Competency-based training of health professions teachers in seven developing countries

The Center for Educational Development in Health (CEDH) field tested its text, Systematic Course Design for the Health Fields, a manual on the application of competency-based curriculum development techniques. A competency-based approach to curriculum design derives instructional objectives, content, and evaluation from the on-the-job responsibilities for the health worker being trained. For purpose of the field test, ten national field directors from Cameroon, Colombia, Honduras, Lebanon, Malaysia, Nepal, and Vietnam trained by CEDH in Boston taught teacher training workshops based on the Systematic Course Design (SCD) model to a range of health professionals in their own countries. The purpose of the field test was to ascertain whether the systematic course design method was applicable in developing countries. Evaluation of the teacher training workshops was conducted during and immediately after instruction, and again a year later. Men and women numbering 167, representing a range of 29 health professions, participated in the workshops. Participants designed 132 courses based on the SCD model and taught 54 courses to about 2,000 students. In Colombia, Honduras, Malaysia, and Lebanon, the national field directors applied the method to a range of activities. During 1975 and 1976 (the period of study) they taught 11 additional teacher training workshops on SCD to 140 health professionals, developed and taught 11 courses themselves, and provided consultation to 12 other health professional schools and governmental agencies in their own and neighboring countries.