Improvement of teaching competencies of academic personnel is prerequisite for successful transition of medical education from outdated to modern standards of teaching at Tbilisi State Medical University (TSMU). One of the main goals of currently running three-year TEMPUS project MUMEENA (“Modernizing Undergraduate Medical Education in EU Eastern Neighboring Area”) was creation of Teacher Training Center and regular training of academic staff in medical education methodology.

Establishment of Faculty Development Center at TSMU was preceded by training of working groups composed of academics in EU partner medical schools (in UK, Netherlands, Italy and Spain) in modern methodology of medical education. Trained academics developed faculty development program and started trainings for the rest of TSMU academic staff.

Trainings at Faculty development center are running predominantly as interactive workshop activities aimed to enhance professional, instructional, leadership and organizational skills of academics, mastering in new methodologies of teaching, learning and assessment. Themes of faculty development curriculum imply teaching in small and large groups, methodology of OSCE and case-based clinical reasoning, interactive lectures, composing MCQs, etc. Special questionnaires were designed to get feedback from trained academic staff. Overall satisfaction with faculty development programs was high. Participants consistently found programs acceptable, useful and relevant to their objectives.

http://youtu.be/oGmjC_46mHQ

Based on feedback analysis we conclude that training of academic staff resulted in increased knowledge in medical education methodology and improvement of teaching skills.