Twelve tips to promote excellence in medical teaching

For medical teachers around the world, teaching duties have expanded beyond the classroom and include teaching small groups, assessment, providing instructional materials beyond the syllabus, problem-based learning, learner-centred teaching, clinical teaching on-the-fly--and the list goes on. Faculty development is essential to train medical faculty in essential educational theory and specific teaching skills as well as to encourage a flexible and learner-centred approach to teaching. Finally, self-reflection and critique of teaching techniques are vital to propel medical schools towards promoting and aiming for uncompromising excellence in medical education. The twelve tips described in this article relating to educating teachers, evaluating teaching and eradicating institutional apathy are simple measures that educational leaders can apply to promote excellence in teaching at their parent institutions. The tips introduce a multi-dimensional approach to improving the overall quality of medical education consisting of measures aimed at individual teachers and those aimed at overhauling the teaching climate at medical institutions.