In 2019, WISER and our 8 satellite centers provided support for 2,003 classes and reached 5,887 unique participants. During 2020, even with the many restrictions and hurdles that Covid has placed upon us, we are still on track to achieve similar numbers. Beyond our current demand, we anticipate a growing number of simulation courses in 2021, as well as a possible expansion of our Satellite support services.
Part of our mission at WISER is to create innovative education programs for healthcare providers ranging from students through practicing professionals. When providers and faculty identify a need for medical training or for quality and safety improvement, the educational development team at WISER provides a wide range of services to meet this need. These hospital system providers and university system faculty serve as subject-matter-experts (SME) for new learning opportunities. The process starts when our Director of Educational Development, Christa Brown, meets with the SMEs to assess the feasibility of a new course.
Christa works with the SMEs (“Course Directors”) to design learning objectives, and from there, the course can begin to take shape. Curriculum team members assist in the development of content and assessments. Content may include online content, instructor-led presentations, multimedia learning modules, and videos. For any assessments, whether online or in person, we ensure that the assessments connect back to the learning objectives.
Another essential member of the team is Max Leake, our web/multimedia developer; Max records and produces engaging tutorial videos and audio for the multimedia learning modules. Additionally, our Educational Development team works hand-in-hand with WISER’s Simulation Specialists to design and program the scenarios that will be included in the courses. Once the course content, scenarios, and assessments are designed, a pilot is scheduled prior to the course’s launch.
With the growing demand for simulation for both the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC, we are expanding our Educational Development team with the creation of the Educational Development coordinator position. Filling this role is Bianca Caruso, who has stepped into this newly established position from our Administrative team. The Education Development Coordinator utilizes tools such as Storyline 360, PowerPoint, and SIMS to help enhance the online learning content.
Through our dedicated curriculum support system, we help SMEs create essential health and safety courses through trainings and assessments that improve patient safety. Additionally, we offer training courses for course directors and instructors on scenario development and debriefing.
Please contact us if you are interested in learning more about course development at WISER.