PURPOSE
Community clinical faculty provide essential teaching for medical students
but often face significant barriers to accessing institutional faculty
development due to a lack of credentials, limited system access, and
geographic distance. This project aims to create an equity-driven, scalable
solution that ensures access, progress tracking, and certification for
community clinical educators by redesigning the delivery and management of
foundational teaching training.
METHODS
Using a design-thinking approach, we developed Foundational Skills in
Clinical Teaching, a series of six scenario-based microlearning modules (less
than 10 minutes each). Rather than relying on institutional learning
management systems, we repurposed Qualtrics, typically used for surveys, to
serve as a credential-free training platform enabling content delivery,
automated tracking, and integrated reflection and feedback. Modules were co-designed
with faculty and administrators to ensure relevance and minimize cognitive
and technological load. The platform tracks module completions, quiz
performance, and reflective responses through dashboard analytics. Evaluation
measures include accessibility, feasibility, participant learning, perceived
institutional connection, and contribution toward institutional faculty
development programs.
RESULTS
We demonstrated that the Qualtrics-based system effectively eliminated
prior access barriers for community faculty lacking institutional
credentials. Participants reported improved ability to engage with training
and a stronger sense of institutional inclusion. Administrators gained
reliable documentation of participation, improved insight into faculty
engagement, and evidence aligned with institutional expectations. Comparative
analyses across on-campus and community faculty are underway to examine
differences in completion, learning outcomes, and perceived institutional
affiliation.
CONCLUSIONS
Repurposing a widely available survey platform offers a feasible, low-cost,
and equity-driven model for faculty development. By removing credentialing
and system-access barriers, institutions can extend foundational teaching
support to community clinical faculty and strengthen their integration within
the academic mission. Although platform interactivity is more limited than
full LMS systems, the approach is adaptable and generalizable across
institutions seeking to address similar access inequities.