By: Joseph Miller, PhD | Curriculum Integration Specialist | Aquifer

Imagine you are an assistant dean of curriculum in a medical school. Your objective is to ensure that the curriculum increases student learning and improves patient care. You select and deploy tools and resources that help your program meet accreditation standards and support students as they prepare for clinical experiences. Amidst a diverse array of tools and resources, from traditional textbooks to advanced online platforms, a pivotal question arises: Are you leveraging these resources to their full potential? This challenge is at the heart of the Aquifer Adoption and Use Self-Assessment – a tool designed to evaluate and enhance the effectiveness of your Aquifer subscription. Aquifer is only one tool, and we want to ensure that when it is integrated into your curriculum, it has an impact.

Aquifer’s influence extends across various facets of learning. Effective use of Aquifer can transform students into confident, self-directed learners with robust clinical decision-making skills, essential for exemplary patient care. For educators, Aquifer offers rich tools and resources, enhancing the teaching and learning experiences. At the programmatic level, Aquifer is an asset for reaching educational objectives and supports the mission of fostering efficient, collaborative, and effective health professions education.

A group of health professions educators, including clerkship directors, program directors, and curricular deans, got together and created a developmental framework that describes a program’s path from just beginning with Aquifer (Early Adoption) to getting the most out of the tools and resources that Aquifer offers (Effective Use).  The goal was to create a detailed description of how Aquifer is used and offer an intuitive pathway for getting more out of your subscription.  The Adoption and Use Self-Assessment is a tool that allows health professions leaders to reflect and learn where they are on the path from Early Adoption to Effective Use.  This self-assessment is more than a tool; it is a strategic guide, meticulously developed to assist institutions in fully realizing the benefits of their Aquifer subscription.

The Adoption and Use Self-Assessment breaks down the use of the Aquifer Learning System into four stages, from Early Adoption to Effective Use.

• Early Adoption: Initially, institutions employ Aquifer primarily to fulfill accreditation requirements. The use of Aquifer at this stage is characterized by decentralized implementation and an untapped potential for broader educational impact.
• Effective Adoption: Recognized as a valuable educational asset, particularly in clinical training, Aquifer’s use becomes more coordinated, addressing specific educational needs and enhancing patient exposure experiences.
• Early Use: Aquifer becomes integral to the educational process, with its content strategically aligned with curricular objectives. Educators start to incorporate Aquifer more comprehensively into their instructional methods.
• Effective Use: Aquifer is central to student development and patient care at this advanced stage. The institution holistically employs Aquifer, underscored by robust professional development to ensure its effective integration at all educational levels.

The results of the Adoption and Use Self-Assessment offer more than just an assessment of where you are; it provides a roadmap to unlocking the full potential of your educational resources. The self-assessment results invite you to transcend traditional practices of offering students tools and resources and select tactics for more effectively integrating this powerful clinical reasoning tool. We encourage you to engage with the Aquifer Adoption and Use Self-Assessment, reflect on your institution’s current stage, identify growth opportunities, and take decisive steps toward more effective utilization.