Services

Curriculum Development
Instructional Design and Resource Development
Project Management
Group Facilitation
Research and Program Evaluation
Policy Development

Curriculum Development

Developing, or redeveloping, undergraduate, post graduate and professional development curriculum and programs for universities, professional colleges and health departments across the health professions – medicine, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers.
This may include:

Developing a curriculum model and framework
Developing practical and innovative teaching and learning approaches
Developing an assessment program
Ensuring the program meets the professional guidelines for accreditation, the requirements of the profession and the provider
Positively guiding groups through the developmental and accreditation process, so that they own it at the end.

‘Changing a curriculum is like moving a graveyard’ – this process includes all of the political, educational, professional and personnel issues associated with it – to ensure the plot is still owned by the relative at the end.

Examples of curriculum developed include:

2007 – Advanced rural skills curriculum in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine.

2007 - Advanced rural skills curriculum in Remote Medicine, Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine.

2006 – Master of Remote Health Practice Curriculum, Centre for Remote Health, Flinders University

2005 – A curriculum framework and workforce strategy to implement the NT and Qld chronic disease strategies, Educating to improve population health outcomes in chronic disease, Menzies School of Health Research.

2005 - Redevelopment of the Bachelor of Nursing Program, University of South Australia

2001 - Bachelor of Pharmacy Program, James Cook University

2001 – Pilot Remote Vocational Training Stream Curriculum, RACGP and ACRRM.

2000 – General Practice Curriculum, Royal Australian College of General Practitioners

Instructional Design and Educational Resource Production

Developing the design of a curriculum, a resource, or a program, to meet the specific requirements and needs of that professional group, through the use of innovative teaching, learning and assessment approaches. This might include:

Undertaking a needs analysis or feasibility study to determine what is required
Consulting widely with the group / profession
Developing a robust and innovative curriculum model, or structure
Working with electronic learning educational developers to develop a distance learning program via the web, electronically, or for a CDROM
Developing a plain English paper that outlines the intent of the program to inform stakeholders – teachers, learners, the profession, politicians, academics, others
Presenting the material in a way that makes it inviting, fun, and easy to use
Developing innovative teaching, learning and assessment approaches to ensure it meets the requirements of that particular group
Writing a book or paper.

Examples include:

2008 – Writing a training module for the Alliance of NSW Divisions of General Practice - ABC of Managing Difficult Consultations in General Practice.

2007 – The development of 4 online learning modules for rural health curriculum, Health Faculties of the University of Sydney.

2003 – Writing the Indigenous health for the nursing sciences – distance learning materials for HS2101, James Cook University.

Project Management

Overseeing and managing all aspects of a small or large project or program to ensure it meets the group’s desired outcomes and that it is on time and on budget. This might include:

writing the initial tender
developing and implementing the agreed plan
finding staff and managing staffing arrangements
managing the budget
organising the processes to ensure they produce quality outcomes within the timeline and budget, and
writing and editing the final reports to a publishable standard.

Examples include:

2006 – An Assessment Program for rural and remote medical practice, suitable for accreditation by the Australian Medical Council, Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine

Group Facilitation

Working with groups to bring about change. This might involve working with the teachers of a program to shift the way in which they think about program, its development, a specific issue, or with a group to develop an idea into reality. While this process is usually for groups of between 5-30 people, larger groups are also possible.

Examples include:

2008 – Facilitating a Strategic Planning Workshop for 34 participants for the National Office of the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

2008 – MC-ing National CRANA Conference, Cairns. 110 attendees.

2007 – Facilitating a workshop with 10 pharmacists to develop a framework and curriculum for accreditation of their Bachelor of Pharmacy Degree

2006 – Facilitating a one week exam writing workshop for 25 rural and remote doctors to develop the first exam for rural doctors in the world, which was later accredited by the Australian Medical Council

2005 – Facilitating a national workshop for 26 remote allied health professionals to identify a national evaluative framework for the work of allied health professional teams working in remote Australia

2005 – Facilitating a 2 day course development workshop with 45 university nurse educators to redevelop their Bachelor of Nursing Degree suitable for accreditation

2004 – Facilitating a group of 25 psychiatrists to develop the structure of the first Centre for Remote Mental Health in Australia

Research and Program Evaluation

Providing clients with evaluation of their existing educational, or other, programs, and making recommendations about how to improve them and implement change.

Undertaking a range of research activities related to program development and evaluation. This might include:

Undertaking a literature review
Planning, managing and organising the research
Undertaking interviews face to face or via the telephone
Undertaking a needs analysis – to establish the needs and demands for a program or project might be, to establish what is required
Collating and analysing of material using qualitative and quantitative methods
Writing a comprehensive report
Making recommendations and providing suitable options for the client about a way forward.

Examples include:

2008 – Organisational Review of the Council of Remote Area Nurses of Australia, Alice Springs
2007 – Northern Territory Review of Medical Education and Training, NT Department of Health and Community Services, Darwin.

2007 – Evaluation of the NT Preventable Chronic Disease Strategy, NT Dept of Health and Community Services, Darwin

2005 – Evaluation of 2 existing programs, General Practice Education and Training, Canberra

2002 – Evaluation of strategies to support the rural medical specialist workforce, Department of Health and Ageing, Canberra.

Policy Development

Developing or redeveloping policy for organisations.

Examples include:
2007 – Redeveloping The Australian General Practice Training program, Canberra, Transition Policies for General Practice Training for 2008.