EdTech team members Teggin Summers, Adam Hain, and Grace Sextro join Stanford nutrition expert Dr. Christopher Gardner (seen on the Netflix documentary series "You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment") as he talks about the complexity of translating complex science to mass media, his role in educating medical students on nutrition, and expanding teaching through digital learning.

Resources mentioned:

You Are What You Eat on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81133260

Nutrition Studies Group: https://med.stanford.edu/nutrition

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Episode Summary: In this episode of the EdTech Learning Lab, host and Lead Instructional Designer Claire Kulikowski sits down with Dr. Kathleen Kan, Dr. Chenxi Liu, and Stanford EdTech Creative Director William Bottini to discuss the creation of "Bladder Basics." What started as an in-person clinical workshop has evolved into a fully animated, character-driven musical series designed to teach kids and families about bladder health.

Together, the team unpacks how they transformed a pressing clinical need—long wait times for pediatric urology patients experiencing pee and poop accidents—into an accessible, engaging, and shame-free educational resource. They explore the learning science behind the series, the power of cross-disciplinary collaboration, and what it takes to turn a wild idea into a successful health education tool.

Key Takeaways:

• From Clinic to Cartoon: Discover how high patient demand and a shift to Zoom during the pandemic inspired the evolution of "Bladder Boot Camp" into a highly accessible, 7-part animated video series.
• Normalizing the Conversation: Learn how the team used relatable characters—like Kai, Bladdimir, Pootrick, and Waterlupe—to remove the stigma, anxiety, and embarrassment that kids and parents often feel around bladder issues.
• Learning Science in Action: Dr. Chenxi Liu explains how the ARCS model (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction) and situated learning theory were utilized to keep 5- to 11-year-olds motivated and engaged with the curriculum.
• Advice for Innovators: For clinicians wanting to build their own educational tools, the team shares their biggest lesson: define your "North Star" goal, break the massive vision down into achievable steps, and always listen to the voice of your audience.

Resources Mentioned:

• Bladder Basics: An animated health education course focusing on healthy bladder habits for kids and families. [Insert Link]
• The ARCS Model of Motivational Design: The instructional design framework utilized by the team to ensure learner engagement.
• AERA (American Educational Research Association): The national education conference where the Kan Lab and EdTech team presented their research and outcomes.

Episode Summary: In this episode of the EdTech Learning Lab, host Tela Vessa sits down with Dr. Sharon F. Chen, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford University, to discuss the creation of the newly launched "Thinking Habits in the AI Era" CME course. Together, they explore the critical need for explicit, reflective thinking in medicine to combat AI-driven "cognitive offloading," unpack the development of the Thinking Habits Matrix (THM), and share behind-the-scenes insights into how clinical subject-matter experts and instructional technologists collaborate to build impactful, visually stunning learning experiences.

Key Takeaways:

• Combating Cognitive Complacency: As AI tools become more integrated into healthcare, practitioners risk relying too heavily on automated solutions. Explicit critical reflection is vital to ensure patient care remains deliberate and human-centered.
• The Thinking Habits Matrix (THM): Developed over years of clinical and educational research, the THM is a problem-solving framework that acts as a shared "language." It helps physicians step back, reflect on their decision-making, and eventually coach learners to do the same.
• Scaffolding the Learning Process: You can't coach what you don't practice. The new CME course intentionally slows down the learning process, requiring practitioners to self-reflect using their own patient cases before they ever touch an AI coaching tool or attempt to guide their peers.
• The Secret to EdTech Collaboration: Successful projects require more than just technical skills. A shared vision, mutual respect for everyone's time, and open, iterative brainstorming are what turn a good concept into a great educational tool.

Resources Mentioned:

• Thinking Habits in the AI Era: Find the new asynchronous, interactive CME-accredited course live on Cloud CME.
• Stanford Graduate School of Education (GSE): Mentioned for the collaborative work on learning science and reflective practices with Dr. Shima Salehi.
• Articulate Rise 360: The authoring tool utilized by the Stanford EdTech team to build the self-paced learning modules.

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• Want to collaborate? Learn more about our work at Stanford EdTech: https://med.stanford.edu/edtech.html