Adult Learning Principles in an Online Learning Faculty Development Program

Background: Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education Research (FAIMER) Regional Institutes have online discussions through the listserv as an integral component of their faculty development programs. Objectives: In this paper we describe our experiences during the PSG FAIMER regional institute (PSG-FRI) online listserv discussion on the topic ‘educational research’ and also how we could leverage some of the adult learning principles during online learning. Materials and Methods: During the listserv discussions, questions on the topic ‘educational research’ were posed to a group of 45 participants. Responses were analyzed and comments were assigned to the four themes identified under ‘educational research’. Results: Two hundred and nine emails and twenty-three learning resources were exchanged and shared during the discussion. We could identify the usage of adult learning principles such as active participation, relevant learning, constructive feedback, learning built on previous knowledge and experiences, and learning in a safe non-threatening environment in our model of online learning. Learning outcomes were evident in the form of periodic (weekly) summaries of learning by the participants and a scholarly report on educational research. Conclusions: The PSG- FRI online discussion paved the way for exploring perspectives, sharing resources and debating and discussing issues pertaining to education research in the non-threatening cyberspace environment.