A design thinking approach to developing an online curriculum in interprofessional education in health in South Africa

Abstract

Background. The design of contemporary curricula in health professions education in South Africa (SA) is constantly evolving, as there is a need to ensure that students are adequately prepared to work in complex healthcare environments. The World Health Organization proposes that a way to accomplish this is through interprofessional education (IPE), where students from two or more professions learn from one another to improve health outcomes. Objectives. To reflect on the design of an introductory module of a postgraduate diploma in IPE in health at a historically disadvantaged institution in SA, where a student-centred approach to learning and teaching was adopted. Methods. Through an auto-ethnographic methodology, a design thinking approach was used to carefully construct and align an introductory module in IPE in the postgraduate programme. Considering the remote learning environment, this article also examines the importance of educational technologies in the design process of this online curriculum. Results. The results of this study demonstrated the process used in the design of an IPE module supported by the five stages of design thinking to critically appraise the student-centred approach to learning and teaching. The instructional design tools used for this module included the university’s learning management system, Google Suite, Flip, Google Jamboard, webinars, presentations, elevator speeches, quizzes and guest speakers. The end product was an interactive online module that was intentionally designed to be interactive and provide students with a core understanding of IPE. Conclusion. This article demonstrates how an IPE module with a focus on theories, models and concepts can provide the foundation for students to understand the importance of IPE to transform the future of healthcare in SA.