The Foundations of interprofessional curriculum. Finding the right epistemology and learning theory for the task

Abstract

Introduction: Health professional education programs are currently focusing on interprofessional training. This can highlight differences between our professions in our learning theories and training assumptions. A standardized approach to picking a deliberate perspective from which to design specific interprofessional curricula may be useful. Discourses: This paper presents one such approach. It is based on a 3 X 3 matrix developed by interprofessional faculty over seven years of team-based clinical training. To use this matrix, a deliberate epistemology (e.g., reductionist, constructivist, or complexity) and a learning theory (competency-based education, clinical reasoning, and situated learning) are chosen based on the goals of training, the context, and the developmental stage of the learners. Application: Each element in the matrix then provides a focused set of considerations for designing and assessing interprofessional curriculum. In addition, this matrix provides a framework for incorporating other epistemologies and learning theories. Conclusions: As professionals, we have been enculturated to see health education from a single perspective. A wider, structured approach to adopting learning assumptions and theories may better match the interprofessional training tasks we are being asked to design.

Keywords

• Ambulatory
• Complex Adaptive Systems
• Constructivism/Constructivist
• Reductionism/Reductionist