A workshop to improve clinical optometry teachers' instructional abilities focuses on teachers' problem-solving skills and aims at reviewing basic clinical instruction concepts, introducing students to communication skills, introducing participants to an action-oriented model of clinical teaching, and providing opportunities to practice the…

The status of faculty evaluation in optometric education and techniques contributing significantly to teaching quality are reviewed. Institutions are encouraged to provide incentives for faculty development with a favorable organizational climate and time. (MSE)

Describes development and design of the Comprehensive Clinical Performance Grid for Student Evaluation, created to address concerns about what constitutes a competent practitioner and to provide a useful and consistent student-evaluation tool for clinical optometric education. Development challenges are also discussed, including staff training and…

A national conference of colleges of optometry focused on planning for optometric curricular reform and faculty development. Issues addressed included changes needed to meet entry-level professional needs, available resources, changes in optometry practice, and optometry's role in health care reform. Task forces worked together to develop a…

Types of faculty development efforts are examined, including three categories: individual initiatives (reflection, teaching scripts, self-directed learning); formal programs (mentors, teaching rounds, workshops, advanced education, sabbaticals); and organizational change efforts. Programs at the Southern College of Optometry are highlighted. (MSE)

A University of Missouri-St. Louis program combines a two-year optometric residency with a master of science degree in gerontology to prepare clinicians as teachers of geriatric optometry. The interdisciplinary program's components include optometric care of elderly patients, supervised student teaching, and coursework in geriatrics. (Author/MSE)

A New England College of Optometry (Massachusetts) faculty development program for clinical preceptors provides a forum for administration and clinical faculty to address problems in clinical education and to increase communication between affiliated faculty, program coordinators, and students. The on-site conferences have demonstrated significant…

Report of a four-day workshop on optometric clinical education for clinical administration and faculty is presented. The workshop addressed the following four issues: (1) the objectives of present and future clinical education in the light of public needs and professional responsibilities; (2) the nature, types, setting, and extent of clinical…

A proposed optometric faculty evaluation and development program for clinical teachers involves five stages: (1) evaluation by self, peers, and students; (2) evaluation of faculty performance change over time; (3) improvement of evaluation techniques through staged encounters; (4) videotaping of real-life teacher encounters; and (5) group…

An Illinois College of Optometry faculty development project focuses on improvement of classroom teaching methods. Topics that have been addressed to date include improving lecture skills, a lecture teaching lab, case-based laboratories, promoting student problem-solving in clinical situations, effective feedback and supervision, and the student…

A regional plan for optometric education in the western United States is summarized. Central to the plan is the development of cooperative programs among the region's three schools, the Pacific University College of Optometry, Southern California College of Optometry, and the University of California School of Optometry at Berkeley. A plan for the…