Learning theories and interprofessional education: a user’s guide

TLDR

Interprofessional education (IPE) has attracted growing interest in its theoretical foundations, drawing on diverse disciplines, but this abundance of theories has become confusing for educators. The article offers a practical framework that maps key learning theories used in IPE and their interrelationships to guide curriculum design. The authors review contemporary educational learning theories applied in IPE, detailing how they inform curriculum design and program evaluation. The resulting framework clarifies how learning theories support IPE curriculum development and evaluation, and identifies gaps for future theoretical work.

Abstract

Abstract There is increasing interest in the theoretical underpinning of interprofessional education (IPE) and writers in this field are drawing on a wide range of disciplines for theories that have utility in IPE. While this has undoubtedly enriched the research literature, for the educational practitioner, whose aim is to develop and deliver an IPE curriculum that has sound theoretical underpinnings, this plethora of theories has become a confusing, and un‐navigable quagmire. This article aims to provide a compass for those educational practitioners by presenting a framework that summarizes key learning theories used in IPE and the relationship between them. The study reviews key contemporary learning theories from the wider field of education used in IPE and the explicit applications of these theories in the IPE literature to either curriculum design or programme evaluation. Through presenting a broad overview and summary framework, the study clarifies the way in which learning theories can aid IPE curriculum development and evaluation. It also highlights areas where future theoretical development in the IPE field is required.