Xavier University School of Medicine is committed to supporting faculty members throughout their careers as educators, scholars, mentors, and academic leaders. Our faculty development curriculum offers practical, evidence-informed opportunities designed to strengthen teaching effectiveness, educational scholarship, assessment practices, curriculum development, and leadership in medical education. Programming is available to both full-time and part-time faculty members and is informed by faculty needs, institutional priorities, and emerging developments in health professions education.
Faculty Development Webinar and Seminar Series
The Faculty Development Webinar and Seminar Series provides monthly professional learning opportunities for Xavier faculty members. Sessions offer practical strategies that can be applied in classroom, laboratory, virtual, and clinical teaching environments.
Topics may include interactive lecturing, clinical teaching, remote and virtual instruction, mentorship, learner remediation, conflict resolution, small-group teaching, flipped and blended learning, test blueprinting, multiple-choice question development, and assessment planning. Programming is guided by regular faculty needs assessments and recommendations from the Faculty Development Committee, ensuring that sessions remain responsive, relevant, and aligned with institutional priorities.
Microteaching and Peer Observation of Teaching
The Microteaching and Peer Observation of Teaching Program provides faculty members with structured, individualized feedback on their teaching. Participants prepare and record a presentation related to their teaching discipline. The recording is reviewed with an experienced peer coach using a standardized medical lecturing assessment checklist.
Faculty members may also present their microteaching session to colleagues for additional peer feedback. A follow-up coaching session supports reflection on presentation skills, recognition of teaching strengths, and identification of areas for continued professional development.
Faculty Development Interest Group
The Faculty Development Interest Group is a collaborative community of practice for faculty interested in medical education research, educational innovation, and scholarly dissemination. Participants develop practical skills in designing, conducting, evaluating, and sharing educational scholarship while receiving mentorship and collaborating with colleagues across disciplines.
The group focuses on three interconnected areas:
- Medical Education Research and Scholarship
Participants develop skills in designing and managing educational research and innovation projects, creating scholarly initiatives, and building sustainable programs of medical education research.
- Research Methods and Inquiry
Activities strengthen knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research approaches and support the application of educational theories and conceptual frameworks to scholarly inquiry.
- Dissemination and Academic Impact
Participants explore strategies for preparing peer-reviewed publications, developing conference presentations, and translating educational innovations into meaningful scholarly contributions.
Through mentorship and collaboration, the Interest Group supports scholarly productivity, educational leadership, and a culture of inquiry and innovation across the medical school.
Certificate in Medical Teaching
The Certificate in Medical Teaching is a comprehensive ten-month program designed to strengthen teaching excellence and educational leadership. Participants attend monthly interactive webinars, complete readings and online learning activities, and undertake a self-directed medical education project that applies program concepts to their educational practice.
The curriculum addresses adult learning theory, teaching and learning principles, curriculum planning, instructional design, teaching methods, clinical education, learner assessment, program evaluation, educational innovation, and scholarly teaching. Participants critically examine different educational approaches and develop practical strategies for improving teaching across academic and clinical settings.
Upon completion, participants are better prepared to design, deliver, assess, evaluate, and continuously improve high-quality medical education.
Medical Education Scholarship Program
The Medical Education Scholarship Program is a longitudinal, cohort-based initiative that helps faculty members develop the knowledge, skills, and mentorship required to undertake scholarly work in medical education. The program promotes educational scholarship, innovation, teaching effectiveness, and academic leadership.
Participants complete five interactive seminars that progress from foundational research concepts to the development of an individualized scholarly project. Topics include designing and managing medical education research and innovation projects, quantitative and qualitative research methods, publishing and presenting scholarly work, and developing a feasible educational research or innovation plan.
Throughout the program, participants apply evidence-informed methods to educational challenges and develop scholarly products suitable for presentation or publication. Graduates are prepared to contribute to medical education scholarship while advancing educational quality and fostering a culture of collaboration, inquiry, and scholarly excellence.
