Section on Pediatrics
American Physical Therapy Association Education Summit II
Nov 9-10, 2016
Denver, CO
Purpose:
Education Summit II will extend the momentum of Education Summit I to achieve an evidence
base for pediatric professional physical therapy education. Specifically, this second Educational
Summit will bring together a select group of approximately 18-20 participants for 2 days of
working meetings to develop a Section on Pediatrics Education Research Agenda to establish
empirical evidence for entry-level pediatric professional physical therapy education. The group
will include several experts in the scholarship of teaching and learning, large cohort studies, and
educational research design. These experts, along with the planning committee, will facilitate the
work of Section on Pediatric members who have an interest in learning about and contributing
this type of scholarship. The expected outcomes of this meeting will include plans for
collaborative proposals aligned with the research agenda.
Rationale:
The Section on Pediatrics of the American Physical Therapy Association has developed and
implemented a strategic plan that has led to development of planning documents to guide the
work of Section committees, including Research, Practice, Education, and Communications.
These efforts helped to identify a gap in our knowledge and products to guide the education of
future pediatric physical therapists. In response to this, the Section supported an Education
Summit in 2012, which led to several important outcomes (Core competencies, an Academic and
Clinical Educator Special Interest Group (ACE SIG), a perspective paper on experiential
learning, a clinical reasoning paper, clinical education document, JOPTE special issues, etc). An
unexpected but welcome outcome of the first Education Summit has been a commitment to a
research agenda to identify best practices in professional pediatric physical therapy education.
However, most physical therapist educators need additional support and/or training to conduct
multi-site studies and/or explore the use of more complex pedagogical research methods.
Education Summit II will address this gap by engaging individuals who are committed to
developing and implementing a research agenda to achieve an evidence-base for pediatric
physical therapy education. The anticipated outcome will include a cohort of pediatric
educational leaders who are trained in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTL).
Deliverables will include at least three collaborative research projects aimed at building a
foundation for pediatric pedagogy, as well as plans for mentoring of junior faculty and clinical
instructors to facilitate ongoing generation of scientific evidence in this area.
Education Summit Objectives:
The Education Summit II will achieve the following objectives:
1. Increase the knowledge and skill of attendees in educational research theory and
methodology.
2. Develop a research agenda for pediatric PT education.
3. Establish collaborative networks of individuals to implement pediatric professional
physical therapy education research.
4. Generate at least three collaborative research projects aimed at building evidence for
optimal pediatric professional education.
The format of Education Summit II will include a keynote address, shorter presentations by
invited experts in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) who will serve as mentors
to the research groups, and collaborative working sessions aimed at moving our research
forward.
Both novice and experienced pediatric physical therapy academic and clinical educators,
including clinical instructors, are encouraged to apply. Attendees will contribute their expertise
in meeting the outlined objectives and gain new knowledge through rich interactions with SOTL
experts and with others attendees. Efforts will be made to ensure that participants represent
diversity of regions and types of programs/schools, as well as evidence of effective
collaboration, team work, and experience with scholarship about or informing pediatric and/or
professional education.
Applicants must be members of the APTA Section on Pediatrics and meet the following
criteria:
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Evidence of active engagement and expertise in pediatric physical therapist
education (didactic or clinical).
Commitment to meeting the outlined objectives of the Summit
A willingness to complete pre-conference readings and activities in a timely
manner and to participate in research collaboratives both during and after the
Summit.
Previous experience with educational research, multi-site educational research, or
a track record for scholarly peer-reviewed presentations or publications.
Please Note: - Attendance at the Summit is Limited
To apply for the Pediatric Education Summit, please complete the application and e-mail it to
hmlundeen@umary.edu by 5:00 PM CST, March 1, 2016. Late applications will NOT be
considered. Applicants will be notified of acceptance no later than April 1, 2016.
Note: The Summit will be held directly preceding the Section on Pediatrics 2017 Annual
Conference. Selected participants will receive a $500 stipend toward travel expenses, and
participants will assume all additional costs. The Summit meetings will be held at the
University of Colorado. Lodging will be arranged for all participants at a nearby hotel in
Denver, CO. For participants who will go on to SOPAC, the Summit organizers will
arrange to have a group-rate transportation option available at your expense from Denver
to Keystone at the conclusion of the Summit.
Specific questions regarding the Education Summit should be e-mailed to kmartin@uindy.edu.
Questions on the application process or submission should be directed to moerchev@uwm.edu.