<aside> <img src="/icons/help-alternate_gray.svg" alt="/icons/help-alternate_gray.svg" width="40px" /> Background & Theory

The chalk talk is a simple, low-tech teaching method that, when delivered in a way that engages learners in building conceptual frameworks, can facilitate active learning. In the clinical teaching environment (i.e., inpatient rounds, outpatient clinic), mini-chalk talks (5-10 minutes) leverage this active learning method within a clinical context. Because this technique is brief and is meant to build off of the learner’s existing knowledge, it reduces their cognitive load and helps to balance learning and clinical service in a busy patient care environment. ID faculty often have a sufficient understanding of common infectious disease teaching topics that come up on rounds or in clinic. Still, they may not have a prepared teaching script or graphic that clearly depicts the conceptual framework or teaching topic they are reviewing with their learners, nor may they be prepared for the best way to engage learners in the teaching topic. IDChalkTalks is a compendium of brief teaching scripts created by ID medical educators for busy ID clinical teachers and reviewed by the IDSA Medical Education Community of Practice. An ID faculty or educator could read and review one of these IDChalkTalks (related to a patient the team is seeing) five minutes before rounds to have a well-prepared, concise chalk talk that actively engages learners ready for teaching.

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<aside> <img src="/icons/checklist_gray.svg" alt="/icons/checklist_gray.svg" width="40px" /> Format

The IDChalkTalk submission should include a PowerPoint and a one-page Word document. The PowerPoint should contain a single slide showing the finished product of the chalk talk; ideally, you can also include a series of slides showing how you build-up to the final product. The chalk talk should use plain text and simple graphics (lines, arrows, highlighted text boxes) that are easy to reproduce. Complex, intricate, and detailed images should not be included. Chalk talks that promote active learning (i.e., tables that can be filled in, Venn diagrams that compare and contrast concepts, timelines highlighting disease progression, diagnostic/treatment flowcharts) are preferred. The one-page Word document should be a script that explains the slides, encompassing what the IDChalkTalk author would expect the educator to explain and discuss with learners. Each paragraph should correspond with an individual PowerPoint slide. Educators could then adapt or deviate from the script as needed.

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<aside> <img src="/icons/clock_gray.svg" alt="/icons/clock_gray.svg" width="40px" /> Time

IDChalkTalks should only cover content that can be presented in 5 to 10 minutes.

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<aside> <img src="/icons/news_gray.svg" alt="/icons/news_gray.svg" width="40px" /> Content

We recommend covering bread-and-butter ID topics that are specific, bite-sized topics. Clinically-focused topics are preferred (i.e., differential diagnosis, diagnostics, therapeutics for various infections), but epidemiology and pathophysiology may also be appropriate and can be a useful way of spiraling back to topics trainees learned in the first years of medical school. Content can be focused at the medical student, resident, or ID fellow level. Some IDChalkTalks could provide adaptations for various learner levels.

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<aside> <img src="/icons/key_gray.svg" alt="/icons/key_gray.svg" width="40px" /> Keywords

We recommend covering bread-and-butter ID topics that are specific, bite-sized topics. Clinically-focused topics are preferred (i.e., differential diagnosis, diagnostics, therapeutics for various infections), but epidemiology and pathophysiology may also be appropriate and can be a useful way of spiraling back to topics trainees learned in the first years of medical school. Content can be focused at the medical student, resident, or ID fellow-level. Some IDChalkTalks could provide adaptations for various learner levels.

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<aside> <img src="/icons/target_gray.svg" alt="/icons/target_gray.svg" width="40px" /> Learning Objectives

Please provide 1-3 learning objectives for your ID Chalk Talk. Learning objectives should 1) be specific, 2) address identified audience needs and interests, 3) facilitate measuring the educational activity's success, and 4) describe how a clinician’s competence or performance will be changed by participating in the learning activity.

The chart below contains examples of performance verbs to assist in drafting learning objectives.

Example words and phrases that are not measurable and should not be used are: know, think, understand, comprehend, perceive, learn, appreciate, remember, be aware of, have knowledge of, and grasp the significance of.

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