Monthly Briefs

This month’s focus is on Understanding the DC Week 

One of the most common things first-time facilitators tell us is that it was difficult to fully understand the week’s flow until they experienced it firsthand. You are not expected to have everything figured out before arriving in Pullman. 

This Month’s Facilitator Development Tools: DC Facilitator Overview Module 

As you review the module, focus especially on: 

• the overall flow of the week 
• the teaching philosophy and what it means to be a facilitator in the DC 
• the general structure and progression of the student experience throughout the week 

Practical Tip 

The DC week is often busier than many first-time facilitators expect. Experienced facilitators frequently recommend limiting outside work commitments during the week when possible and intentionally reserving some evening time for reviewing student submissions, checking in with co-facilitators, and preparing for the next day. 

If You Only Have 5 Minutes This Month 

Focus on: 

• reviewing the weekly timeline 
• understanding the general facilitator role 
• becoming familiar with the overall structure of the DC week

Additional Facilitator Development Tool: Included is a short “DC Week at a Glance” roadmap that provides a high-level overview of the facilitator and student experience throughout the week. 

As a reminder, all new facilitators will be paired with an experienced facilitator for support throughout the process. 

How Much Should I Help Students? 

Many first-time facilitators describe initially struggling to balance guiding students while also allowing them space to think through problems independently. One of the biggest adjustments in DC is learning to facilitate discussion and reasoning rather than immediately providing answers or direction. It is also important to remember that effective facilitation involves more than asking questions. Questions can help students explain their thinking, but brief teaching points, clarifications, and summaries are also valuable tools for supporting learning. 

This Month’s Facilitator Development Tools: One-Minute Preceptor Module & a few optional quick-reference tools. 

As you review these resources, focus especially on: 

• asking students to explain their reasoning 
• resisting the urge to rescue students too quickly 
• helping students think through problems rather than providing answers 
• knowing when to ask a question and when to provide guidance 

Practical Tip 

When students become stuck, resist the urge to immediately provide the answer. Instead, first try to understand how they are thinking and what is preventing them from moving forward. Questions can help students explain their reasoning, compare possibilities, and work through uncertainty. However, effective facilitation involves more than asking questions. Sometimes the most helpful response is a brief teaching point, clarification, or summary that helps students connect ideas and continue reasoning through the case. 

Examples: 

• “What findings support that differential?” 
• “What else could explain these clinical signs?” 
• “What additional information would help you decide?” 
• “Let’s pause and review the findings that support each possibility.” 

If You Only Have 5 Minutes This Month 

Focus on: 

• reviewing the One-Minute Preceptor framework 
• Watch Short Video on the One-Minute Preceptor
• identifying a few questioning strategies, you would feel comfortable using
• reflecting on ways to encourage discussion without immediately redirecting students 

 This month’s DC Facilitator Monthly Brief focuses on managing workflow, communication, and technology during the DC week. 

Many first-time facilitators report feeling much more comfortable once they understand where materials are located, how communication works, and how workflow is typically organized throughout the week. This month’s resources are designed to help make the operational side of the DC feel more manageable before arriving in Pullman. 

This month’s resources include several practical support tools focused on workflow, communication, and navigating Teams during the DC week: 

• Navigating DC Teams  
• DC Facilitator Workflow Support Guide 
• Co-Facilitator Planning Questions 
• The Co-Teaching Potluck (6:35-minute video) – A short, engaging overview of effective co-facilitator communication and collaboration.  
• Access to the DC Teams site  

Please note that the case materials have not yet been updated for this year’s DC. You will currently see last year’s cases, which are available to help you become familiar with the Teams layout and organization. I’ll send an email once this year’s case materials have been added. 

As you review these resources, focus especially on: 

• where key files and materials are located 
• how communication works throughout the week 
• daily organization and workflow strategies 
• general approaches to co-facilitator coordination 

Practical Tip 

Many facilitators find it helpful to create a simple daily routine during the DC week for: 

• checking Teams messages 
• reviewing student submissions 
• organizing lab requests and responses 
• planning for the next day’s discussions 

Small organizational habits often make the week feel much more manageable. 

If You Only Have 5 Minutes This Month  

Focus on: 

• locating the major Teams folders and workflow documents 
• reviewing the overall communication structure 
• watching the Co-Teaching Potluck video 
• identifying one organization strategy you may want to use during your first DC

As a reminder, you do not need to master every workflow or technology detail before arriving in Pullman. Many facilitators become more comfortable with the systems once the week begins and they begin working through the process in real time. 

Thank you again for being part of the DC community. We appreciate your willingness to support student learning and growth. 

This month’s focus is Reconnecting with the DC Experience 

As returning facilitators, your experience plays an important role in shaping the students’ experience and supporting the collaborative learning environment that makes the DC successful. Many facilitators have shared that each year of DC feels a little different, and that facilitation skills continue to evolve through experience, reflection, and practice. 

This Month’s Facilitator Development Tools: DC Facilitator Overview Module 
As you review the module, focus especially on: 

• the overall flow of the week 

• the teaching philosophy and facilitator role within the DC 

• the structure and progression of the student experience throughout the week 

Reflection Prompt 

As you review this month’s materials, consider: 

• one facilitation strategy that worked well during a previous DC 

• one area of facilitation you would like to continue refining this year 

Practical Tip 

Many facilitators describe that each DC week feels slightly different depending on the students, co-facilitators, and case. Taking time beforehand to reconnect with the DC overall structure and goals often helps facilitators re-enter the experience more comfortably. 

If You Only Have 5 Minutes This Month 

Focus on: 

• reviewing the weekly timeline 

• revisiting the facilitator role and teaching philosophy 

• reflecting on one thing that worked well during a previous DC 

Thank you again for continuing to support the DC community and our students. 

As returning facilitators, many of you have likely experienced how small facilitation choices can significantly influence the student experience. Facilitators often describe continuing to refine their questioning strategies, approaches to guiding discussion, and methods for supporting student reasoning over time. 

This Month’s Facilitator Development Tools:  

• One-Minute Preceptor Module (review) 
• Helping students think through Clinical Cases Module (NEW)

As you review these resources, focus especially on: 

• questioning strategies that promote student reasoning 
• balancing guidance with student independence 
• facilitating discussion without immediately providing answers
• knowing when to ask a question and when to provide guidance 

Practical Tip 

As facilitators gain experience, it can be tempting to focus on helping students reach the correct answer. Instead, focus on understanding how students are thinking. When students provide a diagnosis or recommendation, consider asking them to explain their reasoning before moving to diagnostics, treatment, or the next step in the case. Questions that explore how students arrived at a conclusion often provide more insight than questions focused solely on the answer itself. 

Remember: The goal is not to ask more questions. The goal is to make student thinking visible. 

If You Only Have 5 Minutes This Month 

Focus on: 

• reviewing the One-Minute Preceptor framework 
• reflecting on questioning strategies that have worked well previously 
• identifying one facilitation approach you would like to continue or refine this year 
• writing down one question you plan to use with a student, technician, colleague, intern, resident, or other member of your team this month 
  • reflecting on how the question influenced the discussion after you use it 

Additional Facilitator Development Tools: Included are a few optional quick-reference tools and practical examples related to this month’s topic. 

• Selected clinical reasoning articles 
• Facilitator insight handouts for each article 

Thank you again for continuing to support the DC community and our students. 

This month’s Facilitator Monthly Brief focuses on supporting co-facilitators and strengthening collaborative facilitation throughout the DC week.

Many experienced facilitators describe continuing to refine not only how they facilitate student discussions, but also how they support co-facilitators, manage workflow collaboratively, and help create a supportive learning environment during the week. Small actions such as clarifying expectations, normalizing uncertainty, and sharing workflow strategies can significantly reduce stress and improve the experience for both students and facilitators.

This Month’s Facilitator Development Resources

• NEW: Podcast Working in Sync: Building a Strong Co-Facilitator Partnership
• NEW: The Co-Facilitator Potluck – a short companion video
• Co-Facilitator Planning Questions
• Facilitator Insights: Mentorship & Collaborative Facilitation
• Optional: AAHA Mentoring Guidelines (pp. 13–17 and “Guidelines at a Glance”)

As you explore this month’s resources, focus especially on:

• building a strong co-facilitator partnership before the week begins
• communicating intentionally throughout the week
• leveraging one another’s strengths rather than trying to facilitate identically
• creating opportunities for newer and experienced facilitators to learn from one another
• modeling respectful collaboration for students

Practical Tip

Successful co-facilitation often begins before the first learners arrive. Spend 10–15 minutes with your co-facilitator discussing communication preferences, workflow, facilitation approaches, and how you will support one another throughout the week. Revisiting those conversations as the week progresses can help maintain alignment and strengthen the partnership.

If You Only Have 5 Minutes This Month

Focus on

• Watch the short Co-Facilitator Potluck video.
• Review the Co-Facilitator Planning Questions before meeting with your co-facilitator.
• Reflect on one strategy that has helped you build a successful co-facilitator relationship, and one thing you would like to try differently this year.

As we get closer to this year’s Diagnostic Challenge, this month’s DC Facilitator Monthly Brief focuses on enhancing the student’s learning experience. 

As experienced facilitators, you have seen how differently student groups can respond to the challenges of DC. Some groups readily embrace uncertainty and work through disagreements, while others may become frustrated, disengaged, overly dependent on the facilitator, or struggle to work effectively as a team. How we respond in those moments can influence not only what students learn, but how they experience the learning process. 

This Month’s Facilitator Development Resources: 

This Month’s Facilitator Development Resources:

• Feedback & Debriefing Module 
• Preventing & Resolving Challenges Module
• Communication & Group Dynamics Tips Handout
• The Facilitator’s Toolbox: Communication & Group Dynamics (6:21 min)

As you review these resources, focus especially on:

• What helps your groups feel comfortable sharing incomplete ideas or uncertainty?  
• When do you step in, and when do you allow students to work through difficulty themselves?  
• How do you respond when participation, communication, or group dynamics begin to affect learning?  
• How are you using feedback and reflection to help students grow beyond the immediate case? 

Practical Tip 

Pay attention not only to what the group is doing, but to how the group is functioning. Who is contributing? Who is quiet? Are students responding to one another or primarily to you? Is disagreement leading to deeper thinking or beginning to interfere with the group’s work? 

Sometimes the most useful facilitator move is a question or redirection. Other times, it is giving students a little more space. 

If You Only Have 5 Minutes This Month 

Focus on: 

• Review the Communication & Group Dynamics Tips Handout
• Watch – Short Video: The Facilitator’s Toolbox: Communication & Group Dynamics (6:21 min) 
• Thinking about one challenging student or group interaction you have encountered during a previous DC  
• Identifying one thing you might try differently if you encountered a similar situation this year  

Key Takeaway: Facilitators shape not only what students learn, but how they experience learning. Knowing when to support, challenge, redirect, or simply give students space to work through a problem is an important part of experienced facilitation.

TBA