Active Learning: What do we need to know about Joint Accreditation Criterion 7?

Active Learning: What do we need to know about Joint Accreditation Criterion 7?

The provider designs education that promotes active learning – so that teams learn from, with, and about each other – consistent with the desired results of the activity. (JAC7)

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Incorporating meaningful opportunities for active learning in activities is central to interprofessional continuing education (IPCE). Joint Accreditation Criterion 7 asks accredited providers to move beyond passive presentations by intentionally creating educational experiences that allow healthcare teams to learn from, with, and about each other. Below are responses to several common questions we have received from jointly accredited providers.

What is active learning?

Active learning engages participants as active contributors rather than passive listeners. For example, learners may participate in opportunities to apply knowledge, reflect on their decisions, receive feedback, and collaborate with others.

Examples are not limited to the following list but may include:
• Case-based discussions
• Team-based problem solving
• Simulations and role play
• Audience response activities and other types of assessments
• Reflection or writing exercises
• Practice observations
• Longitudinal or other projects

Why is active learning important?

Active learning helps participants translate knowledge into practice by encouraging application, discussion, and feedback. These educational strategies are more likely to improve competence, confidence, team performance, and ultimately patient care than passive learning alone.

Would a panel-based Q&A session qualify as active learning?

A panel-based Q&A session may constitute an active learning strategy when the activity intentionally sets aside time for learners to interact with an interprofessional panel or engage amongst learners in a way that helps them learn from, with, and about the professions on the team. The key question is whether the Q&A is designed as part of the active learning experience, rather than simply added as time for audience questions.

For example, a panel may meet the expectation when learners are asked to consider a case or practice problem, pose questions to panelists from different professions, compare how each profession approaches the issue, and identify how team communication or collaboration could improve care.

How can active learning be incorporated into enduring material? Can active learning be completed at the end of an activity or after an activity is completed?

The same principles discussed above apply to all types of activity formats and all types of active learning strategies.

Enduring materials are generally developed for asynchronous learning by individuals, where the individual learner engages with the material in a manner that allows them to actively apply new knowledge or skills in a simulated or reflective manner.  One example of an active learning strategy in an enduring material is a case study which focuses on an interprofessional aspect of a problem in practice. For example, the learner might be presented with a case in which a patient with diabetes and housing instability is discharged after an emergency department visit, but the medication plan is not communicated clearly to the discharge nurse or social worker. In this case study, the learner reviews the missed handoffs, identifies what each team member needed to know, and chooses how the team should communicate to support safe follow-up care.

Another example of an active learning strategy in an enduring material could be a case study which is differentiated based on the profession of the learner. For example, if a nurse learner is learning from, with, and about the other members of the team in the activity (e.g., physicians and dentists), then they may be able to interact with a case vignette where a physician and dentist are represented virtually in the case. If the learner was a dentist, the case would be slightly different in that a nurse and physician role would be represented virtually for the dentist to interact with.

Active learning should be intentionally built into the educational activity. A post-activity evaluation, survey, or optional follow-up alone would not ordinarily meet Criterion 7 because it does not make active learning part of the educational experience. For enduring materials, providers can meet the expectation by embedding opportunities for learners to apply knowledge, make decisions, receive feedback, reflect, or engage with the perspectives of other professions within the activity itself.

Key Takeaways

• Active learning requires meaningful learner participation.
  • Educational methods should align with the intended outcomes of the activity.
  • Within IPCE activities, learning should include opportunities to learn from, with, and about other professions of the healthcare team which are included in the activity.
  • Audience Q&A when structured appropriately may demonstrate active learning.
  • Well-designed active learning strategies help translate education into practice.

For additional questions regarding Joint Accreditation Criterion 7, providers are encouraged to contact Joint Accreditation Staff at [email protected].