Interprofessional Learning in a Blended Learning Environment: Rhetoric, Reality and Opportunity

Abstract Interprofessional education (IPE) is an important goal in undergraduate health professional education because of its potential for improved patient care and health care reform. This paper explores the IP dimension of a unit from the perspective of medical students enrolled with other health professional students in a unit delivered face to face and online to a large cohort across multiple campuses. There was alignment between the rhetoric of the unit description and the reality of course delivery. Their experiences illustrated how small issues can undermine the philosophy and goals of a curriculum and highlighted the challenges of connecting students in a unit delivered face to face and online across disciplines and campuses. Opportunities for improvement include a broader faculty vision for IPE, permeation of the IP philosophy across all teaching and learning activities and consideration of new technologies to enrich online social interaction KEYWORDS: IP education, medical education, undergraduates, online learning