When the students and teaching contexts vary significantly...​

In a standard classroom within an academic institution, students have time to prepare for classes with readings and assignments, and they usually have weeks to reflect and digest on lesson plans that build on each other. While some students choose to take your class over others, some students have to take it. The teacher can build a narrative arc for the course, give continual feedback, and challenge the students to think critically over time about the material. The teacher can experiment with different pedagogical styles based on the learning needs of the students, even changing the syllabus if it seems prudent. Ideally, the class works together to build an understanding and skill set over the term. In an academic medical center, the ethics and humanities lessons might be interspersed in another course, and the classes might be in blocks or longitudinal.

In a clinical setting, learners are practicing healthcare professionals and trainees. These nurses, physicians, pharmacists, respiratory therapists, etc. are taking time out of their work day (sometimes voluntarily, sometimes as a requirement) to learn something that will hopefully make a difference for how they think about their work. The instructor often has only 30 minutes to an hour, and it might be a one-off session. Even if there are a series of talks, such as for a particular unit or residency program, the learners may change each month. The material has to cover an important topic that matters to them (or that you convince them should matter), and you have to tie it to concrete realities in the clinical environment. It's often part teaching, part motivational speaking.