Rationale Building knowledge and skills in research methodology with educators to move beyond simplistic designs and embrace more rigorous and comprehensive approaches to assessing the impact of educational innovations is important in health professions education.
By acknowledging these limitations and understanding the need for alternative research methodologies, health professions educators can enhance the quality and reliability of their research, ultimately leading to more informed and effective educational innovations. This workshop serves as an opportunity to empower educators with the tools and knowledge to conduct research that stands up to scrutiny and contributes to meaningful improvements in the field.
The one-group pretest/posttest design is a commonly employed research method, especially among novice health professions educators, to evaluate the impact of educational innovations. This design involves measuring a single group of participants before and after an educational intervention to assess any changes caused by the intervention. While this design may appear straightforward, it is crucial to recognize the limitations and inherent threats to internal validity this design poses. This workshop will highlight the limitations of the one-group, pretest-posttest design and provide opportunities for participants to identify and discuss alternative approaches to evaluate educational innovations.
