Integrating the educational technology expert in medical education: A role-based competency framework

Abstract

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. Even though educational technology has existed for decades, integrating educational technology into the medical curriculum has just recently come to the forefront as a priority for the Royal College of Physician and Surgeons of Canada. The process for how this integration will occur has yet to be defined. Therefore, a competency profile was developed for the educational technologist, comprising seven roles, based on the authors' and collaborators' professional knowledge and experience, along with a scoping review of the literature. The result is a hybrid framework of seven core roles constellated around a central role of educational technologist, similar to the CanMEDS model. The proposed roles are: Educational Technology Expert, Leader, Educator, Administrator, Developer, Designer, and Collaborator. Each role has a definition, list of competencies and example activities. A description of each role is provided, along with key concepts highlighted. This newly proposed roles' framework is readily identifiable to the medical educator familiar with CanMEDS, and is presented to facilitate integration between medical educators and educational technologists. The model presents a familiar humanist lens through which to view educational technology. Using the MedEdPublish platform for dissemination of this work, ongoing dialogue regarding the proposed framework, particularly regarding its roles, content, and applicability, is greatly encouraged in the reviews' section.