For the third edition of the program, the development team included: Lisa McCorquodale (Occupational Therapy, Western); Karen Ferguson (Nursing, Western); Samantha Doralp (Physical Therapy, Western); Karen Jenkins (Nursing, Fanshawe); Taslim Moosa (Communication Sciences and Disorders, Western); Kirsten Smith (Occupational Therapy, Western); Holly Relouw (Nursing, Western); Vivetha Thambinathan (Health Studies, Western); Danielle Glista (Communication Sciences and Disorders, Western); Jessie Wilson (XXX); Kathleen McQueen (CBI Home Health Services); Julie Whitehead (Instructional Design, Faculty of Health Sciences, Western); Ann Bossers (Professor Emerita, Occupational Therapy, Western; Elizabeth Anne Kinsella, Institute of Health Sciences Education, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, McGill

The Steering Group for the project included Lisa McCorquodale, Karen Ferguson, Samantha Doralp and Karen Jenkins. We would like to thank the following for their contributions:

• Allyson Steward (eLearning Technology Specialist, Western Technology Services) and Natalie Oldfied (Instructional Designer, Team Lead, Centre for Teaching and Learning, Western) who provided the technical development of content into interactive, engaging learning material.
• Taslim Moosa who audio-taped the introduction to all the modules.
• Vivetha Thambinatham provided team coordination, ensuring Zoom links were created and distributed, kept the Microsoft Teams site up to date, organized the pilot studies and collated the data from these for review.

Over the years, the team has undergone some changes, however, remains committed to ensuring the program remains relevant and useful to support students and preceptors in health professions programs as they work together to provide learning environments that will prepare students for the real world of professional practice.

For the second edition of the program, the development team included: Elizabeth Anne Kinsella (Occupational Therapy, Western), Ann Bossers (Occupational Therapy, Western), Karen Ferguson (Nursing, Western), Karen Jenkins (Nursing, Fanshawe College), Mary Beth Bezzina (Occupational Therapy, Western), Ann MacPhail (Physical Therapy, Western), Taslim Moosa (Communication Sciences and Disorders, Western), Susan Schurr (Communication Sciences and Disorders, Western) and Julie Whitehead (Instructional Design, Faculty of Health Sciences, Western). Mary Beth Bezzina served as coordinator of the second edition and led the implementation of the pilot test. Many of the learning quizzes, learning objects, navigation, and design elements weredeveloped by Julie Whitehead (Educational Technology Instructional Designer, Western).

The team was grateful to Kim Holland (Evaluation Consultant, Western) who conducted an independent evaluation of the first and second editions of PEP, and who lead the design and analysis of the pilot test evaluation for the new modules. Thanks also to Dr. Richard Ladyshewsky (Curtain University, Australia) who was our expert contributor in the Peer Coaching module. Work Study students Victor Wu and Mohamed Moselhy also made valuable contributions in supporting technological updates to the online program. The team hired CPIPE Productions to create animated and voice over videos.

The Preceptor Education Program development team came together in 2006. The team included: Ann Bossers (Occupational Therapy, Western), Mary Beth Bezzina (Project Coordinator), Sandra Hobson (Occupational Therapy, Western), Elizabeth Anne Kinsella (Occupational Therapy, Western), Ann MacPhail (Physical Therapy, Western), Susan Schurr (Communication Sciences and Disorders, Western), Taslim Moosa (Communication Sciences and Disorders, Western), Karen Ferguson (Nursing), Sandy DeLuca (Fanshawe Nursing), Jennifer Macnab (epidemiologist/statistical advisor) and Karen Jenkins (PHN, Middlesex-London Health Unit). A support member to the team was Lynda Rolleman (work study student). In addition, IT support was provided by Eva Placko, Angela Vandenbogaard and Jane Winkler (Western).

In 2007, an interprofessional team from the University of Western Ontario, Fanshawe College and the Middlesex-London Health Unit (PHRED Program) received funding from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to develop an open access, online modular program for health professional students and preceptors. The topics and format of the Preceptor Education Program were chosen based on an extensive review of the existing preceptor programs, the research literature, and a survey of 600 clinicians, students, and academic faculty. Eight learning modules were developed, and pilot tested. In 2008, the program received the Award of Excellence for Interprofessional Collaboration from the Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists.

In 2015, a grant to update the program was obtained through the Council of Ontario Universities from the Ontario Online Initiative of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. All existing modules were enhanced, and one new module was added. The updated modules featured new learning activities, downloadable resources, interactive exercises, animated case scenarios and references. A pilot test of the second edition was completed by 80 students and preceptors, and feedback informed revisions were completed prior to the January 1, 2016, release. In 2018, the program received the Vice-Provost’s Award for Excellence in Online Teaching and Learning from Western University.

In 2015, a grant to update the program was obtained through the Council of Ontario Universities from the Ontario Online Initiative of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. All existing modules were enhanced, and one new module was added. The updated modules featured new learning activities, downloadable resources, interactive exercises, animated case scenarios and references. A pilot test of the second edition was completed by 80 students and preceptors, and feedback informed revisions were completed prior to the January 1, 2016, release. In 2018, the program received the Vice-Provost’s Award for Excellence in Online Teaching and Learning from Western University.

In 2021, eCampus Ontario granted funds for a third revision to the program. Two modules were removed, two new ones were developed, and the remaining six modules were revised/updated. A pilot test of the third edition was completed by 63 students and preceptors, and feedback informed revisions prior to submitting the program to eCampus Ontario on February 28, 2022, where the 3rd edition is available as an open education resource. As of April 2022, more than 50,000 people have accessed the program.

McCorquodale, L., Ferguson, K., Doralp, S., Jenkins, K., Moosa, T., Moodie, S., Smith, K., Relouw, H., Thambinathan, V., Glista, D., Connelly, D., Wilson, J., McQueen, K., Whitehead, J., Bossers, A., & Kinsella, E.A. (2022). Preceptor Education Program for health professionals and students. (3rd ed.) www.preceptor.ca. London, ON: Western University.

Kinsella, E.A., Bossers, A., Ferguson, K., Jenkins, K., Bezzina, M.B., MacPhail, A., Moosa, T., Schurr, S., Whitehead, J. & Hobson, S. (2016). Preceptor Education Program for health professionals and students. (2nd ed.) London, ON: The University of Western Ontario. Available at: www.preceptor.ca

Bossers, A., Bezzina, M.B., Hobson, S., Kinsella, E.A., MacPhail, A., Schurr, S., Moosa, T., Rolleman, L., Ferguson, K., DeLuca, S., Macnab, J. & Jenkins, K. (2007). Preceptor Education Program for health professionals and students. (1st ed.) London, ON: The University of Western Ontario. Available at: www.preceptor.ca

Kinsella, E. A., Bossers, A., Jenkins, K., Hobson, S., MacPhail, A., Schurr, S., Moosa, T. & Ferguson, K. (2015). Interprofessional Preceptor and Preceptee Educational Programming: An Interdisciplinary Needs Assessment. Focus on Health Professional Education, 16(2), 70-87.

Bossers, A., Phelan, S., Kinsella, E. A., Jenkins, K., Ferguson, K., Moosa, T., Schurr, S. & Hobson, S. (2014). Participants’ self-identified learning outcomes in an online preceptor education program for health professionals and students. The Journal of Practice Teaching and Learning, 13(3), 79-97.