As many of you know, the “community concept” is now entering its third year. We are very grateful to Tony Artino, Associate Professor of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland for providing leadership to the community and welcome Dorie Evensen, Professor of Education at Penn State University to continue this service over the next two years. The purpose of the TLC is to offer Division I members the opportunity to connect with colleagues who have similar theoretical, empirical, and practical research interests in the areas of teaching and learning.

Besides the benefits of its networking opportunities, the TLC has been successful in organizing symposia at the annual AERA meeting. Last year, Tony Artino and LuAnn Wilkerson chaired a session titled Using Novel Research Methods to Understand Teaching and Learning in the Profession. Presenters provided attendees with research examples of an array of non-traditional, in situ, analytical methods such as microanalysis, networking, verbal protocols, and listening guides. At this year’s meeting in Chicago, the TLC is sponsoring a symposium titled Educating Professionals in an Age of Enhanced Communications and Accountability (Mon, April 20, 10:35am to 12:05pm, Sheraton, Ballroom Level, Sheraton III). The abstract for the symposium reads as follows:

In the early 1990’s an overview of issues facing professions education was collected under the auspices of Division I and published by Jossey Bass as Educating Professionals: responding to new expectations for competence and accountability. Undeniably the emphases on both competence and accountability have grown and communications technologies have transformed public and private life on a global basis. It is time for another review of these trends, the improvements they realized and their unintended effects on how the professions operate in all areas from recruitment to education, credentialing, licensure, daily work, ethics and professionalism, remuneration and longevity. This symposium is organized to present this challenge to the Division I community and to invite participation in the larger book project.

As the final sentence indicates, those attending this session are being presented with an opportunity to be part of a timely, collaborative effort that situates our educational research work in the professions at the cutting edge. Do plan to attend. In addition, below is a partial list of teaching/learning-related sessions (please consult program for titles of individual papers and names of authors).

Thursday, April 16, 12:00 to 1:30pm, Sheraton, Fourth Level, Chicago VI&VII (Poster Session)
Case-Based Learning and Reflection's Impact on Clinical Reasoning in Physical Therapy Education
Exploring Teachers' Beliefs and Attitudes About Information and Communications Technology Policy Text
Using Design-Based Research to Optimize Virtual Patient Simulations for Medical Students

Friday, April 17, 8:15 to 9:45am, Sheraton, Ballroom Level, Sheraton III (Paper Session)
Exploring Emotional and Motivational Factors for Education in the Professions

Friday, April 17, 12:25 to 1:55pm, Sheraton, Ballroom Level, Sheraton III (Paper Session) Perspectives and Experiences of Faculty Members in Educational Programs for the Professions

Saturday, April 18, 8:15 to 9:45am, Sheraton, Ballroom Level, Sheraton III (Paper Session)
Student Perspectives and Experiences Regarding Education in the Professions

Saturday, April 18, 2:45 to 4:15pm, Sheraton, Ballroom Level, Sheraton III (Paper Session)
Instructor Perspectives and Experiences Regarding Education in the Professions

Monday, April 20, 10:35am to 12:05pm, Sheraton, Ballroom Level, Sheraton III (Symposium organized by TLC)
Educating Professionals in an Age of Enhanced Communications and Accountability

Monday, April 20, 12:25 to 1:55pm, Sheraton, Ballroom Level, Sheraton III (Symposium)
Workplace Learning: Blurring Classroom and Practice Boundaries

Finally, a few words about our new TLC Leader. Dorie Evensen has been on the College of Education faculty at Penn State since 1991. She completed a Ph.D. in Applied Psychology that same year at New York University. With Cindy Hmelo-Silver, she edited Problem-based learning: A research perspective on learning interactions (2000, Erlbaum). Her recent research focuses on legal education especially during the first year and among students considered non-traditional. She is presently completing a book entitled Supplementing Socrates: Toward an Efficient Use of Formative Assessments and Instructional Interventions in the First Year of Law School, under contract with Carolina Press. Dorie hopes to continue the work of the TLC and can be contacted at [email protected].

The goal of the Assessment Community (AC) is to offer Division I members the opportunity to connect with others who have similar research interests in the areas of assessment, including theoretical, empirical, and practical applications. Examples of assessment topics include maintenance of credentials, measuring skills and knowledge, high stakes testing, reliability estimation and validity determination.

Spring 2015 Report from the Assessment Community (AC)
The goal of the Assessment Community (AC) is to offer Division I members the opportunity to connect with others who have similar research interests in the areas of assessment, including theoretical, empirical, and practical applications. Examples of assessment topics include maintenance of credentials, measuring skills and knowledge, high stakes testing, reliability estimation and validity determination.

Given that the community concept is still relatively new, the goals and objectives of the AC remain a work in progress. This past year we focused on generating symposium proposals and linking our newer members with seasoned researchers. The development of the symposium proposals have served as an effective mechanism for creating such linkages. For this year’s AERA meeting, the AC suggests the following Division I sessions, which are either from the assessment community or are particularly pertinent to assessment in the professions:

Large-Scale Assessments: Issues in Development and Score Interpretation
Thursday, April 16, 2:15-3:45pm, Sheraton, Second Level, Michigan A

An Overarching, Holistic Trainee Evaluation Tool: The Product of Medical and Teacher Education Collaboration
Friday, Apr 17, 10:35am-12:05pm, Sheraton, Ballroom Level, Sheraton III

Research on Training Professionals for Practice in a Multicultural Society
Friday, Apr 17, 2:15-3:45pm, Sheraton, Ballroom Level, Sheraton III

Selection, Matriculation, and Success for Students in Educational Programs for the Professions
Saturday, Apr 18, 10:35am-12:05pm, Sheraton, Ballroom Level, Sheraton III

The Best Predictor of the Future May be the Past, but How Accurate Are the Predictions? Estimating Professional Competence Using Diverse Methodologies
Sunday, Apr 19, 8:15-9:45am, Hyatt, West Tower-Gold Level, San Francisco

Use of Exams for Education in the Professions
Sunday, Apr 19, 12:25-1:55pm, Hyatt, East Tower-Puple Level, River West

Assessment of Learners in Educational Programs for the Professions
Monday, April 20, 10:35am-12:05pm, Sheraton, Second Level, Arkansas

For the 2015 AERA conference, the AC would like to continue its efforts to sponsor Division I symposia. We will have a breakfast meeting in the Division I suite in the Swisshotel on Friday, April 17 at 7:00am. Please call at the front desk and ask for LuAnn Wilkerson for the room number. We will use the breakfast meeting to identify topics of interest and link new members with seasoned researchers to pursue these proposals. If you have an idea for an important concern that relates to assessment and are interested in developing the idea into a viable symposium proposal, please email me at [email protected].


We hope to see you all at this year’s annual AERA meeting! Our AC welcomes anyone interested in joining our commu- nity of practice; please come to our breakfast session at 7:00am on Friday April 17. You can also meet up with us during Division I’s business meeting that evening from 6:15pm until 8:15pm in the Sheraton, Ballroom Level, Sheraton III.

We are pleased to report that a paper session developed by several of our members for this year’s annual meeting was accepted, and we look forward to engaging members of the Division in discussion. The session, titled “Faculty Developers as Insiders and Outsiders: Work-based Learning for Professional Development,” will focus on work‐based learning as a framework for professional development, as illustrated by recent research in the fields of education and the health professions. It will explore models for providing learners with authentic roles to improve professional skills and understanding of delivery systems, and explore the role of organizational structures and workplace settings in facilitating and sustaining improvements in professional practice. Drawing from several qualitative research studies, the authors will report on the benefits of immersing learners in authentic settings for professional development, as well as the challenges and implications for their work, when they must depend upon significant aspects of the learning environment that are beyond their control.

Participants:
- Anne McKee: Developing a Research Agenda for Professional Development: Particular Challenges for Work‐Based Learning
- Margaret Malloch: Developing ‘Learning for, at, and through work’ in a College of Education
- Bridget O’Brien: Reconceptualizing Workplace Learning: Potential Models of Systems‐Oriented Workplace Learning Experiences (SOWLES)
- Christy Boscardin: Action Research Program: Integrating Education with Clinic Needs
Katherine Edmondson: Session Chair
Patricia O’Sullivan: Discussant

The session will be held Thursday, April 16, 12:00‐1:30 pm, in the Sheraton, Second Level, Michigan A. We hope you will be able to attend!

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In addition to the paper session described above, members of the Professional Development Community will meet at the Annual Meeting in advance of the formal program to explore a number of questions related to cross‐professional development and directions for future research in this area. The think tank will focus on questions such as: What kinds of studies should we engage in? How might we align our Community to make an impact? What kinds of research will make an impact on the communities we serve? Are there opportunities for us to collaborate on research that will move our programs beyond maintenance of certification? What qualifications do people need to do this work? What will the next generation of faculty developers look like? Is there one career pathway, or are there many pathways? What do we value, and what is our professional status? Who are our clients? Who is the provider? Who pays, how, and for what? From this discussion, we hope new collaborations and questions for research will emerge.

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Last year, several members of our Professional Development Community developed a guide to the annual meeting for those who are new to AERA and/or Division I. It included program highlights from other Divisions that were relevant to Community members. We hope this resource complemented the information in PERQ, and encouraged us all to explore relevant work in other Divisions. The guide has been updated for the April 2015 meeting, and will be sent to Division I members in advance of the Annual Meeting. When you receive it, please share it with any colleagues you think might find it helpful.

If you attend sessions during the Annual Meeting that were sponsored by other Divisions, please help recruit new members to Division I (and our Community!) by contacting those authors who presented relevant papers. They provide a wonderful opportunity to grow and diversify our membership!

We will have a meeting in the Division I suite in the Swisshotel on Thursday, April 16 at 10:00am. Please call at the front desk and ask for LuAnn Wilkerson for the room number.

If you have questions, or are interested in joining the Professional Development Community, please contact Kathy Edmondson ([email protected]).

See you in April! Kathy Edmondson