Faculty Development for Medical Educators

Characters of Well Designed Pre-Work

• focused
• reduces cognitive load
• uses accessible design
• up-to-date

Below we will explore what instructors should do to create materials that fit this criteria.

What is Focused Pre-Work
Focused pre-work for flipped learning refers to the essential, structured tasks students complete before class, designed to prepare them to engage deeply during in-person or live sessions. 

How to Create Focused Pre-Work Documents

• Create documents that are specific to the information that students need to know when completing the in class activity.  
• Do not include extraneous information.   
• Use your learning objectives to guide you.

Examples of Focused Pre-Work Documents

Focused Content Example 1           

Focused Content Example 2
 

What is Cognitive Load?

• Cognitive load - the amount of information our working memory can process at any given time. 
• Cognitive load theory -  helps us to avoid overloading learners with more than they can effectively process into schemas for long-term memory storage and future recall.

How to Reduce Cognitive Load

• Limit on screen text - Limiting on screen text helps learners focus on essential information.  Writing should be clear and concise.  Instead of long paragraphs use bullet points to break up text.  Make sure there is white space on the page.
• Incorporate visuals - Visuals are helpful for illustrating complex concepts that may be difficult to understand.  Images, diagrams, graphs, and infographics can help learners process information more easily.  Just a note don’t use too many decorative images that don’t add to content.  One or two is fine. 
• Break down content into manageable chunks - This relates to bullet one.  You shouldn’t have long paragraphs of text.  Different concepts should be put into small manageable sections.  When creating PowerPoint presentations use animations to present content into smaller chunks.
• Use clear headings - Use descriptive headings to organize information and tell students where to find the information they are looking for.
  
• Use appropriate language - Use language that is appropriate for the level your students are on.  Using complex jargon can make it harder for students to understand what you are trying to teach them.  If you have to use technical terms then make sure to define them.

Examples of Pre-Work Documents that Reduce Cognitive Load

Reduce Cognitive Load Example 1           

Reduce Cognitive Load Example 2

What We Mean by Accessible

• All students can access it.
• Students with disabilities can access the same content as those without disabilities, with similar ease and speed. 

Some Facts

• An estimated 3.5 million students with disabilities are in college.
• 21% of undergrad students reported having a disability.
• 11% of students in post bachelor programs have a disability

How to Make Documents Accessible

• Keep things simple and short - Use easy-to-read fonts over ostentatious ones. Use colors consistently. Don’t overload a slide with too much text. Remember that we can only take in so much information at a time, especially in a new domain of knowledge. Your content speaks for itself: don’t obscure it in overworked styles or formatting.
• Use styles for headers - When creating documents in Word or Google Docs use the style function to enlarge text rather than just making text bigger.  This will allow screen readers to read it as a header. 
• Make links descriptive - Links should describe where they are sending readers.  Instead of saying click here.  Say “Click here to access the course syllabus.”
• Colors should have good contrast - If background and font colors are too similar then it will be hard for students to read.
• If possible videos should be captioned or have a transcript - This is helpful for students with hearing or processing issues.  Echo360 automatically created a transcript for all recorded lectures.

Examples of Pre-Work Documents that Are Accessible

Accessible Design Example 1           

Accessible Design Example 2

Pre-work documents should consistency be reviewed and updated to reflect changes in information.

Considerations for Keeping Pre-Work Up-to-Date

• Periodically review pre-work - Before every iteration of a course quickly review your prework to make sure it doesn’t need editing.
• Make sure it is factually accurate - Stay current with new developments in your field - If information changes , update your pre-work
• Get student feedback - Get student feedback on the design and helpfulness of the pre-work.
• Use a format that is easy to update - If your topics changes frequently, make sure to use a format that is easy to update. - Text based documents are easiest to update.