Develop an Educational Activity

Describe who the activity is for and the context in which participants will apply their learning.

• Identify profession, discipline, role, and level of experience.
• Consider practice settings, geographic contexts, available resources, and prior knowledge.
• Identify barriers to participation and learning, including accessibility, language, scheduling, technology, and cost.
   

Translate the identified need into two to five learner-centred objectives. Each objective should describe an observable result that participants can reasonably achieve by the end of the activity.

• Begin with one measurable action verb.
• Address the knowledge, skills, or professional behaviours relevant to the identified gap.
• Avoid vague verbs such as understand, know, or become familiar with.
• Use the objectives to guide content, teaching methods, and evaluation.

Example: “By the end of this activity, participants will be able to …”

Resources:

• How to create learning objectives for your CPD activity (Royal College)
• Suggestions for action verbs for learning objectives (CQDPCM) – French only
   

Choose the format that best supports the objectives, audience, and practice context, not simply the format that is easiest to deliver.

• Select an appropriate delivery model: in person, virtual, hybrid, synchronous, asynchronous, or blended.
• Choose methods such as a workshop, case discussion, simulation, small-group activity, panel, or reflective exercise/self-assessment.
• Build in meaningful interaction, opportunities to practise, feedback and reflection.
  • 25% of time must be interactive for the activity to be accredited.
• Ensure the format is accessible and feasible for the intended audience.

Resources:

• Educational delivery options for your CPD activity (Royal College)
• Formats for CPD activities (CQDPCM) – French only
  
   

Protect educational independence by establishing a transparent process to:

• disclose affiliations.
• identify and mitigate potential biases.
• declare, review, manage conflicts of interest.

Resources:

• Managing Educational Independence in CPD Activities (CQDPCM) – French only
• Policy on Managing Conflicts of Interest (FMOQ) – French only
  • Form: Declaration of Affiliations and Conflicts of Interest (FMOQ)
• Guidelines for physicians in interactions with industry (CMA)
   

Select presenters/facilitators whose expertise and teaching approach match the audience’s needs.

• Recruit content experts, educators, facilitators, patients, or interprofessional contributors as appropriate.
• Select contributors who understand the target audience, can communicate clearly, welcome feedback, and can meet planning deadlines.
• Clarify roles, deliverables, timelines, disclosure requirements, and expectations for evidence-based and unbiased content.
• Integrate an equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) perspective:
  • Treat equity as an important value in CPD.
  • Design a diverse program that responds to the needs of the communities served.
  • Promote diversity and inclusion when selecting content, faculty and facilitators, and teaching methods.
  • Integrate EDI systematically when planning activities of any size by using the CQDPCM Guide – Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).

Resource:

• Excel template to track speakers and sessions (McGill - Excel document will download immediately)
• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (CQDPCM) – French only
   

Evaluating the activity is an essential educational practice. There are three paths:

1) If your activity is being submitted to McGill for accreditation by the Fédération des médecins omnipraticiens du Québec (FMOQ) or Fédération des médecins spécialistes du Québec (FMSQ), the relevant federation will provide the evaluation form you need to use. Participants complete the evaluation through the applicable FMOQ or FMSQ platform.

2) If you submit your activity directly to a national accrediting organization, follow that organization’s evaluation requirements.

3) If you are not submitting your learning activity for accreditation, use the McGill evaluation form template (below) to help you design an evaluation.

Resources:

• Unsure if where you should submit for accreditation? Consult our accreditation page.
• How to gather participant feedback on your CPD activity (Royal College)
• Evaluation Form Template (McGill - Word document will download automatically)
   

Confirm that the educational, administrative, technical, and accessibility elements are ready before the activity begins.

• Finalize the agenda, presentations, handouts, and participant instructions.
• Review materials for scientific rigour, relevance, readability, copyright, conflict-of-interest mitigation, and accessibility.
• Confirm registration, faculty availability, technology, room setup, audiovisual support.
• Communicate event details to participants and, where applicable, follow the requirements of the accrediting organization.
• Ensure participants have access to preparatory or online materials.
• Prepare attendance tracking.
• Conduct a rehearsal or technical check for complex, virtual, hybrid, or simulation-based activities.
   

Complete the post-activity requirements for your accreditation pathway and use participant feedback to improve future educational activities.

1) For activities accredited by the FMOQ or FMSQ, the organizer must provide the attendance list to the federation.

• Participants have seven days to complete their evaluation and obtain their certificate.
• The FMOQ or FMSQ will provide an evaluation survey report to the scientific planning committee.

2) For activities accredited by other organizations, follow that organization’s respective post-activity requirements.