Tag Archives: health Sciences

Professional Development Courses

The EDU offers courses in health professional education that are structured to suit a variety of professionals needs. We provide continuing professional development opportunities and an accredited programme for colleagues who teach UCT Health Sciences Students.

New Appointees’ Orientation Programme (NAOP)
The New Appointees Orientation Programme (NAOP) is a CPD accredited short course, designed to give an orientation to the various teaching roles to anyone who teaches under/post graduate UCT health sciences students. All members of clinical departments i.e. new registrars, consultants on joint staff and more senior staff who teach undergraduate are welcome to attend.

Teaching Learning and Assessment (TLA) Modules 1 & 2
This is a short course which is ideally suited for teaching and clinical staff who find it difficult to leave their teaching and service commitments for long periods but want to stay informed of trends in teaching, learning and assessment.

Module 1 aims to prepare educators of health sciences students to facilitate learning, through developing their knowledge base of educational principles as well as supporting the integration of the concepts learned.
Module 2 centres on Assessment of Student Learning.

Innovative Teaching using Technology (iTuT)
This CPD course is designed for educators, clinicians and teaching professionals who would like to integrate e-learning technologies into their teaching strategies. It may also be of general value to those who are interested in learning more about some of the most commonly used technologies, or would like to implement them in their interaction with students but are not sure how to do so. This course is aimed at individuals who are not experienced users of e-learning technologies.

Postgraduate Diploma in Health Professional Education
The Department of Health Sciences Education in the Faculty of Health Sciences offers a Postgraduate Diploma in Health Professional Education. This accredited programme will enable educators of Health Sciences students to reflect critically on the theory and practice of teaching, learning, assessment and curriculum development in Primary Health Care-led health systems and curricula.

MPhil in Health Sciences Education (by dissertation)
The Department of Health Sciences Education (HSE) in the Faculty of Health Sciences offers this programme aims to educate and train researchers from diverse disciplinary and professional backgrounds, enabling them to understand and research complex issues and challenges pertinent to HSE, particularly in resource-constrained environments.

You will be equipped with appropriate in-depth theoretical knowledge and the methodological skills necessary to undertake rigorous research at an advanced level.

Admission requirements:
PGDip HPE or equivalentCurrent employment in health sciences education . Students may be required to attend an educational research methods course and other coursework as appropriate to the topic of the dissertation, depending on their prior knowledge and experience.

Deadline for applications: 30 September

PhD in Health Sciences Education:
The Department of Health Sciences Education in the Faculty of Health Sciences offers this programme which aims to equip candidates to undertake research at the most advanced level, focussed on the features and challenges of HSE, particularly in resource constrained environments.

Admission requirements:
Candidates may be required to attend an educational research methods course and other coursework as appropriate to the topic of the dissertation.

Contact Us
Department of Health Sciences Education
Faculty of Health Sciences
University of Cape Town
Observatory, 7925
South Africa

Tel: +27 – 21 – 650 5426
Email: Dumisani.Sotshantsha@uct.ac.za

“Rhodes Has Fallen, Now What?”

Hosted by the newly established Department of Health Sciences Education, this year’s 7th Annual Health Research Day was an historic event.  A space to engage with both innovative practice and research being done in the Faculty, the Day tapped in to the on-going discussion spurred by the Rhodes Must Fall (RMF) movement.

Based on the theme “Rhodes Has Fallen, Now What?” the day-long programme began with a welcome from Deputy Dean Professor Gonda Perez and a keynote address titled Transformation: Issues in

Professor Dandara presenting on the state of health sciences education
Professor Dandara presenting on the state of health sciences education

Health Sciences Education by Associate Professor Collet Dandara, of the Division of Human Genetics.

“This research day provides an opportunity to develop and refine some thoughts framing the future of education and training in Health Sciences and hopefully, its critical relationship to the delivery of inclusive healthcare in South Africa” said Professor Dandara.

During his presentation he spoke about the challenges facing health educators, students and patients. Professor Dandara went on to say that the values Rhodes stood for continue to plague the institution and that several changes need to occur in order to improve teaching and learning – addressing the hostile institutional climate, situating teaching in an African context and not as a bridge to Europe, and transforming the curricula to include the once silent African perspective and value system.

He spoke highly of the new department but cautioned that its good efforts to promote Health and Science Education research will remain fruitless if its programs are on a voluntary basis. He suggested a minimum-level of educator training, which included making the Education Department’s teaching and assessment courses compulsory for staff.

After a post plenary discussion, presentations commenced showcasing passion for teaching, learning and assessment, through a variety of papers addressing issues related to transformation. Prize-winners were announced at the end of the day with judges remarking that it was a difficult choice as all the presentations were captivating and of a very high standard.

Dr Chivaugn Gordon presenting her paper on using popular culture to teach about gender based violence
Dr Chivaugn Gordon presenting her paper on using popular culture to teach about gender based violence

The first prize was awarded to Dr Chivaugn Gordon from the Dept. of Obstetrics & Gynaecology for her innovative educational design in the Obstetrics Block in the complex area of inter-personal violence. Using popular culture as displayed in multimedia she was able to engage students in debate around the normalisation of abusive behaviours, a difficult theme in a multi-cultural society with varying norm referents.

The second prize was also awarded for innovation in course design where multi- and inter-disciplinary content and methods were used for a Special Studies Module (SSM) in second year MBChB, that enabled students to use self-created or self-selected images to engage in the visible signs of oppression, and to combine text, image and peer discussion in deconstructing sources and symbols of oppression in their contexts. Dr Carla Tsampiras and Ms Sarah Crawford Browne from the Primary Health Care Directorate, and Dr Alexandra Muller a Senior Research Officer in the Gender, Health & Justice Unit conducted the research for this project.

Winners (left to right) Associate Professor Romy Parker, Dr Chivaugn Gordon and Ms Sarah Crawford Browne
Winners (left to right) Associate Professor Romy Parker, Dr Chivaugn Gordon and Ms Sarah Crawford Browne

The third prize was presented for exemplary educational practice in which, judges said, Associate Professor Romy Parker from the Division of Physiotherapy assumed responsibility for the academic and clinical performance of her students, and did not ‘blame them’ for under-performing in the final year of the Physiotherapy Management of Chronic Pain.

Having developed a spiral of learning and training in the Management of Chronic Pain in earlier years, and observed students’ grasp of the content, their under-performance in the final exam was a puzzle.  She consequently modified her approach to assessment by introducing formative assessment prior to summative examinations and shifted from norm to criterion-referenced assessment.

A huge success, the day left many feeling inspired to try new ideas that will contribute to teaching and assessment in the Faculty. It also marked a promising and exciting beginning for the new Department of Health Sciences Education.