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This article explores the importance of giving academics the space to be creative in developing new teaching materials in the context of a government drive to increase the quality of the student experience, and what this means for "academic staff development". Academics who have engaged with a UK Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) in one institution were interviewed about their experiences of the creative process and the reward and recognition strategies put in place to support its activities. The paper acknowledges the pressures and challenges facing academic staff in attempting to develop innovative materials, yet find that enthusiasm for looking at new ways of teaching and learning is still fervent. The paper argues that financial rewards are least important to staff when undertaking projects with the CETL, yet to managers with targets for income it is perceived as a priority. The importance of a supportive team and environment when engaging with CETLs is evident in building staff capacity and developing skills to take learning to a new level. A model of engaging with the CETL in creating e-learning materials is suggested to illustrate the stages academics go through in the pursuit of developing innovative exemplars of best practice. (Contains 3 figures and 5 notes.)

This paper aims to encourage and promote further discussion around the theme of the theory and practice gap in the teaching and practice of interprofessional education (IPE) in pre-registration health and social care. Following a brief history of IPE, we consider the importance of providing students with supported opportunities to observe, learn and put into practice IPE. We also highlight the necessity of involving practitioners in creating health professionals who are 'fit for purpose' at qualification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated working can be a means of providing efficient and cost-effective care, which benefits both service users and health professionals. However, it does require readiness of practitioners to work in new and innovative ways to achieve integration. This paper describes the findings of a qualitative study exploring the nature of practice-based education and training underpinning successful integrated care teams using an ecological systems theory lens. Nine teams in the West Midlands region of the United Kingdom (UK) participated in this study. A total of 27 participants were involved in semi-structured interviews during which they shared their views and experiences of learning in practice. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts highlighted the shifting context of working in integrated teams impacting on learning, the influence of leadership on education and training, the nature of in-service training, and the knowledge-sharing culture. The findings highlight that the learning climate is highly dependent on the leadership ethos in the practice context, which influences the allocation of time and resources for training and clinical supervision. Whilst formal education and training has an important role to play in fostering integrated working, informal learning is pivotal to successful integration and potentially has greater impact making it worthy of further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article titled "A Reflection On: Interprofessional Working in Practice -- Avoiding the Theory-Practice Gap" reflects on the concept of interprofessional working in the health and social care sector. It discusses the importance of integrating interprofessional education (IPE) into curricula to develop professionals who are prepared for collaborative practice. The article also highlights the role of organizations like the Centre for the Advancement of Interprofessional Education (CAIPE) in providing guidance and support for curriculum development. It emphasizes the need to address the theory-practice gap to improve the quality of patient care. The article acknowledges the progress made in IPE, particularly in terms of simulation and safe practice opportunities for students. It also mentions the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on collaborative working and emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and striving for a world where collaborative working is the norm. [Extracted from the article]

This article suggests that ''agreement'' is a predominant feature of online discussions amongst undergraduate health and social care professionals, which is an area of concern. The context for the research is an online interprofessional learning pathway completed by ∼∼2,800 students each year. The concept of agreement, how and why it is reached and what it indicates in an online interprofessional group is examined. The underpinning educational rationale for instigating online interprofessional dialogue was the potential to provide a powerful interface for bringing together students across a wide range of professional groups, which is necessary to promote interprofessional learning. Discourse analysis was used to analyze digital texts of interaction in online forums. The discussion forum discourse shows evidence of increased interprofessional knowledge and understanding, as well as capacity for interprofessional dialogue. Discussions were largely characterized by agreement, although some disagreement was evident. These findings support previous research in online dialogue. However, they are interpreted in an interprofessional context as constituting a specific type of ''netiquette'' in relation to the participants and their identification with professional discourses and to the learning activities that shaped discussions. The research has significance for teachers, researchers, and practitioners involved in promoting interprofessional learning through online discussion forums. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]