The
University of British Columbia
Department of Educational Studies
Adult Education Program
ADED
565B
Continuing Education in the Professions
Tuesdays,
4:30-7:00 pm
Ponderosa Annex F201
Winter
Session, 1998-99
Term 2
Instructor:
Thomas
J. Sork, Professor
Department of Educational Studies
Ponderosa G17
2044 Lower Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2
Phone:
(604) 822-5702
Fax: (604) 822-4244
E-mail: tom.sork@ubc.ca
Web page: educ.ubc.ca/edst/sork.htm
Overview
of the Course
Law,
nursing, medicine, accounting, pharmacy, dentistry, engineering,
social work, and education are some of the professions that
claim a privileged role in society based on their specialized
knowledge, the extensive training necessary to practice, the
requirement that practitioners be "licensed," and
the commitment to self-regulation. Although the nature of
practice differs dramatically from one profession to another,
there are features common to all professions that make them
fascinating sites for learning. In this course we will explore
issues, policies and practices related to continuing professional
education (CPE). We will look at professionalization and its
educational implications, laws and policies that influence
participation in and the provision of CPE, research on the
relationship between CPE and professional competence, approaches
and technologies used to deliver CPE, controversies related
to CPE (like mandatory participation), and current challenges
faced by CPE providers.
Course
Content
Following
is a tentative list of questions that can be explored in the
course depending on the interests and expectations of students:
-
What is a "profession" and what does society expect
from one?
-
What is professional competence and what does CPE have to
do with it?
-
Where is CPE found and who controls it?
-
What forms does CPE take and how has it evolved?
-
Who participates in CPE and why?
-
Do professionals learn any differently from other adults
and if so, how?
-
What’s the big deal about "reflective practice?"
-
Who pays for CPE and who benefits?
-
How are CPE programs developed and delivered?
-
What relationship exists between self-directed learning
and CPE?
-
How is information technology being used in CPE and to what
effect?
-
What laws and policies govern the provision of CPE and why
are they there?
-
How and why does CPE vary from one profession to another?
-
Is CPE "effective" and how do we know?
-
What are the "hot" issues in CPE and how are they
being addressed?
-
What research has been done on CPE and what has it revealed?
At
the first meeting of the class we will add questions to this
list that are of interest to you and then put them in rough
priority order. This expanded and ordered list of questions
will then be used to guide our discussions throughout the
term.
Instructional
Processes
This
class will be conducted as a seminar in which we explore questions
related to CPE that are of mutual interest. A common set of
assigned readings will provide a starting point for our discussions,
but we will be deciding collectively about the issues and
questions that we wish to explore in more detail. The intention
is to have lively but critical discussions about current issues
related to CPE. Invited speakers who are currently working
in CPE will provide their perspectives on these issues and
help us develop a deeper understanding of how various professions
approach CPE.
The
Department of Educational Studies has approved a set of principles
that we believe should guide our activities as teachers, advisors
and scholars. This statement of principles addresses such
issues as sexual harassment, conflict of interest, inclusiveness
and other matters of concern throughout society. These principles
are meant to govern the interactions between and among faculty,
students and staff. If you believe that any of these principles
is being violated in activities related to this course, please
call it to my attention personally, in class or anonymously.
My goal is to make this course a positive but challenging
learning experience for all who enrol. My intention is to
behave consistently with the principles we have approved and
I invite your observations and comments on how well I am doing.
Expected
Outcomes
- An
understanding of the role of professions in society and
what society expects from professions.
- A
critical perspective on the dynamics of professionalization
and the role of CPE within that process.
- An
awareness of the key issues/questions related to CPE and
the ability to articulate a reasoned position on those issues/questions.
- An
awareness of CPE as it is practiced within several professons
including current problems and challenges.
- Knowledge
of what research into CPE has revealed and what important
questions remain unanswered.
Additional
outcomes may be developed as the interests of class participants
are identified.
Resources
Required
readings will be distributed in class. In addition to the
required readings, each student will be using books on reserve
in the Education Library—and other relevant libraries
on campus—to prepare for in-class discussions and written
assignments. We will also be using the web to locate information
relevant to the issues being discussed in the course. If you
do not have access to the internet from home, you can use
our department’s computer lab in Ponderosa H.
Each
student will be assessed a "materials fee" to cover
the printing/copyright costs of the materials that will be
distributed in class. If we decide to hold one or more audio-conferences
with experts on CPE, the cost of these calls will also be
recovered through this fee. The amount of this fee will be
announced as soon as the costs of materials are known.
Minimum
Expectations
Each
student is expected to:
1.
Participate actively in class sessions. Active participation
means that you engage with others in discussions of the ideas
found in the readings and presented in class. It also means
that you are responsive to the contributions of others, that
you do not dominate the discussion time and that you respect
the right of others to hold and express views different from
your own. Because much of the course content will be discussed
in class, attendance at each class session is considered very
important.
2.
Carefully read those materials designated as "required"
prior to the sessions at which they will be discussed.
As a student in a graduate-level course you will be expected
to identify, acquire, read, and critically analyse other materials
related to course assignments. Some of the reading materials
necessary to complete assignments will be placed on reserve
in the Education Library, Scarfe Building, but you are encouraged
to use other materials, other libraries and any other resources
you can locate.
3.
Submit assignments to the instructor within agreed-upon time
limits. UBC has no grade of "incomplete" so
if the final deadline passes for submitting assignments and
you have not submitted yours, your mark will be based on only
the work you have submitted. Grades can be "deferred"
only if you submit a note from a physician.
4.
Assist in improving the course by providing constructive criticism
to the instructor and by participating in formal evaluation
of the course.
Student
Evaluation
This
is a three credit course which will be marked on the basis
of 100 points. Following are brief descriptions of the course
assignments.
Web
Search and Analysis
You
will conduct a search of the web to determine what can be
found related to continuing education in a particular profession
or to an issue/question related to CPE that may cut across
professions. For example, a profession-specific search may
locate a great deal of information on CPE for lawyers, for
teachers, for accountants, for nurses, etc. The goal of a
profession-specific search is to locate sites that discuss
issues, policies, programs, and so on related to CPE in that
specific profession. An issue-specific search locates information
on an issue that may be relevant to several professions. For
example, mandatory continuing education is a controversial
issue in many professions and the web has resources that address
this issue.
The
analysis that you submit should include a summary of the search
strategy you used, what you found that was of interest (referencing
the relevant URLs), and a critical analysis of what you found.
You should indicate what you learned about CPE from these
sources and how valuable it is. You should attach to this
report the printouts that you used for the analysis.
CPE
Issue Presentation
Each
student will make an in-class presentation on an issue/question
he or she chooses to focus on for the course paper. This issue/question
might be the same one you explore in the web search, but it
may also be different. The issue/question can be specific
to one profession only or can be of interest to several professions.
The point of this presentation is for you to help us learn
more about an issue/question that is of particular interest
to you.
Course
Paper
The
course paper is where you demonstrate that you have thought
deeply about an issue/question in CPE and have come to a reasoned
position/answer based in part on what you have read about
and learned through discussions with others. You may use books,
articles, the web and those who work in CPE as resources to
prepare this paper. Just be sure to observe the usual conventions
for referencing your sources.
Class
Participation
You
may choose to have the quality of your participation
in the class be part of your final mark. If you do this, your
participation mark will be based on my assessment of your
contribution to the learning climate in the class including
the relevance of your contributions, the degree to which they
reflect a good understanding of the readings, the degree to
which your comments invite others to respond, and your ability
to engage with others in thoughtful dialogue about the course
content.
Office
Hours
In
order to make most efficient use of your time and my time,
I encourage you to make appointments. I am quite happy to
talk with anyone about any aspect of the course, but I find
the "drop-in" or "office hours" system
to be inefficient and frustrating.
Please
call me or see me in class to set up an appointment. I have
an answering machine and I do return calls, although not always
immediately. My phone/fax numbers and e-mail address are noted
on page 1.
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