Shifting digital, shifting context: (re)considering teacher professional development for online and blended learning in the COVID-19 era.

This paper is in response to the manuscript entitled, "Improving teacher professional development for online and blended learning: A systematic meta-aggregative review" (Philipsen et al. in Educ Technol Res Dev 67:1145-1174, 2019) from a research perspective. The impact of this study is that it resulted in a guiding framework for teacher professional development (TPD) for online and blended learning (OBL). The basis of this study may be applied to explore the quick shift to digital teaching and learning amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. A potential limitation of the resulting framework in this study is that TPD for OBL needs may currently differ, as teachers are experiencing appreciably different learning and performance contexts related to the mandated shift in professional practice to address continuity of instruction. The application of the methodology in this study combined with quick response research approaches (Quarantelli, in: Stallings (ed) Methods of disaster research, Philadelphia, Xlibris, 2002) could potentially extend the Philipsen et al. (Educ Technol Res Dev 67:1145-1174, 2019) TPD framework to address educator preparation for successful professional practice in online and blended environments in times of crisis.

Designing a Framework to Facilitate Metacognitive Strategy Development in Computer-Mediated Problem-Solving Instruction.

Metacognition is a key component of ill-structured problem solving. As such, there is a need for instructional design guidance for metacognitive skill development. This study addressed this need through the creation of a computer-based interactive content design framework to guide the design of metacognitive scaffolds for ill-structured problem-solving instruction. It utilized a type II design and development research approach and formative design principles to create a comprehensive and generalizable instructional design framework. The framework was composed by synthesizing research and practical literature and evaluated by experts in related fields. Key components of the framework include metacognitive strategies, instructional design strategies, interactive media types, question prompts, and feedback. Instructors, course developers, and other key stakeholders could follow the guidelines proposed in this framework to create metacognitive-based ill-structured problem-solving instruction using e-Learning authoring tools. This study bridges the gap between theory and practice, as well as adds to literature in media research with focusing on utilizing various media types to create effective learning materials.

Mechanism-based diagnostic reasoning: thoughts on teaching introductory clinical pathology.

Teaching introductory clinical pathology to veterinary students is a challenging endeavor that requires a shift in learning strategies from rote memorization to diagnostic reasoning. Educational research has identified discrete cognitive stages required to achieve the automated, unconscious thinking process used by experts. Building on this knowledge, we developed a case-based approach to clinical pathology instruction that actively engages students in the learning process and links performance with positive reward. Simulated cases provide context and create a structure, or "schema", which enhances the learning process by enabling students to synthesize facts and link them with their causal mechanism to reach a defensible diagnostic conclusion. Web-based tools, including the "Problem List Generator" and tutorials, have been developed to facilitate this process. Through the collaborative Biomedical Informatics Research Group, we are working to further develop and evaluate Web-based instructional tools and new educational methods, to clarify the diagnostic reasoning processes used by experienced clinical pathologists, and, ultimately, to better educate our future students to be effective diagnosticians.