Domain3

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Domain3

Standardized Assessment and the EMS Educator
UPDATE
EDUCATOR
®
Winter 2010
The Official Publication of the National Association of EMS Educators
Discipline Expertise - Part II w Save The Date: Symposium 2010
It’s All What You Study w Educational Test Design: An Intro & Overview
Plus: NAEMSE is Going Green
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Standardized Assessment
and the EMS Educator
Also
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President’s Perspective
NAEMSE News
It’s All What You Study
State Spotlight: Georgia
Corporate Partner News
Evidence on Online Education
New Year Resolutions
Domain3
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Standardized Assessment and the EMS Educator
Educational Test and Design: An Introduction and Overview
Discipline Expertise - Part II
www.naemse.org | Educator Update |
3
PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE
Mentoring: Passing our
Passion.....Forward
By: Dr. Chris Nollette, NREMT-P, LP - President of NAEMSE
681 Andersen Drive
Foster Plaza 6
Pittsburgh, PA 15220
Phone: 412-920-4775
Fax: 412-920-4780
www.naemse.org
2009-2010 Board of Directors
Chris Nollette, Ed.D, NREMT-P, LP
President
When I was a child of seven years old, my friends, on a holiday, filled my pocket with coppers. I went directly to a shop
where they sold toys for children; and being charmed with the
sound of a whistle, that I met by the way in the hands of another boy, I voluntarily offered and gave all my money for one. I
then came home, and went whistling all over the house, much
pleased with my whistle, but disturbing all the family. My
brothers, and sisters, and cousins, understanding the bargain
I had made, told me I had given four times as much for it as
it was worth; put me in mind what good things I might have
bought with the rest of the money; and laughed at me so much
for my folly, that I cried with vexation; and the reflection gave
me more chagrin than the whistle gave me pleasure.
-Benjamin Franklin
B
enjamin Franklin recounts this story from his childhood of paying
too much for the whistle because he lacked the wisdom and experience to make a better choice. One could only imagine that if he had
sought council before his purchase how much happier he would be in
the end. If we fail to seek out mentors then we become open to making many of our own mistakes. These mistakes can be as costly as the
whistle and some will cost us much more in our professional and personal lives. Think back over this year and realize how many trusted
public servants and notable celebrities who have stood before the
cameras and faced a world that shakes its head at how much they all
paid for the whistle. Then think about those who have mentored and
shaped your life as they helped you realize your dreams. Maybe they
even helped to inspire you to dream in the first place – the power of
mentoring.
Mentoring is the very heartbeat of every profession and becomes the
calling of each and every professional. We all have a duty as professionals to reach out and share our wisdom, our purpose and our passion with the next generation. This is essential to maintain and grow
as a professional body in a positive and purposeful manner. How
many of us owe so much to those who have come before and inspired
us to see the world and ourselves so much differently? 4
| Educator Update | www.naemse.org
PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE CNTD.
National Association of EMS Educators
Donna Tidwell, BS, RN, EMT-P
President-Elect
Joe Grafft, MS, NREMT
Secretary/Treasurer
Angel Burba, MS, NREMT-P, NCEE
Immediate Past President
Michael Miller, B.S., EMS, R.N., NREMT-P
Parliamentarian
Denise Wilfong, PhD, NREMT-P
Annmary Thomas, MEd, NREMT-P
Scott Bourn, PhD, RN, NREMT-P
Brenda Beasley, RN, BS, EMT-P
Chris LeBaudour, MsEd, EMT
Terry Devito, Ed.D, RN, EMT-P, MEd, EMS-1
Kim McKenna, RN, BSN, CEN, EMT-P
Michael Frith, MS, EMT-P
Madeleine O’Donnell, Ed.D
National Office Staff
Joann Freel, BS, CMP
Executive Director, Editor
Stephen Perdziola, BS
Business Manager
Laura Krawchyk, BA
Educational Coordinator
Beth Benson
Membership Coordinator
Lauren Rudenko, BA
Communications Coordinator
Larissa Kocelko, BA
Administrative Assistant
William Raynovich, MPH, NREMT-P, Ed.D
Editor, Domain3
Submission Guidelines
Unsolicited submissions are welcomed. Members of the
NAEMSE Publications Committee review Domain3
manuscripts. Acceptance of a manuscript for publication
is contingent upon completion of the editing process.
Manuscripts should be e-mailed to submissions@
naemse.org. Submit a cover letter with each manuscript
indicating: Author name, credentials, title, and affiliation. A title letter should also be included disclosing any
commercial associations that could post a conflict of
interest.
If you have an idea brewing that you’d like to submit,
please contact us. We would be happy to discuss it. New
authors are welcome and encouraged.
While mentoring is really defined as a long-term
relationship, it can be for a lifetime or one can
be mentored for the moment. We have all been
changed by something a patient has said or has
done – maybe it is true that we mentor even when
we do not know we are mentoring. Many professionals who started in the 70’s and 80’s joined our
profession in these early years by watching “Emergency” the show inspired a generation. Those early
professionals so inspired by “Emergency” shared
their passion with the next generation and grew an
entire field an entire profession we know as EMS.
Researchers have long stressed just how important
mentoring is from a professional standpoint. It is
more critical today then it was yesterday for the
world is much more complicated and we see constant change to our professional landscapes. Many
are fearful of asking for help for they believe that it
will show them to be less capable and intelligent so
they suffer in silence. The challenges before us are
real and no one can have all the answers; therefore,
we must depend on each other for support.
Unfortunately, the world is filled with leaders who
lack vision which is the foundation for mentoring. For it is through vision that we see the world
not as what it is but what it can become. We realize the mistakes we have made or the opportunities that we missed and want the next generation
not to follow suit. Are we better today for those
men and women who mentored another generation by showing just how shortsighted we were as
a people? – Mother Teresa, Ceaser Chavez, Martin
Luther King, Jr., Ghandi, just to name a few. Their
vision galvanized mankind to address social issues
that rekindled the human spirit and created a future of great possibilities. They mentored a whole
generation to believe that the world could have
greater justice – an idea was born and a generation
mentored to think differently – so great change
became possible.
name a few. The board of directors for NAEMSE is
a visionary board that believes it is not enough to
leave the organization in stronger financial shape
but we must reach out to all our members and create tomorrows that are filled with many possibilities. We must never take comfort in what we have
done but must move forward to tackle the work
that is left undone. Let it be said of every professional organization – large or small – that they
carefully counted out their coppers and did not
pay too much for the whistle. For as we lift each
other up and embrace mentoring we begin to rise
ourselves and in the end we are all better for the
journey – which is a harmony born of service and a
price worth paying both personally and professionally.
(From Left) Capt. Darryl Cleveland, Randolph Mantooth,
Capt. Phil Rawlings, Dr. Chris Nollette
The National Association of EMS Educators
(NAEMSE) is a body of professional educators who
are committed to mentoring and next year will be
launching an ambitious national mentoring program on several fronts – national accreditation,
field and clinical practices, administrative issues,
implementation of educational standards – just to
5
NAEMSE NEWS
Lifesaving starts here.™
NAEMSE is Going
GREEN!
By: Lauren Rudenko, Communications
Coordinator, NAEMSE
Physio-Control
Learning Center
in Booth 3307.
Earn more Continuing Education Credits at EMS TODAY!
Your job changes every day—keeping up with new trends
and technologies can be some of your biggest challenges.
As trends and technology evolve, Physio-Control will help you with the education you need to
get your job done. Come to the Learning Center in the Physio-Control booth at EMS Today and
keep up with the latest in:
• STEMI
• Capnography
• Carbon Monoxide
• Mechanical Chest Compressions
... and more!
Each 30-minute session is approved for continuing education credit
through CECBEMS and you will receive a certificate in the mail after the
conference. For detailed session descriptions and a schedule of sessions,
please visit our Web site at www.physio-control.com.
©2010 Physio-Control, Inc. Redmond, WA 98052. All rights reserved.
In 2010 The National Association of EMS Educators is participating in a strong initiative of becoming more environmentally responsible in our
day to day operations at our Pittsburgh, PA office.
NAEMSE will be eliminating the new membership packets and introducing an e-membership
flash drive in the New Year for all new members of
NAEMSE. All new membership components will
now be in an electronic format that can be viewed
on any computer. However new members will still
receive a paper membership certificate and membership card. Current members will also see a
change in the way their membership renewal information is delivered. Instead of receiving 3-4 paper
notifications of membership renewal, NAEMSE’s
new process will consist of mailing one paper reminder and sending 2-3 electronic and one phone
reminder. Just by making this small change to the
way we do business at NAEMSE we will save over
200,000 sheets of paper annually – just on membership papers! Here are some other startling
facts on the importance of “Going Green:”
•Next time you travel, consider a permanent tag for
your luggage. If travelers in the U.S. stopped using
paper luggage tags during their trips, 60 million
sheets of paper could be saved per year*.
•Use leftover paper or plastic bags for your trash
can. When one ton of plastic bags are reused, the
energy equivalent of 11 barrels of oil is saved, and
17 trees are spared*.
•In the course of a year, if everyone in the US composted their kitchen scraps instead of sending them
to the trash, the organic waste diverted from landfills would cover the entire city of San Francisco*.
•If just 10 percent of U.S. households attached
shut off nozzles to their outdoor hoses, we’d save
enough water to fill over 128,000 bathtubs – everyday*.
aware of the paper, power and printing that are
used in the office. Our goal is to try our very best
during our day to day operations to help better
the environment and the association’s future. We
hope that the members of NAEMSE will support
us in our new procedures and contribute to making NAEMSE a green-friendly association.
*ATTRIBUTION: Information loosely based on collective
research from “Our Planet- Change is Possible” by Jeca Taudte
and Tom Anderson and GREEN IT. MEAN IT. FOX.
NAEMSE NEWS
Great Resource for
NAEMSE Members
FiledBy is the most comprehensive online directory
of book authors on the Internet. Every published
author, co-author or other listed contributor to a
book in every subject category with an active ISBN
in the U.S. & Canada has a free listing/website which
they can claim and customize. Any EMS professional
who has published a book in any subject area should
have a listing/website already on FiledBy. There is
no fee or obligation to claim a listing/website. Once
customized, an author’s website will share prominent
registry space with thousands of other authors each
representing their own work, videos, podcasts, articles and other accomplishments on FiledBy.
To register and verify an author listing/website
please visit: www.filedby.com/signup/
The NAEMSE staff has promised to become more
7
MEMBER NEWS
NASEMSO Mourns
the Loss of David
Taylor, Arkansas
State EMS Director
On Nov. 5, 2009, the EMS community lost a visionary leader
and great friend with the unexpected death of Arkansas State
EMS Director, David Taylor. NASEMSO invites all state
EMS officials and partner groups to share their memories
of David, share photos, and express their sympathies to his
family and friends at the NASEMSO memorial site in honor
of David. A memorial book will be published, composed
of your memories and photos, and the book will be sent to
David’s family.
David started his career in emergency services as an EMT
in 1989. He became a paramedic in 1991 and joined the
Arkansas Department of Health on June 1, 1999 as an EMS
Specialist. He served as Certification Administrator, Interim
Director, and he became Director of Emergency Medical
Services in April 2003.
MEMBER NEWS
for the Baltimore City Fire Department (BCFD) on October
10, 2009. This event, attended by Baltimore Mayor Sheila
Dixon, local TV news personality Stan Stovall, and others,
celebrates the bravery and dedication of the members of the
BCFD. The McMahon Award is given in recognition of the
pioneering efforts in the delivery of pre-hospital emergency
medical care by Chief McMahon. A medal, certificate, and
monetary award is presented by the family of Chief McMahon to an individual cited for outstanding achievement in
emergency medical services (EMS). Lt. Cooper started with
the BCFD in 1993, was promoted to Lieutenant in 2003,
and returned from the field to work in the training academy
in 2004. He has reviewed and contributed to several EMS
textbooks, and in 2009, obtained recognition as a master
educator by obtaining a Nationally Certified EMS Educator
credential. HCC is very fortunate to have Lt. Cooper; his
efforts on behalf of our students are outstanding!
Congratulations to Joe
Graft, recipient of The
Toward Zero Deaths Star
Award in Education
David was a member of the Paramedic Society, Instructor Society, Arkansas EMT Association and he served as a
National Registry Paramedic/Instructor. At the time of his
death, he was the Southeast Regional Director, Treasurer,
and Program Committee Chair for the National Association
of State EMS Officials.
President Steve Blessing issued this statement on behalf of
NASEMSO, “David Taylor was a dedicated family man, a
committed public servant, and a good friend and colleague.
We were blessed by his friendship, grateful for his commitment, indebted to his experience, and honored by his presence. Our thoughts and prayers are with his beloved wife and
children and all our colleagues in the Arkansas Office of EMS
and Trauma. We will deeply miss him.”
Please contribute your memories, comments, and photos
of David to the NASEMSO memorial site in his honor. Let’s
make sure that his family and friends know how much he has
meant to us. Memorial web page address is: http://memorialwebsites.legacy.com/DavidTaylor/Homepage.aspx
Battalion Chief Martin
C. McMahon Memorial Award Recipient
Lt. Jon Cooper, Howard Community College’s emergency
medical services basic life support program manager, was
awarded the Battalion Chief Martin C. McMahon Memorial
Award during the annual Memorial Service and Medals Day
8
The Toward Zero Deaths Star Awards
The Toward Zero Deaths Star awards are given to recognize
excellence in enforcement, emergency medical and trauma
services, education, engineering, child passenger safety,
judicial/Court systems, and the media. Award recipients
have demonstrated exceptional creativity, leadership and
organizational skills and the ability to sucessfully motivate
and collaborate with others in efforts to drive Minnesota
toward zero deaths on its roads. The 2009 recipients in
each category are listed below:
Education:
The recipient of this year’s Star Award in Education is Metropolitan State University School of Law Enforcement faculty member Joseph A. Grafft. Grafft has been involved
in emergency medical services and education for more than
4o years and has held leadership positions with a number
of emergency medical associations and committees. Including Past-president of the National Association of EMS
Educators and currently is serving as Treasurer. He was responsible for the motorcycle driving program sponsored by
the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, which trained
more than 8.000 riders in basic and advanced motorcycle
driving, and he has wroked extensively with area schools to
promote seat belt use and youth safety.
NAEMT Honors Brown with
Lifetime Achievement Award
The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) awarded the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) Executive Director Bill
Brown, Jr., its 2009 Rocco V. Morando Lifetime Achievement Award. The award was presented on October 27
during NAEMT’s annual EMS awards ceremony. The event
took place at NAEMT’s 2009 General Membership Meeting, held in conjunction with EMS EXPO 2009 in Atlanta.
Coming to the stage during the awards ceremony believing he was presenting the award to someone else, Brown
was completely surprised when NAEMT President Patrick
Moore instead named Brown himself as the recipient of
the award. The Rocco V. Morando Lifetime Achievement
Award is named after EMS pioneer and NAEMT founder
Morando, and represents great achievement in EMS.
Considered NAEMT’s most prestigious honor, the award is
presented by NAEMT and is sponsored by NREMT. “ ‘Lifetime Achievement in EMS’ is a title that is truly appropriate
to attach to the name of Bill Brown,” NREMT Chairman
of the Board Jimm Murray commented. “He has spent a
professional career in the service of EMS and patients, first
in direct medical care and then in devising systems of training and testing that aid the public. This is a most fitting
match of a title and a person.” NAEMT President Patrick
Moore told the audience at the awards ceremony that “Bill
Brown is truly a visionary,” pointing out his heroic efforts
as a Pararescueman (PJ) in Vietnam, his assistance of
refugees from Hurricane Katrina, contributions in shaping the national EMS system and guiding the NREMT. “A
long time ago in Vietnam, I recognized my mission would
be to continue the Pararescue mission — ‘That Others May
Live’,” Brown commented as he accepted the award. He
said his purpose with the NREMT is about EMS provider
competency and safety of the public, with a side goal of
bettering EMS. In comments Brown later wrote in a forum
to his staff, he said in part, “Perhaps I will never be able to
say enough “thanks” to so many people who have made my
life so meaningful...The NREMT is what it is today because
of the teamwork we accomplish with our stakeholders,
Board Members and staff. We will all only be able to pass
through life one time. For those of us who have chosen the
mission to help others, both directly and indirectly, life
has the flavor others will never know. It is not a “one-man”
mission, it is a team…” Brown’s complete biography can be
found at www.nremt.org under About the NREMT/Staff
Biographies. Mr. Brown has been a member of NAEMSE
since 2002.
INSTRUCTOR COURSE
NAEMSE continues to bring its heralded EMS instructor course to all corners of the country. If you haven’t
yet attended, reserve your spot online, or if you’re an
instructor course veteran, spread the good news to your
colleagues in the EMS business. This Winter, courses
will be held in: San Diego, CA and Savannah, GA. For
more information, visit www.naemse.org.
MEMBER DISCOUNTS
Magna Fortis is pleased to support NAEMSE for the 2009-2010
academic year.
NAEMSE members faculty, staff, and students (individually or collectively) are authorized to use 2009-2010
NAEMSE academic code number 515405 to open Magna
Fortis academic store to obtain academically licensed, and
subsidized special academic pricing on stethoscopes for use
in NAEMSE-member EMS training programs.
Access to Magna Fortis
academic store requires
coded entry, online:
1} Go to www.magnafortis.com 2} Enter
Code: [ 515405 ] in
text box; 3} Click [Apply] button.
Academically discounted
Magna Fortis stethoscopes are the same
premium quality instruments with same lifetime
limited warranty as retail-priced Magna Fortis’
products.
Magna Fortis’ primary
goal: “Use the most
advanced materials and
manufacturing methods; inventively apply proven acoustic
principles and craftsmanship of fine musical instrumentmaking; produce super-acoustic stethoscopes that significantly increase auscultation clarity and volume in challenging environments; warranty and support them throughout
the clinician’s professional career.”
The “Magna Fortis’ Academic Support Program mission
is to “eliminate the disparity between ‘have’, and ‘have
not’ students; level the playing field, by making the most
advanced stethoscopes affordable to all EMS students; and
achieve every student’s full auscultation potential.
Member Discount on RN Pocket
Guide
Receive a 25% discount on RN Pocket Guide!
Enter the promo code “NAEMSE” during checkout.
Purchases can be made through the NAEMSE web site.
9
NAEMSE NEWS
Announcement Regarding
Membership Dues Increase
As of January 1, 2010, a membership dues increase will go in effect as the NAEMSE Board of Directors have approved the first dues increase in several years. The cost of doing business has continued to rise in all areas of operations even though cost savings measures have been utilized. With this change in membership dues there will now
only be one membership cost and that will be $85.00. You will still be able to choose electronic or paper membership, but there will be no cost difference between the two options. Dues for international membership will remain
the same at $95.00 US dollars for 2010.
Your great NAEMSE benefits (all benefits are available to international and domestic members) will remain the
same and we plan on adding more benefits to your membership. Please visit www.naemse.org for more information.
We thank you for your understanding of this increase as we continue to try to stay ahead of the rising cost of doing
business.
Member Spotlight: Susan A. Lencioni
Reason you joined NAEMSE: I love to teach, and I’ve been
a medic for a very long time. It’s time for me to give back: perhaps the experiences I have had can assist new medics in some
way: teach them the ropes, help them become a better medic;
regain their love for the job. I also hope to get involved in the
decisions of the new standards coming out in 2012. I think the
world of Para-medicine has so many possibilities: I’d like to
see it realize those possibilities.
Personal Hobbies: I love American History, especially the
American Revolution. I also love photography, and writing
fictional novels.
Activities: I love being outdoors, so any outdoor activity is
fine with me. I especially love to fish, hike, rock climb, and I
hope to get back into SCUBA diving soon.
Name: Susan A. Lencioni.
Hometown: Geneva, IL.
Who would play you in a movie: For some reason, I’ve
always thought Linda Hamilton would do a good job portraying
me. She’s tough, athletic, but is still very feminine.
Organization: Guardian Critical Care Services.
One thing your fridge is never without:
Parmesan Cheese
Job title: Critical Care Paramedic/ EMS
Coordinator.
Job scope: Expanded scope: Critical Care
Transport.
Hardest job aspect: Watching a patient
deteriorate, despite my best efforts. Not being
able to help a student understand a concept.
Most rewarding job: The exact opposite of
above: Watching a patient’s condition improve, and seeing the light go on in the head
of a student when they understand a difficult
concept.
10 |
Educator Update | www.naemse.org
IT’S ALL WHAT YOU STUDY.
It’s All
What You
Study
By David Moltz
A
t community colleges, an underperforming high
school graduate studying computer science is much more
likely to see an earnings increase than is a well-prepared
high school graduate studying literature. That is the conclusion of a new analysis designed to explore the factors
that predict which community college students will gain
the most from their education.
Tuesday, the Economic Mobility Project of the Pew
Charitable Trusts released the results of a study examining the educational attainment and post-college earnings of more than 84,000 Florida students who graduated from high school in 2000 and attended a public
institution in the state. Looking at the outcomes of these
students, the report then attempts “to identify the most
promising educational pathways to increase community
college students’ economic mobility” and “the personal
and institutional impediments that prevent too many
community college students from getting the most from
educational opportunities.”
Nearly 40 percent of all students who eventually earn
bachelor’s and graduate degrees in Florida start their
postsecondary education at a community college. The
study finds that a majority of those community college
students had lower high school grades and were more
likely to be from from low-income families as compared
to those who attended four-year institutions. Still, among
low-income students, those with better high school grades
are more likely to attend community colleges than fouryear institutions.
Though a community college education boosts postcollege earnings for all students, the study notes that
those concentrating in certain fields of study can garner
greater earnings. Seven years after exiting college, community college students who studied so-called “high-
12 |
demand” fields like business, computer science and engineering earned about $12,000 more a year than those who
studied the humanities or fine arts, concentrations the report calls “low-return.”
Chief among the study’s findings, high school graduates with lower grades who attended community colleges
can earn more than their classmates who had higher high
school grades simply by pursuing “high-return” fields of
study like those previously described. In general, the study
notes A and B+ high school graduates earn an average of
$9,600 more per year than graduates with lower grades.
But it further discovers that “lower-performing high school
students who concentrate in high-return fields in community college earn $48,000 annually, slightly more than the
$44,000 earned by A/B+ high school students who concentrate in low-return fields” there. Still, only a quarter of
high school graduates with a C average earned credentials
in “high-return” fields, while nearly 40 percent of A and B+
average high school graduates did so.
The study’s authors, a fellow at the Hudson Institute
and two researchers from CNA, present a series of policy
recommendations based on their findings. They primarily
argue that states and the federal government should provide more funding to increase capacity in “high-cost, highreturn” fields, while changing funding streams “to remove
perverse incentives to enroll students in low-return courses
or other courses they are unlikely to complete.”
Though the authors suggest “information impediments” are the main reason why many community college
students do not complete programs in “medium-return”
fields, they note that “lack of capacity” is the likely reason
why more do not complete programs “high-return” fields
like health care.
“The value of increasing the supply of well-training
IT’S ALL WHAT YOU STUDY.
health-care and other professionals almost certainly would justify shifting resources from low-return courses to courses
in health care and other fields where costs are soaring, in part, because employers cannot find enough well-qualified
workers,” the authors argue, expounding upon one example. “Thus, the key underlying problem is that community colleges’ funding mechanisms do not equate students’ and society’s benefits of completing courses with the schools’ costs.
Rather, there are incentives to enroll students in low-cost, low-return courses and little attention is given to ensuring
that students complete courses that will have greater benefit.”
To correct what the authors see as an imbalance in state funding, they argue that states could adjust payments for
colleges to support “high-cost” programs based on how well they perform, relative to their peers, in preparing students
to enter these “high-demand” fields. Current reform movements at community colleges, they argue, are misguided.
“The benefits of improving course selection to build skills of value in the workplace and keep students in school
long enough to build career-enhancing skills is much less widely recognized and embraced than improving academic
performance,” the authors write. “As a result, community colleges generally have given little attention to improving
student outcomes by such actions as making high-quality, career-oriented counseling and assessment programs more
widely available.”
Some academics, however -- especially those who teach the humanities at community colleges -- worry about the
conclusions drawn by the Pew report.
“What is troubling about the report is the assumption that everyone who goes to college -- two-year or four year
-- is there only to increase potential earnings, and the student’s best bet is to find a major that will have the highest
payoff,” wrote Sandie McGill Barnhouse, chair of the Two-Year College English Association and English professor at
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, in an e-mail. “Should fields of study with ‘medium and low levels of return,’ such
as English, protective services, and communications be discouraged because a student could make more money as a
nurse? In the 21st century, a graduate with multiple literacies, written, oral, and digital, has the best opportunities for
long-term professional achievement across professional lines.”
Barnhouse also argued that it might be detrimental to community colleges to divert students from their career
ambitions.
“Furthermore, not everyone is drawn toward a profession in the ‘high or very high’ level of return careers,” she
wrote. “Teachers, law enforcement officers, day care providers, and public service workers are vital contributors to society, and if community colleges counsel students to concentrate on fields with higher economic mobility potential, then
community colleges stray from their mission of offering students a chance to be able to pursue their personal goals.”
Level of Return
Field of Study
Sample Professions
Avergae Earnings
Very High
Health care
Nurses, medical technicians
$60,557
High
Agriculture, business,
computer science, education, engineering, environmental science, marketing,
math
Computer programmers,
engineers
$53,998
Medium
Building trades, English,
legal services, machinery
repair, protective services,
technical support for business and industry
Paralegals, security guards
$49,036
Low
Communications, consumer services, fine arts, humanities, human services,
performing arts, personal
services, public services,
social studies
Artists, customer service
representatives
$41,766
Article “It’s All What You Study” re-printed with permission from Inside-HigherEd.com.
13
HERO AWARDS
2010 Hero Award
Nominations
STATE SPOTLIGHT
NAEMSE is proud to spotlight the Peach State, Georgia as the first state to be
selected for the new ‘State Spotlight’ feature in Educator Update. Every issue
NAEMSE will profile a different state’s EMS programs and what accomplishments,
goals and challenges each state faces.
By: Lauren Rudenko, Communications Coordinator, NAEMSE & Mickey Moore, Program Evaluator, Department of Community Health, Division of Emergency Preparedness and Response Office of EMS and Trauma, State of Georgia
NAEMSE is proud to announce that nominations are now being accepted for the 2010
Heroes Award. The NAEMSE Heroes Awards are comprised of three separate honors:
Unsung Hero Award—this award is to recognize those unsung men and women who
serve our profession each and every day with a commitment to excellence and reflect the
very best characteristics of our profession in and out of the classroom.
Fallen Hero Award-- in addition to honoring those heroes that are able to be with us today, it is equally important
to honor those EMS Educators who have passed that exemplified the best attributes of the teaching profession.
STATE SPOTLIGHT GEORGIA
Legends That Walk Among Us—this award was created to honor those men and women who have moved our profession forward with their energy and talents at a state or national level.
The recipients of the awards will be honored in a ceremony during the 2010 NAEMSE Symposium in Schaumburg, IL.
For more information, and to find nomination forms, please visit www.naemse.org, or contact Laura Krawchyk in the
NAEMSE office at laura.krawchyk@names.org.
1. Briefly describe the EMS education programs
in the State of Georgia?
There are various programs within Georgia that offer
EMS programs such as: Fire based programs, hospital
based programs, technical colleges and private programs hosted within a hospital, church or community
center.
2. What is the biggest challenge facing EMS education in Georgia?
The HOPE grants and scholarships enable students to
enroll in an EMS program at no cost. It is sometimes
difficult to filter the students who are very serious and
motivated to become a skilled and efficient EMS professional and the ones who may not be as motivated and
are there just to coast through the program.
We are still struggling with National Registry pass rates.
Some programs are consistently strong, while others are
at or below the national averages.
3. What are some noteworthy accomplishments
of EMS Education in Georgia?
Georgia is a pioneer in providing online education
opportunities for students. Several online EMT Basic
and Intermediate courses are offered within the State.
Classes can be taken online and participants can work
around their busy schedules. However, practicals and
clinicals must be completed “on-site.” Georgia also offers
a FREE online continuing education program to medics
and instructors who need continuing ed credits. They can
complete them either at home or on the job.
4. What are the long term goals – Georgia would
like to be executed in EMS education?
Accreditation of all Paramedic programs, so far only one
program has been accredited in Georgia. Also implementing more online collaborations and training opportunities.
Put Your State in the Spotlight
NAEMSE wants to showcase EMS programs in your
State. We’d like to begin building a collection of
profiles to feature in future issues of Educator Update
and on our web site. You can help by answering these
questions to build your state’s profile
1. Briefly describe the educational program (s) within
your state.
2. What is the biggest challenge(s) facing EMS Education in your state?
3. What are some noteworthy accomplishments of
your EMS Education programs?
4. In your mind, what are some long and short term
goals you’d like to see be executed in EMS Education
in your state?
You can email your answers to naemse@naemse.org
14 |
15
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Simulaids continues
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Simulaids salutes the dedication that the
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for today’s students in EMS programs across
the country. Your activity is to be commended and we honor you.
Simulaids, too, continues the tradition of
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you to take a look at the advances in patient
simulators made over the last year.
FISDAP’S web-based
tracker
FISDAP is a web-based system that tracks
EMS students’ internship experiences, schedules emergency and healthcare professionals, prepares EMS students for certification
exams, and facilitates accreditation. FISDAP
enables students, educators, clinicians, and
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17
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MedicAlert Provides
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18
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MedicAlert can also contact their
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We’ve developed a FREE Continuing Education program explaining how the MedicAlert services
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com offers exclusive feature reports
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No. 1 publication for
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Magazine
EMS Magazine offers instantly
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Official Publication of the National Association of EMS Educators
Winter 2010
DOMAIN
3
Providing a Voice for EMS Educators
In This Issue
20
and the EMS Educator
Ultimate reference
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PEPID EMS Plus NAEMSE is the
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and en route. It is also the ultimate
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students in the classroom and as
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students a complete medical reference — plus EMS-specific topics
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carry the basics of pre-hospital care
with them wherever they go. They
also gain quick and easy access to
acute signs and symptoms management, emergency protocols, a
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medical professionals a simple way
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from anywhere, at anytime.
Standardized Assessment 23
Educational Test & Design:
An Introduction and Overview
27
Discipline Expertise - Part II
From the Editor’s Desk . . .
By: Bill Raynovich, NREMT-P, EdD
NAEMSE Publications Committee Chair
Lauren Rudenko, B.A.
NAEMSE Publications and Communications Admin.
The Board of Directors of NAEMSE have formally approved the formation of an Editorial Review Board. The formal recognition of
our Editorial Reviewers will assure recruitment of qualified editorial reviewers, appropriate recognition, and transparency of the editorial selection of articles for publication in Domain3! With the formal blinded peer reviews, Domain3 is now being indexed in EBSCO.
If you are interested in serving on the Editorial Review Board, please contact lauren.rudenko@naemse.org.
We are always seeking articles of interest and are interested in helping new authors develop their skills and learn how to prepare
manuscripts for publication. If you have a topic of interest in mind, or have written a paper for school that might be suitable for
publication, please send your ideas or drafts to lauren.rudenko@naemse.org for review by our Publications Committee. We’re always
pleased to have the chance to work with nascent authors to help them get published.
Our focus for future issues of Domain3 include:
Submission Deadline:
Teaching and Evaluating in the Affective Domain................................... January 22, 2010
Distributed Education, Online Learning.................................................. April 22, 2010
Program Evaluation and Assessment....................................................... July 30, 2010
The Master Instructor............................................................................... October 12, 2010
19
DOMAIN3
Standardized
Assessment
and the EMS
Educator
By: Christi Montellato, EMT-P, Course Director
W
hat if the world of student assessment were reversed? What would happen if the skills proctor suddenly
became the skills student? Would we pass our own exam?
Would we feel the testing was objective, consistent and relevant? Would we be confident that we had been adequately
prepared to meet the guidelines? Testing during EMS
education is perhaps one of the most unique experiences that
any student will ever encounter. However, we can be hopeful
that the days when Paramedic Instructors would scream distractions in their students’ ears and deliberately try to cause
students to err are long gone. As studies begin to document
the benefit of various testing methods, we too have evolved
to implement a more standardized approach.
In 2200 BC the Chinese government began to note the
numerous benefits of test standardization in their military
personnel. Over the centuries, this process of utilizing a common guideline to maintain consistency in student examination has become quite prominent. In the 1900’s this standardization began to appear in the United States for scholastic
exams, government training and psychological evaluation.
Since then, its benefits have been proven time and again.
Even EMS has been part of this popularization by utilizing
tests such as skills exams and National Registry to ensure
that there is no deviation from guidelines. However, the
question remains, do we actually understand the significance
and benefits of this technique in the EMS classroom? A brief
investigation of our own student assessments would possibly
find us farther than ever from test standardization.
The benefits of using test standardization are both diverse
and plentiful. Many collegiate level educators prefer this first
and foremost because of ease of use. They document perks
such as ability to grade tests via automated systems, quickly
administer the same directions to large groups of students
and multiple other time saving advantages. Perhaps the
second reason we find these tests to be so valuable is that
they will, unavoidably, cause us to evaluate whether or not
our classroom techniques are beneficial to students. An audit
of results from a standardized test will quickly tell an educa-
20 |
tor of issues with materials or of information that is not
being communicated. Additional positives include allowing
the educator to remain objective, causing students to push
themselves to reach high standards of achievement and,
finally, the ability to make scenarios realistic and consistent.
Why is it, then, that with so many obvious benefits many
EMS educators seem to struggle with the concept of test
standardization? After watching numerous educators bungle
their way through different student assessments, I must
conclude that, as someone once said “Old habits simply
die-hard”. Perhaps we’re just not evolving with the rest of
the education community to embrace the advantages of a
standardized approach. It takes much practice, discipline
and experience to offer EMS students the most objective
student examination. EMS educators should be aware of the
following tips to achieve effective test standardization.
First and foremost, a test cannot be standardized unless
the guidelines for successful completion are clearly defined
in writing. It is only practical to have a written goal sheet
or checklist during skills exams and a minimum qualifying
score for written tests. This standard should be made known
to students well in advance and should be strictly adhered
to. Should the student not meet the requirements for successful completion they must be remediated.
Not only is it crucial that the guidelines are clearly defined
but also that the instructor is firm enough to maintain the
highest of standards. Students will better respect an instructor who is strong enough to hold them accountable for their
own actions. In a practical sense, taking notes during a
skills or verbal exam is an extremely useful tool for determining whether or not a student meets the requirements.
Checklists are widely accepted and used in EMS education
but they cannot be our only tool. Be sure to document any
error that is made rather than relying on your memory. In
this manner, you, as the facilitator, can remain completely
objective.
Additionally, instructors should strive to avoid scare tactics
and student demoralization. Recent Gallup Polls show that
DOMAIN3
Every EMS educator should be aware of the following tip to achieve
effective test standardization. First and foremost, a test cannot be
standardized unless the guidelines for successful completion are
clearly defined in writing.
the most common fears in the United States are public
speaking and failure. An astonishing 38% of Americans
are afraid of speaking in front of groups while an equally
surprising majority are terrified of failure, be it financial,
scholastic or achievement related. It only makes sense then
that psychomotor skills testing, which involves both public
speaking and the risk of failure, can be an extremely traumatic experience for students. Educators should be aware of
the anxiety that is often associated with student assessment
and carefully avoid causing further stress. While techniques
like intimidation and deliberate mis-direction may have
been successful in military or law enforcement training,
they are not currently viewed as effective classroom techniques. Instead, approaching students as a supportive
evaluator will allow them to learn from their mistakes and
make the most of their testing experience.
One of the other major concerns facing students is that they
will be tested on material that they have not studied. Being
that emergency medicine is such a dynamic field, we must
remember that with our examinations we are also preparing
them for real life testing of their skills and knowledge base.
As educators, it is our responsibility to teach students the
material that they will be faced with on their final didactic
exam and the information they will need when they begin
their career. If you must add something to an exam that you
have not covered in class or that was not addressed in the
curricula, consider offering it as a determinant for added
credit.
One of the toughest areas for any person in the field of
EMS education is separating the mentor from the proctor.
Once an examination is begun, it is crucial that the educator allow the students to work through it on their own.
Allowing room for extra discussion during a skills test or
coaching a student through a written exam not only causes
room for personal bias but can also eliminate the validity of
the exam. Expect your students to perform skills scenarios
as realistically as possible and do not allow yourself to be
tempted to prompt a student during a written exam. Remember, once testing begins, you are no longer the educator but the facilitator.
Finally, if a student does not meet the criteria to pass the
exam they must be privately remediated. It is never appropriate to ask the rest of the class whether or not the student
should pass their skills exam and it is even more important
that a student is given negative feedback in private. Numerous studies have documented that students are more apt
to receive criticism and learn from their mistakes if they
are not publicly humiliated. Keep in mind that our ultimate
goal is to ensure that the student knows the material and can
successfully complete the exam. Give them an opportunity to
review their mistakes, ask questions as needed and attempt
the exam again if allowed.
Do the freedoms we take in the classroom ultimately interfere with test standardization or enhance it? It can only
be concluded that proper student evaluation entails a fine
balance of ethical and legal responsibility. On one side of the
scale we have the importance of maintaining high standards
in the testing process. From ensuring that guidelines are
solidly established to properly remediating students, we must
recognize the severity of problems that can arise from allowing shoddy test practices. On the opposite side of the scale
we find the need to allow students the room to succeed. In
order to complete this balance we must not overcompensate
by berating students or attempting to demean their correct
responses. On the same note, we must also ensure that they
are adequately prepared for exams and given objective treatment. It is only when this, ever so delicate, scale is parallel
that testing standardization is attained.
References:
Haladyna, T. M. (2002). Essentials of Standardized Achievement Testing. Validity and Accountability. Boston: Allyn and
Baco
Jorgenson, O. & Vanosdall, R. (Aprill 2002). The Death of
Science? What we risk in our rush toward
standardized
testing and the three R’s. Phi Delta Kappan, 601-605.
Ward, A.W. & Murray-Ward, M. (1999). Assesssment in the
Classroom. Albany, NY: Wadsworth Publishing Company.
Matthews, J. (November, 2006) Just Whose Idea Was All
This Testing? Washington Post
Gallup Polls, 2001 Survey of American Phobias ( >1000
Respondents)
Niles, K. (CR 2000-2009) Importance of Test Plans or Test
Protocols (With Template) Six Sigma. San Diego : http://
www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c040920a.asp
Further References Available Upon Request.
21
DOMAIN3
SAVE THE DATE
Educational Test Design: An
Introduction & Brief Overview
By: Darrell DeMartino
NAEMSE is headed to the Windy City
15TH ANNUAL EDUCATIONAL
SYMPOSIUM & TRADE SHOW
SEPTEMBER 7-12TH, 2010
RENAISSANCE SCHAUMBURG
HOTEL & CONVENTION CENTER
SCHAUMBURG, IL
(suburb of Chicago)
ON THE WINDS OF CHANGE IN EMS EDUCATION
“EMS instructor classes focus more time and content on methods of
instruction rather than test development and analysis (NHTSA, 2002).”
Introduction
When the word “test” comes to mind, many different
ideas come to mind. Students might think of a quiz or
exam, a certification exam or the National Registry test.
In K-12 education, testing is a regular part of state-required achievement testing. In higher education, testing may take the form of standardized tests that rank
candidates for admission (i.e., ACT, SAT, GRE). As an
EMS educator, the word “test” tends to have alternative
meanings as well.
Testing can be viewed from many different perspectives
and may have many different purposes. In EMS, educators focus on three domains of testing; the cognitive,
affective, and psychomotor. The National Guidelines for
Educating EMS Instructors refers to these as domains of
evaluation (NHTSA, 2002). The scope of these tests can
be formative or summative.
Within the cognitive domain, instructors need to evaluate students’ knowledge of the course content. If the
purpose of a test is to measure progress and provide
feedback about performance, then the exam is used as
a formative evaluation tool. In this case we are looking at performance “along the way”, and the test is used
to determine who might need remediation or if a topic
needs to be re-taught. This is often seen as course quizzes given within a unit. Summative testing, on the other
hand, is used to evaluate knowledge (skills or attitude) at
some end-point; this can be at the end of a unit/module
or at the end of the course. Summative tests are used to
determine whether success at that point has been reached
or not. In EMS, the course final exam is an example of a
summative exam.
In moving to the other domains (affective and psychomotor), both formative and summative evaluations still occur,
however the formative assessment is often overlooked. In
the psychomotor domain, the skills test is often an endpoint test evaluating students’ ability to perform a skill.
In affective domain, the formative and summative tests
should be used. Formative testing needs to be considered
since we are looking at ongoing attitude and beliefs, with
summative evaluation as a means to ensure students have
obtained the levels of competency we expect (e.g. professionalism). The EMS instructor should have a firm understanding of all three domains and the different scopes
of testing. This is determined by clearly articulating the
purpose of the test.
Process of Test Development: Know Your Purpose
Educators spend more time on teaching than evalua-
23
DOMAIN3
tion. As well, EMS instructor classes focus more time
and content on methods of instruction rather than test
development and analysis (NHTSA, 2002). This has
resulted in a high utilization of test banks. However,
utilizing a publisher’s test or test questions to prepare
a test can result in compromised test integrity if used
incorrectly. Thus the critical starting point for test
development is to understand the purpose of your test.
To administer a valid test for a course, the instructor
must target the test and each test question specifically
to the course, and that is accomplished through a test
“blueprint” (Sax, 1997). The “blueprint” is the design
plan for the test. It balances the content of the test to
be proportional to the course content. It links each test
item to the lesson plans, the goals and objectives, and
the references for the content. A standardized publisher’s test can never be perfectly matched to a course, the
students, and is not confidential. Thus, individual test
development is preferred over randomly selecting items
from a test bank.
Following item and test development, the questions are
pilot tested. This is why students see extra test questions on certification and licensure tests. Once the questions are deemed appropriate, including free of error
and bias, they can be administered as part of the actual
test. There are a variety of administration methods
from paper and pencil, to computerized that will not be
addressed here, but recognize different testing environments and methods can result in different outcomes.
For most EMS classroom tests, this will be in paper and
pencil format.
After the test is administered, is important to determine
how well the test performed. That is, did the test validly
and reliably differentiate the passing from the failing
students? How did each test question perform? These
are critical analytic questions that must be considered
after every test. One example is the use of item discrimination indices to determine how well the items on a test
did at achieving its goal (Sax, 1997).
Finally, the test results must be calculated and feedback
given to the students. They may be reported as pass/fail
(e.g., NREMT tests), a scaled score (e.g. SAT, ACT), or as
a raw score (e.g., percentage or number answered correctly). The choice of this reporting is dependent upon
the purpose of the test. If the test is used to determine
if someone met the standards for certification, such as
the NREMT, the results should be reported as success/
non-success. If the purpose is to compare students as
in admission testing, then a scaled score may be more
appropriate. In many cases, the raw score is used as a
means of calculating a student’s course grade.
DOMAIN3
sults are the foundation of test development. The National
Registry, for example, makes their testing purpose clear
in their mission statement, “… to provide a valid, uniform
process to assess the knowledge and skills required for
competent practice …” (NREMT, 2009). EMS Instructors
need to keep in mind the purpose of their tests, rather
than testing for the sake of testing.
Blueprinting
In developing a test blueprint, it is recommended that the
instructor develop a table of specifications that outline the
number of items, objectives, content, and level of complexity of items. Instead of selecting items from an item bank
(e.g. test-generator software with textbooks), a process is
established that identifies the type, number, and level of
knowledge according to Bloom’s taxonomy level for each
content area to be tested. This means that all the areas to
be tested are identified up front and clearly articulated. It
is generally not possible to test all of the knowledge of a
unit reliably due to time constraints.
Many instructors inform students about the blueprint
information. For instance, it is valid to let students know
that the test has 63 cardiac questions, 24 of which are
EKG, and of those, 10 are 12-Lead questions etc. This
helps students understand what they will be expected to
know and how to focus their time in preparing for the test.
Sharing this information also provides an argument for
supporting the validity of the examination.
Item Development
Once a test blueprint is developed, the items (test questions) can be developed. The items should conform to the
table of specifications in the blueprint. In all high-stakes
tests, the item development process is the most time consuming and costly. It commonly costs professional testing
organizations more than $1000 per multiple-choice item
developed. Furthermore, the professional testing organizations continually develop new test items and maintain
banks of many more items than they administer in any
test. They also “pilot” the test items to validate them many
times prior to including the items in the final scoring. No
individual course or EMS training program would be able
to devote the resources required to match that level of testing design validation.
The cost and work involved in creating good items, and the
need to protect the integrity of the test, results in a need
for security. Security involves a locked physical space,
password protected computer files, and the professional
integrity of all program instructors and staff. When test
security is compromised, the costs can be high, in dollars
and in professional reputations, as well maintaining good
standing as a student or as an employee.
A follow up article in the next addition of Domain3 will
address the principles of good item development.
Administration
Once a test has been developed, then the test must
be given to students. It can be delivered on paper or
electronically on the computer. It can be administered
simultaneously to all students at once or individual as
typical of a skills test. In some cases, examinations are
given verbally. Decisions must also be made as to how
many different versions of a test will be produced, and
how they will be distributed (e.g. alternating forms). If
the test is timed, what are the parameters of the timing,
and how is time determined. Collectively, the testing
parameters will be used to assess the validity of the test,
thus test length, time, medium, and preparations time
(i.e. pop quiz) must be considered. Additionally, if a
student is absent on the day of a test, decisions must be
made as to under what conditions a make-up test will be
given and whether it is an alternative version of the test.
In some cases, instructors do not give opportunities for
make-ups (e.g. missed quiz).
Item/Test Analysis
After the test is administered, both the items and the
test itself need to be evaluated. This will help uncover
miskeyed items, poor functioning test questions, and
areas where content was inadequately taught or learned.
The issue of test validity and reliability are considered as
a part of this analysis. Without these steps, the meanings of the test results have limited utility.
Awarding students with high test grades on a test the
functioned poorly has no value beyond saying you gave
them a test. As education program look towards national accreditation, the steps in evaluating your program
including the tests used to determine an EMS student
is competent should not be underestimated. Follow up
articles in the next addition of Domain3 will address the
principles of item analysis, item discrimination, and the
topics of validity and reliability.
Overall, when reporting make sure the reports
match the purpose of the test. If the test is formative, then the score should be addressing progress.
If the test is summative and designed to understand
content mastery, then scoring systems that reflect
overall performance is important. If the goal is to
compare students, then the test should be designed
with this in mind. This might be appropriate in
selecting students to admit to a paramedic program
or selecting scholarship candidates.
Conclusion
EMS instructors need to have expertise in
testing, including planning, designing and
evaluating the performance of the tests that
they administer. Test design and evaluation are
highly specialized academic areas of psychology and
psychometrics. This article is a first step to provide
a tool towards developing the ability to design, assess and improve tests. This article highlights the
value of testing with a purpose or goal in mind and
provides a rationale for each program to develop
a valid test based on a blueprint and sound testing principles. Test development has many stages
and requires understanding of why the test is being
designed.
References
Reporting
Once the test has been administered and the performance score calculated, feedback can be given to the
examinees. If the goal of the test was to determine students who might need remediation or to identify those
who obtain “entry-level competency,” then letter grades,
percentages, or numerical scores may not be important. If scores on tests are used to calculate an academic
course letter grade, then precise scores might be used.
Students may want to compare their score to another
Knowing the purpose of the test and how to use the re-
24 |
student’s score, but the comparison is often inappropriate. First, students might have taken different versions of the test. Second, most testing done
in EMS is not designed to rank students and assign
grades based on their performance in comparison
with the class, or group (normative testing). Most
EMS testing is achievement or competency testing,
in which students are measured as a portion of content master (criterion-referenced). Third, advanced
testing systems assign different values to items,
thus making raw scores meaningless as different the
same number of questions answered correctly can
produces different scores.
NHTSA. (2002). National Guidelines for Educating
EMS Instructors. Retrieved from http://www.nhtsa.
gov/people/injury/ems/Instructor/TableofContents.htm.
NREMT. (2009). NREMT Mission Statement. Retrieved from http://www.nremt.org/ nremt/about/
mission_statement.asp.
Sax, G. (1997). Instructor’s manual for principles
of educational and psychological measurement and
evaluation. Belmont, CA ; Toronto: Wadsworth.
25
DOMAIN3
EXCEPTIONAL LEARNING
FOR EMS EDUCATORS
THE NAEMSE INSTRUCTOR COURSE
Modules developed from the DOT/NHTSA
2002 National Guidelines
Provides a basic introduction of educational concepts
Provides tools and resources for the EMS Instructor
An interactive course that encourages professional growth
PROGRAM INFORMATION,
COURSE UPDATES,
AND REGISTRATION
www.naemse.org
(412) 920-4775
Discipline Expertise
and the Effect on
Classroom Instruction
By Terry DeVito, Ed.D., RN, EMT-P, EMSI
I
n part one, the discussion evolved around the manner in which discipline experts think and how they
process information. Part two reflects on ways this
expertise in a specific discipline may actually affect
teaching style.
Recently, I sat in the classroom listening to the Emergency Department’s toxicologist lecture to our paramedic students. What struck me most was his amazing
content knowledge base, but equally impressive was his
wonderful teaching style that made the material easily
understood and enjoyable. As this was content that
does not come easily to me, I found myself listening
more intently not just to what he was saying but also
how he was saying it. As he made sense of cholinergic
and anticholinergic toxidromes, hydrocarbons and acid
versus alkaline chemical reactions and burns; I realized I was seeing discipline expertise and teaching at its
finest.
The fact that he was brilliant in the content knowledge
goes without saying. However, I watched him consciously
process his thoughts as he was speaking. He spoke in a
manner that included details when necessary but at other
times spoke globally. It was a balance that worked well as
he translated his vast knowledge into understandable content. This experience related so well to information that
speaks to discipline experts and how their expertise affects
classroom teaching styles. I could not wait to add it to this
discussion! So with this experience in mind, I looked to
the research regarding discipline experts who teach in the
classroom and how they translate their vast knowledge
into classroom instruction.
As EMS education has evolved over the last
twenty years, no longer do we rely on other discipline
experts such as emergency physicians or nurses to teach
exclusively in the classroom. EMS providers are now their
own “experts” and do most of the instruction while the
physicians and nurses are the “guest lecturers”. With this
in mind, I found it interesting to read how the National
Research Council (2000) found that teachers with an
expertise in a certain discipline organize content around
“core concepts or big ideas that guide thinking” (p.37).
This content knowledge is stored in contextual frameworks, not just as a list of facts or individual ideas. The experts see the global picture and understand the discipline
content as it affects or interacts with other information.
Knowing this, we need to realize that this global picture
has developed over time with repetitive exposure and
experience. A novice student does not have the underlying
experience to fully understand the details that go into this
bigger picture. Just as the expert toxicologist did, EMS
educators need to consciously explain the how, the why
and the reasons involved with the content while discussing the larger theoretical concept.
Another specialty group the NRC (2000) studied
was history teachers. It was noted that they present information in a contextual format. For example, when they
discussed the Renaissance, they presented information in
their classrooms in a manner that correlated dates and the
names of people who lived during the time in such a way
that it painted a picture of the era itself, not just as a list
of dates and names to memorize. This larger contextual
framework provided a better understanding of this time
in history. This can be likened to watching a movie about
the Renaissance. The organization of the knowledge is the
whole movie. If one were to separate the frames, such as
dates and names, the knowledge becomes fragmented and
not easily remembered or learned.
As we apply this concept to our EMS classrooms,
we need to realize that as EMS experts, we also will teach
in relation to the bigger picture. Therefore, it makes sense
to approach our instruction by teaching material not in
isolation, but using a contextual framework. This allows a
student to see how the information fits in a larger context;
27
DOMAIN3
thus it becomes more meaningful and can be applied
to other similar situations. However, we still need to
provide the foundational information to assist with the
learning. This can be accomplished by assisting the EMS
student to conceptualize new information in light of the
context of the illness pathology, patient signs and symptoms, and management as well as factual memorization
such as anatomy and physiology. This combination will
provide a foundation for effective teaching and learning.
Expert teachers are also noted to have their own
set of teaching patterns which are specific to the content
they teach and assist
students with learning, problem solving, and retention.
The NRC (2000)
stated: “different disciplines are
organized differently
and have different
approaches to inquiry” (p. 155). The
Council believes that
discipline experts
think and speak in
an exclusive domain-specific manner and a deep understanding of the discipline content supports this way
of thinking and talking. The experts are able to choose
teaching techniques that best interact with the theory.
“Different disciplines are organized differently and have
different approaches to inquiry….effective teachers
need pedagogical content knowledge (knowledge about
how to teach in particular disciplines) rather than only
knowledge of a particular subject matter” (p. 155). This
point emphasizes the need for EMS instructors to have a
mastery of content knowledge as well as a solid knowledge of pedagogical theory. The combination of both
knowledge bases will assist with the organization of the
content into meaningful segments enhanced by effective
teaching strategies.
One last point to make is that the NRC (2000)
found that discipline experts think in a manner that
creates “meaningful patterns of information” (p.32).
This ability to recognize patterns develops over time,
with experience, and results from the deep understanding of their discipline-specific content. “Experts begin
to ‘chunk’ various elements of a configuration that are
related by an underlying function or strategy” (p.32).
This categorization or chunking allows the retrieval of
information that assists with rapid problem solving and
the development of critical thinking skills. “Expertise in
a domain helps people develop a sensitivity to patterns
of meaningful information that are not available to novices” (p. 33). This pattern recognition affects the manner in which discipline experts organize content in the
THE EVIDENCE ON ONLINE EDUCATION
classroom. In the EMS classroom we need to realize that
our students may not recognize the patterns we see. Thus
it is important to speak to the student as opposed to speaking at the student. I go back to the toxicologist, as he spoke
he walked around the room and made eye contact with the
students. He was reading their expressions and their body
language while he spoke and asked questions. One could
see his ability to think through how he was presenting the
information in light of how the students were receiving it.
I would like to leave you the reader with one last
quote that summarizes the concept of what comprises successful teaching and
learning:
A great course is
more likely the
result of a long and
continuous effort of
thinking, researching and reflecting
upon the issues of
what is the purpose
of the course, who
are the learners,
what constitutes
learning, what
methods of instruction are suitable and how do you implement them in a given context (O’Grady, 2001. p. 4).
As the prehospital environment continues to become more
complex and challenging in terms of patient criticality and
patient care, the importance of what transpires in the EMS
classroom in light of teaching methodology and mastery of
content knowledge is looming large. Let us all aspire to not
only be like the expert toxicologist or the history teacher,
but also to begin developing our own legacy within the
EMS educational process.
I found it interesting to read how the
National Research Council (2000)
found that teachers with an expertise in a certain discipline organize
content around “core concepts or big
ideas that guide thinking” (p.37).
28 |
References:
National Research Council. (2000). How People Learn.
(Expanded ed.).Washington, D.C.: National Academy
Press.
O’Grady, Glen (2001) Designing & Planning a Successful
Course: Bridging the Gap Between
Common Practice and Best Practice. CDTL Brief . Vol4.
No.6
EDITOR’S COMMENT:
This is Part II of a two-part series. Part I
was published in the Summer 2009 issue
Evidence On Online Education
By Scott Jaschik
“The Education Department report said that it had identified more than 1,000
empirical studies of online learning that were published from 1996 through July
2008.”
O
nline learning has definite advantages over face-toface instruction when it comes to teaching and learning,
according to a new meta-analysis released Friday by the
U.S. Department of Education.
The study found that students who took all or part of
their instruction online performed better, on average,
than those taking the same course through face-to-face
instruction. Further, those who took “blended” courses
-- those that combine elements of online learning and
face-to-face instruction -- appeared to do best of all. That
finding could be significant as many colleges report that
blended instruction is among the fastest-growing types of
enrollment.
The Education Department examined all kinds of instruction, and found that the number of valid analyses of elementary and secondary education was too small to have
much confidence in the results. But the positive results
appeared consistent (and statistically significant) for all
types of higher education, undergraduate and graduate,
across a range of disciplines, the study said.
A meta-analysis is one that takes all of the existing studies
and looks at them for patterns and conclusions that can
be drawn from the accumulation of evidence.
On the topic of online learning, there is a steady stream of
studies, but many of them focus on limited issues or lack
of control groups. The Education Department report said
that it had identified more than 1,000 empirical studies
of online learning that were published from 1996 through
July 2008. For its conclusions, however, the Education Department considered only a small number (51) of
independent studies that met strict criteria. They had to
contrast an online teaching experience to a face-to-face
situation, measure student learning outcomes, use a
“rigorous research design,” and provide adequate information to calculate the differences.
The department noted that this new meta-analysis differs from previous such studies, which generally found
that online education and face-to-face instruction were
similarly effective on issues of learning, but didn’t give
an edge to online learning that may now exist.
While the new study provides a strong endorsement of
online learning, it also notes findings about the relative
success (or lack thereof) of various teaching techniques
used in online courses. The use of video or online quizzes -- frequently encouraged for online education -“does not appear to enhance learning,” the report says.
Using technology to give students “control of their interactions” has a positive effect on student learning, however. “Studies indicate that manipulations that trigger
learner activity or learner reflection and self-monitoring
of understanding are effective when students pursue
online learning as individuals,” the report says.
Notably, the report attributes much of the success in
learning online (blended or entirely) not to technology
but to time. “Studies in which learners in the online
condition spent more time on task than students in the
face-to-face condition found a greater benefit for online
learning,” the report says.
In noting caveats about the findings, the study returns to
the issue of time.
29
NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
THE EVIDENCE ON ONLINE EDUCATION
“Despite what appears to be strong support for online
learning applications, the studies in this meta-analysis
do not demonstrate that online learning is superior as a
medium,” the report says. “In many of the studies showing an advantage for online learning, the online and
classroom conditions differed in terms of time spent,
curriculum and pedagogy. It was the combination of elements in the treatment conditions (which was likely to
have included additional learning time and materials as
well as additional opportunities for collaboration) that
produced the observed learning advantages. At the same
time, one should note that online learning is much more
conducive to the expansion of learning time than is faceto-face instruction.”
In a statement, Education Secretary Arne Duncan urged
educators to consider the report’s findings. “This new
report reinforces that effective teachers need to incorporate digital content into everyday classes and consider
open-source learning management systems, which have
proven cost effective in school districts and colleges
nationwide,” he said.
John R. Bourne, executive director of the Sloan Consortium, a group of colleges and other organizations that
work on online education issues, said he was not surprised by the findings, but thought it was quite important that the Education Department was the source. “I
think this is incredibly significant,” he said. “Those of us
in the business have thought these things for some time,
but we have had enormous trouble convincing some
folks” about the quality of online education. “I think this
will give more credibility to the things that have been
said.”
Diana G. Oblinger, president of Educause, also was
pleased with the findings. “Online education provides
additional opportunities,” she said. “It gives people
greater opportunity for flexibility, for experiential
learning, for illustrating things in multiple ways such as
visualization.” What the study demonstrates, she said,
is that colleges need to think broadly about using online
education, and not be “artificially limited” to face-to-face
instruction.
Lawrence N. Gold, director of higher education at the
American Federation of Teachers, said via e-mail that
it was important to pay attention to the report’s caveats
and not view it as evidence for shifting everything possible online.
“This report correctly recognizes that online learning
and blended learning are growing components of higher
education and, employed properly, can play a significant
role in promoting student learning. Further public investment in experimentation and technology is certainly
warranted,” he said.
But noting the caveats in the report about factors other
than medium of instruction, he said that “we should
not take the report as saying it is simply better to move
30 |
to online learning. These results demonstrate why more
research is needed -- broadly based research that moves
well beyond case studies conducted by distance education practitioners, research focused on student retention
in online environments and especially research that looks
behind the instructional medium to isolate the characteristics of instruction that produce positive results. Successful education has always been about engaging students
whether it is in an online environment, face to face or in a
blended setting. And fundamental to that is having faculty
who are fully supported and engaged in that process as
well.”
EDUCATORS NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS
W
ell, another year has blown by and it’s the start of
a new decade. As we approach the New Year, we thought it
would be fun to share a list of some potential new year resolutions. We hope you find them useful and that they encourage
you to make some positive changes in 2010. Happy New Year!
Educator’s Top 5 New Year Resolutions...
Continue Your Education –
1. Keep up-to-date in your areas of study by reading at least
one article each week. The Educator Update/Domain3 magazine has many educational articles that are helpful to you in
the classroom.
2. Finish your degree by registering with NAEMSE‘s Corporate Partner THE COLLEGE NETWORK. Take advantage of
the discount offered to NAEMSE members.
3. Need continuing education? NAEMSE in conjunction with
CentreLearn, is offering all NAEMSE members 2 free continuing education credits towards any online training material.
4. Register for NAEMSE’s Symposium 2010, September 7 -12
where you can learn new educational techniques, and network
with your peers.
Read Up On Current Events –
1. Find a unique and fun way to incorporate current events
into your classroom. Visit NAEMSE’s webpage for current
EMS events to use as discussion in the classroom.
Article “The Evidence On Online Education” re-printed with
permission from Inside-HigherEd.com.
By: Joann Freel, BS, CMP - Executive Director
Green Your Classroom –
1. Reuse paper, recycle cans, bottles and paper, encourage
students to use reusable water bottles. Make it a class project to
recycle and use the dollars returned for a class outing.
Get Involved –
1. Find a way to encourage your students to get involved in a
community service project.
2. Join a committee at NAEMSE!
There are many opportunities at NAEMSE that will open new
avenues of awareness for you as an EMS educator!
3. Renew your membership with the association.
Learn a New Skill –
Learn how to sew, dance, play a sport, etc and share your learning experience with your students. For example, learn to use
Twitter or Facebook (C. LeBaudour’s example) and involve your
students.
Exercise , Take Care of YOU –
1. Join a gym to exercise at least 20 minutes 3 -4 times a week.
2. Eat healthy – no more fast foods; pack your lunch; incorporate the food pyramid into your classroom discussion.
Thank you for your friendship and support of NAEMSE in 2009
and best wishes for a safe and happy 2010.
NAEMSE
Foster Plaza 6
681 Andersen Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15220
NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATION
PAID
PITTSBURGH, PA
PERMIT NO. 5369

Domain3

Transcription

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