What Do You See? Signature Pedagogy in Continuous Electroencephalography Teaching

Abstract

Purpose: Electroencephalography (EEG) is commonly used in neurology, but there is variability in how neurologists interpret EEGs, potentially from variability in EEG teaching. Little is known about how EEG teaching is done to prepare neurologists for professional practice. Methods: We interviewed a group of EEG experts to characterize their teaching practices around continuous EEG (cEEG). We used signature pedagogy as a framework to analyze and interpret the data. Results: We identified pervasive and characteristic forms of cEEG teaching. Teaching is based on apprenticeship, relying on “learning by doing” in the context of real-life clinical practice. There are habitual steps that learners take to anchor teaching, which typically occurs during rounds. There is a common language and core knowledge that trainees need to master early in their training. Conclusions: There are pervasive characteristic forms of cEEG teaching. These findings can help facilitate instructional design and implementation of complementary or enhanced cEEG teaching practices.