A narrative review of course evaluation methods for continuing professional development: The case of paediatric and neonatal acute-care in-service courses in low and lower-middle income countries: BEME Guide No. 76

Abstract

BackgroundTraining a skilled healthcare workforce is an essential part in reaching the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal to end preventable deaths in children and neonates. The greatest burden of mortality lies in low and lower-middle income countries (LLMIC). Short term, in-service courses have been implemented in many LLMIC to improve the quality of care delivered, but the evaluation methods of these courses are inconsistent. MethodStudies describing evaluations of course and outcome measures were included if the course lasted seven days or less with postgraduate participants, included paediatric or neonatal acute or emergency training and was based in a LLMIC. This narrative review provides a detailed description of evaluation methods of course content, delivery and outcome measures based on "Context, Input, Process and Product" (CIPP) and Kirkpatrick models. Results5265 titles were screened with 93 articles included after full-text review and quality assessment. Evaluation methods are described: context, input, process, participant satisfaction, change in learning, behaviour, health system infrastructure and patient outcomes. ConclusionsOutcomes, including mortality and morbidity, are rightly considered the fundamental aim of acute-care courses in LLMIC. Course evaluation can be difficult, especially with low resources, but this review outlines what can be done to guide future course organisers in providing well-conducted courses with consistent outcome measures for maximum sustainable impact. Keywords paediatric; neonatal; postgraduate; education; low-resource Practice Points• It is vital course evaluation is performed at a high standard. Structuring outcome measures using the CIPP and Kirkpatrick models will provide evidence of course effectiveness. • The diversity of outcome evaluations in this review displays what can be done in LLMIC where there is a range of resources available for this work. • There is a need for detailed description of the acute-care course, including justifying context and content with site-specific data, incorporating the local language and the support of local or national organisations for sustainability. • Publication by LLMIC authors must be facilitated to fully understand the appropriateness and impact of these courses in their context.

Training and Development Needs of Early Childhood Educators for Effective Instructional Delivery in Awka-South Local Government Area, Anambra State Nigeria

“…Over time, educators have attributed low student performance to their use of ineffective teaching strategies. After their pre-service training, the majority of professional educators did not obtain any type of in-service training to keep up with the rapidly changing and technologically driven world (Gifford et al, 2023). This also applies to non-professional instructors, the majority of whom lack experience in the art of teaching and frequently fall short in carrying out their obligations.…”