At the Annenberg Center, continuing education is a system of:

• Clearly defining the appropriate target audience for an educational activity -- its needs, interests and expectations
  
  
• Designing a specific educational intervention based on need/gap analysis
  
  
• Delivering content in an accessible format, and
  
  
• Evaluating the program's effectiveness

Step 1 -- Needs Identification

Needs identification is the foundation of the educational design process. Data may be collected from target audience surveys, outcomes research, focus groups, and input from experts in the relevant field.

Step 2 -- Establishing Learning Objectives

Once the need is identified, we establish learning objectives, so participants can anticipate the medical knowledge, skills and attitudes they will learn from taking part in the educational activity.

Step 3 -- Instructional Design & Delivery

A wide variety of methods are available to deliver educational content. It is important to match the preference and size of the audience with the appropriate delivery model.

Step 4 -- Evaluation

"Did we do what we set out to do?" Measuring the transference of knowledge and evaluating its value provides vital feedback to faculty, planning committee, grantor and Annenberg Center staff. Assessment measures may include pre- and post-tests, follow-up surveys and interviews, practice pattern assessments, and self-assessment measurements.