Royal College Advanced Certificate in Clinical Education

Royal College Advanced Certificate in Clinical Education

Pre-course work

Prior to the beginning of the course, you will receive instructions on how to access the course’s Moodle virtual learning environment. On this site, you will find the full course handbook and a detailed list of relevant reading on the theory and practice of clinical education. At this time, you will also be asked to contribute to an online discussion thread (on Moodle) on a key theme in educational theory. Your contribution of around 500 words should respond to previous comments in the discussion thread and reflect your initial engagement with the clinical education literature. You are required to complete your contribution to the discussion thread before the introductory meeting.

Introductory meeting

This 1-hour online meeting will introduce you to the aims and format of the course and explain the formal requirements for award of the Advanced Certificate. These are: 

• Contribution to the online pre-course discussion thread
• Completion of the 11 online learning modules
• Preparation of a personal refection on your clinical education practice for presentation and discussion during the final interactive session
• Submission of a reflective essay (1500 words) on your education practice

Individual online learning

After the introductory session, you will be required to complete the course’s 11 online learning modules on Moodle. Whilst these can be completed at a time and place convenient to you, they should all be completed before the final interactive session. 

The 11 modules cover: 

• The clinical learning environment
• Learners and learning: theoretical approaches to learning
• Teaching: the application of theory to practice • Assessment of learning needs
• Delivery approaches
• Designing learning events
• Current trends in feedback in clinical education
• Introduction to educational supervision
• Principles of assessment
• The hidden curriculum in clinical education
• Learning and teaching professionalism

In addition to this, you will be asked to view a simulated feedback session on Moodle and note detailed comments on the effectiveness of the feedback conversation. Your individual learning activity will also include preparation of the reflection exercise for presentation at the final session.

Final interactive session

During this 3-hour small-group session, we will examine several key aspects and challenges of clinical education and discuss the simulated feedback session. To conclude the session, each participant will present their 10-minute reflection to the rest of the group and discuss their education practice with them. This exercise is designed to provide a strong foundation for the extended reflective essay.

Post-course work

For final award of the Advanced Certificate, you will be required to submit a reflective essay of 1,500 words, which meets the standard required of written work at level 11 (postgraduate) of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework. This should be submitted within 6 weeks of the conclusion of the course. Full guidance on the requirements of this assignment will be provided during the course.