EdCaN was a national project auspiced by Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and supported by funding from the Australian Government under the Strengthening Cancer Care initiative. The project was conducted over four years, from mid-2005 to June 2009.
The EdCaN project developed:
- a national framework for cancer nursing education that contributes to the development of a nursing workforce capable of meeting the future needs of people with cancer
- a suite of supporting educational resources sufficiently flexible to meet local needs while addressing issues associated with long-term workforce preparation.
The development of the learning resources was underpinned by principles from constructivist learning theory, including:
- The use of authentic learning activities.
- The incorporation of multiple learning perspectives. For example, different settings, demographics, clinical diagnosis and treatment trajectories.
- A focus on learners actively thinking rather than being told.
- An emphasis on the building of self knowledge / knowledge construction.
Key features of the EdCaN learning resources:
- Modules centered on the personal experience of the person affected by cancer.
- Aim and rational provided for each module.
- Case-based learning resources divided into sections relating to the cancer experience trajectory. Each section includes objectives, evidence based summaries, case vignettes/s and learning activities.
The success and implementation of the EdCaN project was due in no small part to the willingness of partner organisations to share information, exchange ideas and resources.
Supported by Cancer Australia, EdCaN continues to be managed by the Project Lead, Professor Patsy Yates, Queensland University of Technology (QUT). The project team at QUT have continued to build on the work from Phase 1 and supported national implementation, ongoing maintenance, promotion and enhancement of the EdCaN learning resources.