Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions



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CURRENT ISSUE BACK ISSUES SUBSCRIBE ADVERTISE ABOUT JCEHP FOR AUTHORS JCEHP AWARD SEARCH (Members only) FULL-TEXT		Volume 21 (3) Volume 21, Issue 3, Summer 2001 J Contin Educ Health Prof 2001; 21(3):134-139 THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS Media richness and social information processing: rationale for multifocal continuing medical education activities Gilman SC Turner JW A b s t r a c t Academic business communication has studied the results of media selection in organizations. Little of this work has been discussed in the context of continuing medical education (CME); however, it may apply to improving the design of educational activities. This article reviews literature on media richness and social information processing theories. The concept of media richness suggests that media choice results from a match between the objective characteristics of the medium and the content requirements of a message. In this context, media include face-to-face conversation and print and electronic media. Social information processing theory suggests that media selection is also based on participants' social norms for how information is communicated in their environment and the participants' familiarity with specific media types. Appraisal of CME with respect to these theories suggests that the complex relationship of CME content and CME participant environments invites the most effective strategies of multiple media experienced over time in what might be called multifocal continuing medical education. Lessons for Practice Educational content that is complex is best presented with communication tools that are suited to conveying the desired information. Context, the norms of the communicators, rules for interaction within the workplace, and perceptions of the mediated environment are important to successful communication. When the goal of education includes changing an organization's performance, understanding the organization's communication styles and values associated with media use is important to optimal instructional design. MeSH Terms: Communication; Education, Medical, Continuing; Educational Technology; Organizational Culture; Teaching Materials Publication Type: Review
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