Teaching and Learning	6
MMHU6905	Medicine and Music	6
BACH5085	Clinical Teaching and Supervision	6
BACH5003	Facilitating Learning	6
BACH5007	Curriculum Leadership	6
BACH5042	Teaching Clinical Reasoning	6
BACH5116	Developing a Web-based Education System	6
BACH5022	Independent Investigation 2	6
EDPR6012	Developing Flexible Learning – Higher Ed	6
EDPA5013	Evaluation of Educational Training Programs and Institutions	6
EDPE6011	Learning and Individual Differences	6
EDPR5003	Research-enhanced Teaching and Learning	6
EDPP5002	Enquiry in Teaching and Curriculum	6
EDPK5003	Developing a Research Project	6
EDPB6013	Internationalisation of Education	6

Descriptions of our Elective Units of Study in Medical Education (MDED)

Credit points: 6
Coordinator: Dr Tim Shaw/Stewart Barnet
Session: Semester 1
Classes: Face-to-face: 1 x 3hr evening class (approximately every fortnight). Alternatively this unit may by undertaken fully online.
Assessment: Online discussion and tasks (10%), 1 x 2000word essay (30%), 1 x presentation (10%) and 1 x 4000 word project (50%)
Campus: Camperdown/Darlington
Workload: Approximately 10 hours per week over a 13-week semester.

This unit builds on module E in MDED 5001 by developing understanding of individual evaluative practice and approaches to program evaluation. The key focus of this unit is on reflective thinking and evaluative practice. This unit will provide students with skills to conduct their own evaluation and inquiry projects. The unit aims to develop scholarship and lifelong learning graduate attributes through promoting growth of skills in reflection, inquiry and communication. This unit of study aims to develop a better understanding of how reflective and evaluative practice can improve individual teaching and educational programs. Learning outcomes are achieved using a problem-based learning process.

By the end of this unit of study students will be able to:

• Compare strategies for reflecting on teaching and students' learning experiences
• Apply examples of evaluation methods to developing a plan for evaluating a program
• Compare forms of evaluation
• Explain the role of forms of evaluation in educational development

Textbooks
Owen, J. (2006). Program Evaluation: Forms and approaches. 3rd Edition. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.

Credit points: : 6 Independent Studies A or 12 combined Independent Studies A & B
Coordinator: Dr Jill Thistlethwaite
Session: Semester 1 or 2
Classes: Face-to-face: 2 x 3hr evening class plus scheduled supervisory meetings. Alternatively this unit may by undertaken fully online, with online supervision.
Assessment: Assessment for Independent Study A will be a 6000-8000 word project, or its equivalent; whereas combined Study A & B will require a 10000-14000 word project, or its equivalent.
Campus: Camperdown/Darlington

Workload: Approximately 10 hours per week over a 13-week semester or 26 weeks for combined Study A & B.

Please note that it is not advisable to begin an Independent Study early in your program. We advise you to wait until you have completed four other units of study including the two core units. Approval for independent studies must be sought from the program coordinator.

Candidates may contract to undertake independent studies in a particular field of educational interest or to undertake independent research. Students undertaking a research project will have appropriate supervision by academic staff in the Centre for Innovation in Health Professional Education and Research and many have co-supervision within the actual research setting.

The project is negotiated with your supervisor and based on a written Learning Contract. The project can be undertaken for one semester (6 credit points – Independent Studies A) or two semester (12 credit points – A & B) in negotiation with your supervisor. The choice of project is yours and you are encouraged to select a topic that is directly relevant to your own work setting. As part of the Independent Study you will develop your own learning outcomes.

OPME academic staff have a range of research interests and can help you choose a project topic based on one of these, if you prefer.

The following are examples of Independent Study projects designed and undertaken by students in previous years:

Title: A framework for reflection on teaching: Combining teaching philosophy, reflective tools and insights from implementing a unit of study

Description: Part of being an effective educator is the ability to be able to reflect on one’s own learning and teaching practice. This project involved the use of three tools to compose reflective statements about teaching experience in a new unit of study. Outcomes were to evaluate the usefulness and productiveness of the reflective tools, and propose a framework for reflection on teaching that incorporates awareness of one’s own teaching philosophy.

Title: A Pilot Study of In-Training Assessment in Rheumatology Advanced Training

Description: A pilot study was conducted which attempted to introduce several established performance assessment methods to Rheumatology Advanced Training in several large teaching hospitals in NSW and Victoria. The pilot study was timely, given the major trend internationally towards performance-based assessments in postgraduate medical education. The study investigated supervisors and trainees' attitudes to the new assessment methods used in performance assessment, established what the local challenges to implementation might be, and provided advice that can be used to guide adaptation to local contexts of Australian postgraduate medical education.

Title: Teaching Professionalism to Junior Medical Staff

Description: Professionalism covers a wide variety of topics and has been difficult to clearly define in a form that is easy to learn. The aim of this independent studies project was to determine what constituted professionalism and the best way for Junior Medical Staff to learn professionalism.

Title: Teaching Clinical Reasoning to Medical Registrars
Description: Clinical reasoning is essential for good clinical practice. The aim of this independent study project was to determine the components of clinical reasoning and how clinical reasoning could be taught to medical registrars.

Credit points: 6
Coordinator: Dr Jill Thistlethwaite
Session: Semester 1
Classes: Face-to-face: 5 x 3hr evening class. Alternatively this unit may by undertaken fully online.
Assessment: 3 written assignments (100%)
Campus: Camperdown/Darlington
Workload: Approximately 10 hours per week over a 13-week semester.

This unit aims to explore, discuss and critically appraise perspectives on, and practices in, clinical learning in appropriate settings and to apply these understandings and knowledge to the development of an initiative to improve clinical learning. Participants will explore what and how students learn in the clinical context; the challenges of learning and teaching in a work environment; and other clinical learning situations such as simulation and skills laboratories. Participants will define a particular problem for learning and/or teaching from their own context and review the literature (theory and research) to develop an educational intervention to address this issue. The development of student professionalism is another curricular theme in this unit of study.

By the end of this unit, students will demonstrate ability to:

• Explain the principles of one of the main theories that underpin current understanding and conceptualization of learning and teaching in a clinical environment
• Identify the common challenges of preparing clinicians for complex practice and some of the distinctive, curricula, pedagogical and assessment practices that have been developed to meet these challenges
• Frame questions related to student learning in your clinical environment for research
• Analyse and evaluate appropriate literature in relation to a specific area of investigation of learning in a clinical environment
• Apply knowledge of current theory/research to develop new understandings about learning and teaching in clinical environments
• Question and analyse current educational practice in own and other contexts
• Apply knowledge of current theory/research to justify a proposal for an innovation in teaching practice/s supporting the professional development of learners in your own clinical environment
• Analyse ethical considerations of any proposal for educational change
• Predict the effects of proposed educational change within own workplace setting
• Evaluate and reconsider your own teaching practice in the light of new knowledge and understanding
• Critically evaluate the impact of personal beliefs and attitudes on teaching
• Communicate information, ideas, problems, and solutions accurately and reliably, and with structured and coherent arguments in both written and oral format.
• Work effectively and cooperatively as a member of a learning community, providing and responding to constructive feedback.

Credit points: 6
Coordinator: Dr Chris Roberts
Session: Semester 2
Classes: Face-to-face: 1 x 3hr evening class (approximately every fortnight). Alternatively this unit may by undertaken fully online.
Assessment: 1 x 1200word essay (20%), 1 x presentation (40%) and 1x2400word project (40%)
Campus: Camperdown/Darlington
Workload: Approximately 10 hours per week over a 13-week semester.

This unit of study builds on the introduction to concepts of effective learning and teaching developed in MDED5001 by offering you in-depth study through authentic learning activities. The key focus of this unit is on developing your understanding of student-focussed perspectives on problem-based learning and the introduction of problem-based learning to health education curricula. An important aspect of your learning experience is the development of your own problem-based learning case, a process that combines theory, design skills and creativity. Developing skills in the management of your own learning and providing peer feedback is also a focus of this unit. This unit provides a foundation for the study of small group learning and teaching in future units of study. It contributes to the achievement of your university graduate attributes of scholarship, global citizenship and lifelong learning by developing your research inquiry skills, ethical and professional understanding of small group learning, and autonomy in managing your own learning.

By the end of this unit of study students will be able to:

• Prepare students and staff for the introduction of a problem-based learning component
• Design problem-based learning cases to guide collaborative and self-regulated learning
• Critically appraise evidence for the effectiveness of problem based versus alternative curricula
• Justify the introduction of problem based learning into new or revised professional health education curricula

Credit points: 6
Coordinator: Ms Imogene Rothnie
Session: Semester 2
Classes: Face-to-face: 1 x 3hr evening class (approximately every fortnight). Alternatively this unit may by undertaken fully online.
Assessment: 3 x 2500 word essays (75%) and 1 x presentation (25%)
Campus: Camperdown/Darlington
Workload: Approximately 10 hours per week over a 13-week semester.

The aims of this unit are that students will gain enhanced skills in student assessment and a deeper understanding of principles and practices which underpin evidence-based assessment practice in medicine and the health sciences. Assessment is an essential element of undergraduate, post-graduate and continuing medical education and training. This unit of study will focus on the purpose, design, implementation and evaluation of authentic assessment tasks and strategies that reflect what practitioners do and what students will do in medical practice. The unit of study will discuss the principles underpinning best assessment practice and the evidence for particular assessment strategies.

Specific topics to be addressed include selecting assessment tools, the design and blueprinting of assessment strategies, use of assessment in formative and summative assessments, the implementation and evaluation of assessment strategies appropriate to particular medical education contexts and measurement of appropriate outcomes. This unit of study will be presented as a series of workshop sessions and problem-based learning activities.

During this unit students will learn to:

• Evaluate the purpose, reliability and validity of an existing assessment;
• Design and construct a reliable, valid and acceptable assessment instrument;
• Develop strategies to facilitate the implementation of change in assessment practices;
• Demonstrate the ability to engage in collaborative learning and demonstrate the ability to critically reflect on personal learning and teaching practices.

Credit points: 6
Coordinator: Ms Gillian Nisbet
Session: Semester 2
Classes: Face-to-face: 1 x 3hr evening class (approximately every fortnight). Alternatively this unit may by undertaken fully online.
Assessment: 1x8000word project (100%)
Campus: Camperdown/Darlington
Workload: Approximately 10 hours per week over a 13-week semester.


This unit aims to prepare students to promote interprofessional learning opportunities in the workplace. This unit will focus on the exploration of theoretical and practical issues surrounding the promotion of interprofessional collaborative learning. Students will undertake a small-scale project to design an interprofessional learning opportunity relevant to their educational environment. Particular emphasis will be given to the benefits and challenges to implementation of interprofessional learning.

By the end of this unit, students will be able to:

• Design and implement a protocol/guideline for assessing interprofessional teamwork;
• From the literature identify the benefits of and barriers to interprofessional learning as it relates to health professional education and
• Apply knowledge of the interprofessional learning literature and educational strategies to design interprofessional learning opportunities.

Credit points: 6
Coordinator: Dr Rola Ajjawi
Session: Semester 1
Classes: Face-to-face: 4 x 3hr evening classes starting 5pm
Alternatively this unit may by undertaken fully online.
Assessment: Online discussion and reflective task, 1 x 2000 word short essay (30%), and 1 x 3000 word project (70%)
Campus: Camperdown/Darlington
Workload: Approximately 10 hours per week over a 13-week semester.

This unit of study will aim to develop a deep understanding of the theoretical, research and practical issues surrounding clinical reasoning and its communication. Participants will analyse and critique health professional educational literature to form a comprehensive theoretical framework to support their learning and teaching of clinical reasoning. Participants will engage in critical reflection of their own reasoning and learn strategies for facilitating its development in a variety of medical education contexts. Participants will also learn to diagnose students’ reasoning difficulties and to design a program to promote the development of clinical reasoning within their own educational settings.

At the completion of this UOS students must be able to:

• Discuss current theory and research related to clinical reasoning and its communication
• Critically reflect on own clinical reasoning and/or teaching of clinical reasoning in light of ‘new’ understanding
• Critically evaluate current educational theory and research related to strategies for learning and teaching of clinical reasoning
• Develop a coherent theoretical framework to support the development of clinical reasoning in themselves and others
• Design and defend an innovative educational program to facilitate the development of clinical reasoning

Textbooks
Higgs J, Jones M, Loftus S and Christensen N (2008). Clinical Reasoning in the Health Professions, (3rd Ed.). Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Credit points: 6
Coordinator: Associate Professor Charlotte Rees
Session: Semester 2
Classes: Face-to-face: 6 x 3hr evening classes starting 6pm. Alternatively this unit may be undertaken fully online.
Assessment: TBC
Campus: Camperdown/Darlington
Workload: Approximately 10 hours per week over a 13-week semester

This unit of study is designed to build on the basic research principles learnt in MDED 5002 (Scholarship of Teaching in Medicine) and to prepare students for independent research in medical education. This advanced unit of study will help students develop a greater depth of understanding of research methods suitable for medical education, including qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods research. Students will explore the philosophical assumptions underpinning these research traditions and the range of data collection methods best suited to answer a research question based on their own context. They will learn to critically evaluate research in medical education and will learn to design a comprehensive medical education research proposal. They will also learn to apply quantitative and qualitative techniques to analyse medical education research data.

By the end of this unit of study, students will be able to:

• Differentiate between evaluation and research in medical education
• Discuss the role of theory in medical education research
• Discuss the philosophical assumptions (e.g. ontology, epistemology) underpinning qualitative and quantitative medical education research methodologies
• Critique common qualitative and quantitative medical education research methods (e.g. study designs, sampling strategies, data collection and data analysis methods)
• Critically appraise the quality of qualitative and quantitative medical education research papers
• Analyse basic qualitative and quantitative data using appropriate software packages
• Design a rigorous research study proposal that investigates a medical education research question(s) and uses appropriate methodology

Textbooks
Cohen L, Manion L & Morrison K (2007) Research Methods in Education (7th edition). New York: Routledge.