A model for design of online health professions education faculty development courses in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Abstract The design of faculty development courses requires a contextually aware theoretical foundation. Therefore, the study aimed to determine the feasibility of a specific conjecture map as a model for designing online health professions education faculty development courses in sub-Saharan Africa through a heuristic evaluation approach. The authors hypothesise that using heuristic evaluation strengthens an educational model's theoretical basis and feasibility. Twenty-five health professions educators from nine sub-Saharan African countries participated in this multi-phased study. In the first phase, the participants completed a survey evaluating the model and the accompanying author-generated heuristics. Then, participants' recommendations were used to make revisions. In the subsequent phase, participants reviewed these revisions and commented on the feasibility of the model within their local context. All six heuristics were revised following the initial phase, where 80 problems had been identified. Upon revision, the model was deemed feasible by all except one participant. There was a strong relationship and inter-rater agreement of feasibility between 0.84 and 0.95 regarding the model's practicality, demand, acceptability, and adaptability. Revisions to the final model and guidance documents incorporated all changes the participants recommended, confirming the model's feasibility. Theoretical models are often developed through a top-down approach, omitting the practice-based considerations that could change the formulation of the model. This study demonstrates the convergence of a theoretical and process model with theoretical, expert and end-user data triangulation. Further research is needed to test this empirically developed model.

Keywords

• Health professions
• Online
• Faculty development
• Educational design research
• Heuristic evaluation
• Sub-Saharan Africa