There are many theories that explain how adults learn and each has its own merits. This Guide explains and explores the more commonly used ones and how they can be used to enhance student and faculty learning. The Guide presents a model that combines many of the theories into a flow diagram which can be followed by anyone planning learning. The schema can be used at curriculum planning level, or at the level of individual learning. At each stage of the model, the Guide identifies the responsibilities of both learner and educator. The role of the institution is to ensure that the time and resources are available to allow effective learning to happen. The Guide is designed for those new to education, in the hope that it can unravel the difficulties in understanding and applying the common learning theories, whilst also creating opportunities for debate as to the best way they should be used.

The definition of problem-based learning (PBL) as an educational concept is as elusive in 2008 as it has been since the concept was first expressed over forty years ago. A definitive guide to the practice of PBL is equally elusive. Like all worthwhile educational ideas, PBL has proved attractive to those teachers who seek improvements for their courses. Its appeal has transcended the traditional boundaries in formal education so that there are examples of PBL from primary to tertiary education, and across many disciplines within these. Dissemination, however, has wrought confusion in understanding and practice, and consequent difficulties for researchers in evaluating its efficacy, and lack of clear advice for those who would like to adopt PBL. Rather than attempting to be definitive, this Guide explores the various interpretations and practices that claim the label PBL, and critiques these against the original concept and practice. The primary aim is to provide insight into the causes of the confusion about PBL in 2008. The second aim is to point a feasible way forward so that, where appropriate, the potential of PBL as a whole-of-curriculum concept may be realised; and, where it is not possible to implement the whole concept, worthwhile educational principles that have been associated more or less with PBL may be recognised as such and given value in their own right.

Health Professions’ Educators (HPEs) and their learners have to adapt their educational provision to rapidly changing and uncertain circumstances linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper reports on an AMEE-hosted webinar: Adapting to the impact of COVID-19: Sharing stories, sharing practice. Attended by over 500 colleagues from five continents, this webinar focused on the impact of the virus across the continuum of education and training. Short formal presentations on teaching and learning, assessment, selection and postgraduate training generated wide-ranging questions via the Chatbox. A thematic analysis of the Chatbox thread indicated the most pressing concerns and challenges educators were experiencing in having to adapt programmes and learning across the continuum of medical education and training. The main areas of concern were: campus-based teaching and learning; clinical teaching; selection and assessment, and educator needs. While there is clearly no one simple solution to the unprecedented issues medical education and training face currently, there were two over-arching messages. First, this is a time for colleagues across the globe to help and support each other. Second, many local responses and innovations could have the potential to change the shape of medical education and training in the future.

This Guide discusses the considerable literature on the merits or shortcomings of Problem-based learning (PBL), and the factors that promote or inhibit it, when seen through the eyes of the student. It seems to be the case that PBL works best when students and faculty understand the various factors that influence learning and are aware of their roles; this Guide deals with each of the main issues in turn. One of the most important concepts to recognise is that students and Faculty share the responsibility for learning and there are several factors that can influence its success. They include student motivation for PBL and the various ways in which they respond to being immersed in the process. As faculty, we also need to consider the way in which the learning environment supports the students develop the habit of life-long learning, and the skills and attitudes that will help them become competent reflective practitioners. Each of these elements place responsibilities upon the student, but also upon the Faculty and learning community they are joining. Although all of the authors work in a European setting, where PBL is used extensively as a learning strategy in many medical schools, the lessons learned we suggest, apply more widely, and several of the important factors apply to any form of curriculum. This Guide follows on from a previous review in the AMEE Guides in Medical education series, which provided an overview of PBL and attempts to emphasise the key role that students have in mastering their subject through PBL. This should render the business of being a student a little less mystifying, and help faculty to see how they can help their students acquire the independence and mastery that they will need.

This AMEE Guide provides a framework to guide medical educators engaged in the design and implementation of “Resident as Teacher” programs. The suggested approaches are based on established models of program development: the Program Logic model to guide program design, the Dundee three-circle model to inform a systematic approach to planning educational content and the Kirkpatrick pyramid, which forms the backbone of program evaluation. The Guide provides an overview of Resident as Teacher curricula, their benefits and impact, from existing literature supplemented by insights from the authors’ own experiences, all of whom are engaged in teaching initiatives at their own institutions. A conceptual description of the Program Logic model is provided, a model that highlights an outcomes-based curricular design. Examples of activities under each step of this model are described, which would allow educational leaders to structure their own program based on the scope, context, institutional needs and resources available. Emphasis is placed on a modular curricular format to not only enhance the teaching skills of residents, but also enable development of future career educators, scholars and leaders. Application of the Dundee three-circle model is illustrated to allow for a flexible curricular design that can cater to varying levels of educational needs and interests. In addition, practical advice is provided on robust assessment of outcomes, both assessment of participants and program evaluation. Finally, the authors highlight the need for congruence between the formal and hidden curriculum through explicit recognition of the value of teaching by institutions, support for development of teaching programs, encouragement of evidence-based approach to education and rewards for all levels of teachers.