Fostering Educational Research among Medical Teachers: Evaluation of a Faculty Development Program in India

Introduction: Medical education can be enormously benefitted from research. Since clinicians/medical teachers are directly involved in teaching learning processes, they should participate in Educational Research (ER) practices to generate evidence and insights about teaching learning. Faculty Development Program (FDP) has a positive influence amongst health professionals and therefore can prove to be of consequence in instilling a strong educational research culture. Aim: Present study was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of a Faculty Development Fellowship Program in Medical Education to foster educational research culture amongst medical teachers. Materials and Methods: Study utilized the Kirkpatrick model of program evaluation for evaluating the fellowship program. It aimed to evaluate the third level of the model i.e., "Change in Behaviour" of participants (n=40) after completion of the course. The tool used was a pre-validated survey questionnaire consisting of five items. Results: Study population was sparsely aware about educational research and had never attempted the same (100%) before joining the fellowship program. A 32.5% faculty with average professional experience of seven years undertook new educational projects after the fellowship and knowledge gained during fellowship program helped them in guiding educational research (coded into four categories) at their workplaces. Conclusion: There is a need, to direct effort towards focused training for educational research through FDPs for medical teachers. This will encourage academicians and clinicians to become active in ER and guide policies in Teaching Learning Practices in Medical Education.