In his opening address, the Vice-Chancellor called for educators to change in terms of how they teach, to be mediators of knowledge, not repositories, and to be critical and reflective thinkers.

The use of blogging as a tool for reflection (links to the presentation on Slideshare)

Deborah Murdoch-Eaton

Bill Burdick

Began by talking about Guns, germs and steel (Jared Diamond), and how it relates to innovation and the spread of information. Capacity building is not just about individuals, it's about collaborative capacity in leaders and organisations. For this to occur, active learning is key.

Build the field of health professionals education:

• Give people the tools, self-efficacy and interaction communication skills
• Identify those with the potential to become change agents
• Deliver effective learning
• Promote a sustainable career path

What makes learning “sticky” (Haskins & Clawson, 2005)?

• Personal context related to learning
• Frequent feedback
• Use of stories
• Pre-session engagement (prior reading, working in teams)

Active learning

• Active construction of meaning
• More likely to learn when learning with others
• Learning is facilitated by articulating explanations
• A motivating factor is critical - Why do I need to know this?

Use projects:

• To stimulate the need to know
• To apply new knowledge
• To emphasise concepts and principles, not facts
• To engage with learners

Friendship and respect are important social elements in learning

Being more prepared than necessary allows greater flexibility

Knowledge sharing is essential to enable systematic capacity building (Cabrera & Cabrera, 2005). Role modeling is essential to change attitudes i.e. to make sharing the norm.

Building the field:

• Determine the body of knowledge
• Define the common language
• What are the common core values / belief systems?
• Requires a structure for communication
• Self-regulated debate / peer review
• Should be self-replicating
• Identify a pathway for growth
• Is there a shared “creation myth”?

David Taylor

Ara Tekian

J. Hugo

Alwyn Hugo

Neil Butcher

Christina Tan