The Sailboat Activity: An Interactive, Visually Engaging Approach to Design and Assess Health Profession Education Research Projects

TL;DR

The Sailboat activity is an interactive workshop that helps health educators design and evaluate research projects more effectively.

Contribution

The Sailboat activity introduces a novel, interactive workshop method for health profession educators to refine and assess research projects.

Findings

Participants showed increased confidence in identifying project weaknesses and planning steps after the workshop.

The Sailboat activity was found to be effective in virtual settings and valuable for peer interaction and thought organization.

High survey response rates and positive feedback indicate the workshop's feasibility and impact on iterative research planning.

Abstract

Limited guidance exists to engage health profession educators in designing and critically evaluating rigorous research projects. Traditional lectures are often insufficient for advancing educators’ skills. By leveraging educational theories, we designed and implemented an interactive, learner-focused, reflective workshop—the Sailboat activity—offering educators an opportunity to evaluate their research plans and hone their research planning skills.

Preworkshop, participants represented their research plan on a Sailboat diagram and completed a preworkshop survey assessing their confidence in designing a research project. During the 90-minute virtual workshop, participants discussed their projects in pairs, and developed Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound action plans. The group then reconvened to review two projects and reflect on the activity. Finally, participants completed a postworkshop survey.

Thirty-four educators from 17 diverse specialties participated in the 2021, 2022, and 2023 Sailboat workshops. Pre- and postworkshop survey response rates were high (>90%). Participants indicated that they found the workshop valuable, highlighting that it helped them refine their project plans and organize their thoughts while fostering peer interaction. Responses to open-ended questions revealed that the workshop enhanced participants’ understanding of the importance of iterative research planning. We observed significant increases from pre- to postworkshop (p < .05) in participants’ confidence regarding identifying project barriers, weaknesses, key elements, alignment, and subsequent steps.

The Sailboat activity is an effective, feasible opportunity for educators to critically appraise and refine Health Professions Education Research projects, even in virtual environments. It could be adapted for other academic environments and incorporated into existing curricula.

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