Learning climate refers to the prevailing mood, attitudes, standards, and tone in the clinical or classroom environment. A negative climate can feel hostile, chaotic, and out of control. A positive climate feels safe, respectful, welcoming, and supportive of learning. The good news is that climate doesn’t just happen—it’s created! There are things faculty and preceptors can do to deliberately shape the climate into a positive learning environment. We have included resources below with ideas for structuring and conducting learner orientations to the clinical and office environment; considering the physical and emotional environment; the importance of effective communication and establishing expectations; and more.
Just In Time
These Just In Time resources are ideal if you only have a couple of minutes to start finding out about Learning Climate & Orientation of the Learner.
Orienting a Student to your Office
Source: Primary Care Clerkship Teaching Videos
Two scenarios contrasting the right and wrong way to orient a new medical student to your office and practice.
Additional Resources:
A method to prepare students for patient encounters.
Learn to distinguish supportive patient-centered teams from those that need improvement, and how to implement them in your own environment.
Deeper Dive
If you have more time to invest, these Deeper Dive resources are longer and/or more in depth so you can gain a deeper understanding of Learning Climate & Orientation of the Learner.
This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.
Creating an Optimal Learning Environment – Reducing Student Mistreatment (video)
Creating an Optimal Learning Environment – Reducing Student Mistreatment
Includes some older research and cases to consider. The section between 6:11-23:09 is recommended.
Presenter(s): Pat McBride MD, MPH; Rosa Garner
Cultivating a Supportive Learning Environment (link)
Cultivating a Supportive Learning Environment
From the Department of Medicine, the Resident as Educator module about Cultivating a Supportive Learning Environment provides information about strategies to support learners in the medical education field.
How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching (link)
How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching
Nyquist JG, Jubran R. How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching. J Chiropr Educ. 2012 Fall; 26(2):192–3. doi: 10.7899/JCE-12-022. PMCID: PMC3557656.
A review of the book How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching by Susan A. Ambrose, Michael W. Bridges, Michele DiPietro, Marsha C. Lovett, and Marie K. Norman.
Key Factors in Creating a Positive Classroom Climate (link)
Key Factors in Creating a Positive Classroom Climate
Classroom climate refers to the prevailing mood, attitudes, standards, and tone that you and your students feel when they are in your classroom. Learn more about three ways to improve and promote positive classroom climate.
Teaching Masters Program: Learning Climate (video)
Teaching Masters Program: Learning Climate
Presentation 1 of 7 in educational aspects of clinical teaching series. Focuses on the learning climate which considers the physical and emotional environment in which the teaching is happening. Examines what it is and how to influence learning climate. Key components covered include: stimulation, learner involvement, respect/comfort and admission of limitations.
Presenter(s): Jeremy Smith, MD
Teaching Masters Program: Communication of Goals (video)
Teaching Masters Program: Communication of Goals
Presentation 3 of 7 in educational aspects of clinical teaching series. Focuses on communication of goals, the explicit establishment of teachers’ and/or learners’ expectation for the learners. Key components covered include: establishment of goals, expression of goals and negotiation of goals.
Presenter(s): Jeremy Smith, MD
The Benefits of Precepting Introductory Students (pdf)
The Benefits of Precepting Introductory Students
The Journal of the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin. 2017 May/Jun. 20(3): 23-7.
Discusses strategies to optimize a student’s experience who is shadowing. Although it describes a program for pharmacy students, the strategies apply to all disciplines and clinical settings.
Part of the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin’s “Preceptor Development Series“.
Setting Expectations for Preceptors (link)
Setting Expectations for Preceptors
Faculty Development for Community Preceptors provides observations and feedback on teaching from faculty and learners. See also this guide on the Effective Preceptor that talks about the expectations and traits of teachers and learners.
Smartphone Usage During Patient Care: Implications for Clinical Education – Clinical Affiliate Online Journal Club (link)
Smartphone Usage During Patient Care: Implications for Clinical Education–
Clinical Affiliate Online Journal Club
The usage of technology, specifically smartphones, may be perceived as mainstream technology by health care professional students but older patients may find the use of smartphones to be a distraction and foster a sense of disconnectedness from the health care provider. Discover and consider further how health care professional preparation programs handle the issue now, and how they must in the future.
Presenter(s): Sue Wenker, PT, PhD, MS
UWSMPH Learning Repository Creating an Effective Learning Climate (link)
UWSMPH Learning Repository Creating an Effective Learning Climate
[Please note that access may require NetID login]
Explore the essentials of impactful learning with this course by Andrea Schnell, MD, and Jeremy Smith, MD. This course covers topics like the key components of learning climate, and methods to establish an inclusive environment.