Self-directed Learning: a New Look at an Old Concept
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COMMENTARY
Self-directed Learning: a New Look at an Old Concept Samara B. Ginzburg 1
&
Sally A. Santen 2 & Richard M. Schwartzstein 3
Accepted: 12 October 2020 # International Association of Medical Science Educators 2020
Commentary Given the ever changing knowledge and practice of medicine, it is crucial for physicians to continuously learn new information and refine their skills throughout a career spanning decades. Effective self-directed learning (SDL) requires training, akin to other clinical skills, and is now a focus of our medical education system. While conceptually based in learning theory [1, 2] and required by accreditation bodies for medical schools as well as graduate and continuing medical education, instruction in and assessment of SDL poses challenges for educators [3, 4]. We conducted a workshop at the 2018 annual meeting of the Association of American Medical Colleges; over 100 participants joined to discuss successes and challenges associated with SDL in medical education. Educators across the continuum are interested in understanding how SDL can be cultivated during preclerkship and clerkship experiences in undergraduate medical education (UME), while fulfilling service needs of graduate medical education (GME), and within the hectic professional lives of physicians in practice. Several questions emerged, largely centered on the following: (1) Have we adequately identified the elements that distinguish a self-directed learner, including personal characteristics such as curiosity? (2) Does one truly foster SDL in medical education and practice with specific “exercises” or does this require a culture change in how we teach throughout all courses and in all settings? To meet accreditation requirements, many educators have developed activities and programs that can be used to check the boxes but may not support the desired skill development.
* Samara B. Ginzburg [email protected] 1
Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, 500 Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY 11549, USA
2
VCU School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, USA
3
Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
At present, the standards promulgated by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education require SDL to take place as a unified sequence; learners must identify, analyze and synthesize information relevant to their learning needs, share that information with their peers and supervisors, assess credibility of sources and receive feedback on their information seeking skills. Residency common program requirements similarly state residents must self-identify strengths and deficiencies, set learning and improvement goals, and locate, appraise and assimilate evidence from scientific studies. Continuing professional development (CPD) expectations include the ongoing pursuit of SDL throughout one’s career. However, it is not clear that all medical educators know or agree on the best methods to support this development. Components of SDL are woven into medical education to varying degrees. Problem and case-based learning and flipped
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