Curriculum Development Approach Research Articles

Improving the Pharmacology Curriculum at a German Medical School: A Structured Plan Based on a Student-Guided Large-Scale Study.

With rapid progress in medicine, a thorough understanding of pharmacology remains crucial. Currently, lecturers are implementing competency-based learning objectives in medical curricula around the world. Advancing teaching modalities need to be integrated into pharmacology courses in a reasonable way. At Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich Medical Faculty, a systematic evidence-based approach was used to modernize pharmacology classes. The needs assessment was conducted by final-year students. It included focus groups and a large-scale online survey, which was distributed among all medical students at LMU, with 1018 students participating (response rate 20%). Survey results showed that most of the students (92%) aimed to become pharmacology-adept doctors. Also, a majority (88%) stated that their goal was to understand the material most critical to application of pharmacology concepts as well as prescribing practice. Only 38% of the students reported satisfaction with the current curriculum, and 93% supported modernization. Thus far, pharmacology teaching at LMU Munich had mainly consisted of lectures attended by 200 students. Now, students advocated for a stronger integration of clinical pharmacology teaching into clinical subjects in the last 2 years of medical school. Specifically, they called for classes with smaller groups of students including problem-based learning as well as video podcasts. These results provided the foundation for change in curriculum at the LMU medical school. In conclusion, a structured approach for curriculum development that considers students' views is feasible and can reveal their actual goals and demands. The approach has proven successful at LMU Munich and is transferrable to other universities.

A Project-based Curriculum for Driving Organization-wide Continuous Improvement.

Background:Creating the capacity and capability for meaningful improvement in healthcare quality is a challenge many organizations face. Before 2012, Children’s Mercy sponsored 20 leaders to obtain advanced improvement training from peer organizations. Recognizing an opportunity to build upon this momentum, we developed an organization-wide curriculum for teaching continuous improvement.Methods:A steering committee was created in 2011 to define, advise, and oversee education in improvement science. We agreed upon a framework for improvement, a program name [Continuous Quality and Practice Improvement (CQPI)], and a phased curriculum development approach, beginning with a project/experiential learning based course (Team CQPI). Course evaluation for Team CQPI consisted of a standard evaluation of objectives, pre- and post-course assessment, qualitative feedback, and serial assessment of project progress using the Team Assessment Score (TAS). The curriculum committee monitored improvement.Results:From 2012 to 2017, 297 people participated in the project-based course, completing a total of 83 projects. TAS improved throughout the 4-month project-based course, from an average starting score of 1 (“forming a team”) to 2.7 (“changes tested”). The average TAS at 12 months following completion of the Team CQPI course was 3.5 (“improvement”) out of 5.Conclusions:Development of a comprehensive curriculum for driving continuous improvement has resulted in a measurable change in TAS scores representative of local improvement efforts.

PENDIDIKAN MULTIKULTURAL DENGAN PENDEKATAN ADITIF DI SEKOLAH DASAR

The plurality of Indonesians becomes a challenge for the educational world in managing people, not conflict. Until present still few people understand what is really behind the culture of the nation. Elementary School have being basic layers of education need for multicultural education ystematically. Multiculturalism education is important because for aware the students to be tolerant to diversity of Indonesian. Multicultural education can not be determined by a certain time standard, creating a plurality of tribes, races, cultures and religions to develop strengths and provide multicultural education as a national curriculum development approach. Besides, multicultural education in elementary schools can be through an additive approach.

A Curriculum Development Approach to Integrating Various Kinesiology Sub-disciplines

A Curriculum Development Approach to Integrating Various Kinesiology Sub-disciplines

CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF JUNIOR BACHELOR TRAINING IN SPECIALTY "NURSING" AT THE DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL AND PHARMACEUTICAL CHEMISTRY OF BSMU

The authors consider the primary teaching and curriculum development approaches in the discipline of “Medical Chemistry” for students of specialty “Nursing” based on a credit-module system at the Professional College of Bukovinian State Medical Universit

Action Versus Reaction: A Curriculum Development Approach to Inservice Education

Action Versus Reaction: A Curriculum Development Approach to Inservice Education

Curriculum Design and Implementation of the Emergency Medicine Chief Resident Incubator.

BackgroundChief residents receive minimal formal training in preparation for their administrative responsibilities. There is a lack of professional development programs specifically designed for chief residents.ObjectiveIn 2015, Academic Life in Emergency Medicine designed and implemented an annual, year-long, training program and virtual community of practice for chief residents in emergency medicine (EM). This study describes the curriculum design process and reports measures of learner engagement during the first two cycles of the curriculum.MethodsKern’s Six-Step Approach for curriculum development informed key decisions in the design and implementation of the Chief Resident Incubator. The resultant curriculum was created using constructivist social learning theory, with specific objectives that emphasized the needs for a virtual community of practice, longitudinal content delivery, mentorship for participants, and the facilitation of multicenter digital scholarship. The 12-month curriculum included 11 key administrative or professional development domains, delivered using a combination of digital communications platforms. Primary outcomes measures included markers of learner engagement with the online curriculum, recognized as modified Kirkpatrick Level One outcomes for digital learning.ResultsAn average of 206 chief residents annually enrolled in the first two years of the curriculum, with an overall participation by 33% (75/227) of the allopathic EM residency programs in the United States (U.S.). There was a high level of learner engagement, with an average 13,414 messages posted per year. There were also 42 small group teaching sessions held online, which included 39 faculty and 149 chief residents. The monthly e-newsletter had a 50.7% open rate. Digital scholarship totaled 23 online publications in two years, with 67 chief resident co-authors and 21 faculty co-authors.ConclusionsThe Chief Resident Incubator is a virtual community of practice that provides longitudinal training and mentorship for EM chief residents. This incubator conceptual framework may be used to design similar professional development curricula across various health professions using an online digital platform.

How Do Masters of Public Health Programs Teach Monitoring and Evaluation?

The health systems in developing countries face challenges because of deficient monitoring and evaluation (M&E) capacity with respect to their knowledge, skills, and practices. Strengthening M&E training in public health education can help overcome the gaps in M&E capacity. There is a need to advance the teaching of M&E as a core element of public health education. To review M&E teaching across Masters of Public Health programs and to identify core competencies for M&E teaching in South Asian context. We undertook two activities to understand the M&E teaching across masters level programs: (1) desk review of M&E curriculum and teaching in masters programs globally and (2) review of M&E teaching across 10 institutions representing 4 South Asian countries. Subsequently, we used the findings of these two activities as inputs to identify core competencies for an M&E module through a consultative meeting with the 10 South Asian universities. Masters programs are being offered globally in 321 universities of which 88 offered a Masters in Public Health, and M&E was taught in 95 universities. M&E was taught as a part of another module in 49 institutions. The most common duration of M&E teaching was 4-5 weeks. From the 70 institutes where information on electives was available, M&E was a core module/part of a core module at 42 universities and an elective at 28 universities. The consultative meeting identified 10 core competencies and draft learning objectives for M&E teaching in masters programs in South Asia. The desk review showed similarities in M&E course content but variations in course structure and delivery. The core competencies identified during the consultation included basic M&E concepts. The results of the review and the core competencies identified at the consultation are useful resources for institutions interested in refining/updating M&E curricula in their postgraduate degree programs. Our approach for curriculum development as well as the consensus building experience could also be adapted for use in other situations.

Utilizing a Curriculum Development Process to Design and Implement a New Integrated Clinical Education Experience

Background and Purpose. Intentional curriculum development processes have been described in the literature but application of such processes has not been described specific to the clinical education (CE) component of a doctor of physical therapy (DPT) curriculum. The article describes one DPT program's application of David Kern's Six-Step curriculum development approach to the creation of a unique integrated clinical education (ICE) curriculum. The development of the ICE curriculum, a component of a larger curriculum revision of the DPT program, began in 2010. The details of Kern's steps are provided and their application to the development of the new ICE curriculum is described. Method/Model Description and Evaluation. The DPT program used Kern's 6 steps, beginning with a general and targeted needs assessment (Steps 1 and 2). The DPT program collaborated with clinical faculty in these early steps to gather information and feedback. The program consulted with a strategic planning committee and reviewed student and clinical instructor (CI) feedback on the existing ICE experience in the prerevision curriculum. The DPT program also reviewed the literature and consulted with another DPT program during this phase. The needs assessment resulted in the basic structure and design of the new ICE, employing innovative characteristics, such as use of the collaborative model, reimbursement to clinical sites, and early placement in the clinic with a focus on hands-on experience. The DPT program continued with the development process by creating goals and objectives for the ICE (Step 3), followed by educational methods (Step 4) to meet these objectives. The program planned for implementation (Step 5) and evaluation (Step 6) of the new ICE curriculum by following Kern's recommendations to continue to collaborate with key stakeholders in these final steps of curriculum development. Outcomes. The result of this process was the new ICE curriculum implemented in 2014 with 17 clinical sites and 24 CIs participating. Survey data and feedback revealed that students believed ICE was essential to their learning and the collaborative model enhanced overall learning. CIs indicated feeling adequately prepared for the unique experience and described feeling more connected to the DPT program as a result of participation in ICE. Discussion and Conclusion. This curriculum development process highlighted the importance of a strong academic-clinical partnership in the creation of a unique ICE model. Utilization of a systematic approach to development of an ICE curriculum can support DPT programs in meeting the recent call for innovation and partnership in CE. Kern's approach engages key stakeholders—in this case academic and clinical faculty—throughout the development process, which ultimately leads to increased intentionality and quality of the ICE curriculum.

Implications of Simmel’s Culture Theory as an Alternative Approach for Curriculum Development

Implications of Simmel’s Culture Theory as an Alternative Approach for Curriculum Development

Media Resistance and Resiliency Revealed in Contemporary Native Art: Implications for Art Educators

Historic and contemporary media misrepresentations of Native American people in visual/popular culture—such as Edward Curtis’s photographs, Wild West Shows, museum exhibits, Boy Scout and school enactments, art, literature, toys, cartoons, and sports mascots—have been linked with cultural narratives that represent and reinforce the colonization and forced assimilation of the indigenous North American people. Some contemporary Native artists are challenging these dominant historical narratives by expressing their personal, communal, or cultural values and aesthetics to engage viewers in counter-storytelling as a form of resiliency. The purpose of this article is to examine media representations and contemporary Native art using historical contexts and Indigenous aesthetics and worldviews. The paper is framed by the scholarship of contemporary Native art educators, art historians, art critics, artists, and their allies, starting with recommendations by art educators who advocate teaching about contemporary Native art to improve the ways Native people are perceived and treated in contemporary contexts. Conceptual examples are provided throughout the article to illustrate the concepts of image/narratives (Pauly, 2003), counter-storytelling, counter-image/storytelling, Tribal Critical Race Theory (Brayboy, 2005), and Indigenous aesthetics. Next, traditional image/narratives historically used as tools of oppression are juxtaposed with works by artists who challenge traditional hegemonic narratives through counter-image/storytelling, humor, design qualities, and reinterpretations of historically meaningful Indigenous art forms. Finally, recommendations are provided for art curriculum development and teaching approaches advocated by Native American authors from the Museum of Contemporary Native Art (MoCNA), the Museum of the American Indian, and the Indian Mascot and Logo Task Force.

Planning and Developing Outcome Based Engineering Curricula to meet the Needs of Fast Growing Indian Industries

Most of the engineering institutes are finding difficulties in developing outcome based engineering curricula to meet the needs of fast growing Indian industries and MNCs. The process of developing outcome based curricula is as follows:Preparation of matrix, analyzing the types of industries which would employ them, analysis of desired performances of graduates at entry, synthesis of abilities, and preparation of course outcomes, preparing curriculum framework, strategies to acquire professional abilities expressed as program outcomes as in EC2000, curriculum development approach, required key skills of the fresh graduates, tracer study, forming consortium of institutes, establishing satellite centers in the industrial hubs/ corridors for assessing the needs, accreditation criteria and the process for accreditation of outcome based curricula. If the institutes systematically plan the outcome based curricula and implement them through trained and qualified faculty and with cooperation with the companies, then the institutes can largely achieve success.

Improving Identification of Potentially Inappropriate Medications among Older Patients: a Preliminary Report of a Single-Blind, Controlled Trial Teaching Fourth Year Medical Students Value- and Preference-Based Prescribing/De-Prescribing

This pilot curriculum was developed following Kern’s six-step curriculum development approach to teach fourth year medical students value- and preference-based prescribing/deprescribing for older patients with multimorbidity. In this single-blind, controlled trial, 147 students participated, 59 who were assigned to the intervention, and 88 to the control group. Needs assessment data from students supported the necessity of this curriculum. Students in the intervention group identified significantly more potentially inappropriate medications than students in the control group. The students’ feedback on the experience was positive. This pilot curriculum has value in education and clinical practice for fourth year medical students.

Collaborative framework for designing a sustainability science programme

Purpose The authors describe the challenges and opportunities associated with developing an interdisciplinary sustainability programme in an emerging economy and illustrate how these are addressed through the approach taken for the development of the first postgraduate programme (MSc and PhD) in sustainability science at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). The purpose of this paper is to outline an approach that has a potential for application in other parts of Latin America and perhaps more broadly in other world regions sharing some of the same challenges and opportunities as found in Mexico. Design/methodology/approach The implemented collaborative framework enabled a transformation of disciplinary research and teaching at UNAM into a postgraduate programme designed to generate cutting-edge educational and research capabilities. The approach to curriculum and programme design emphasized the process and methodological framework for curriculum development as much as the outcome itself. It entailed three primary elements: theory on collaborative processes; the curriculum design approach; and a formative and summative evaluation. Findings Several of the challenges faced were related to the nature of the institution (mainly because of the complexity of its organization and the emphasis in maintaining disciplinary boundaries), as well as to the curriculum development and design approach (acceptance of a competency-based programme appropriate for the MSc but considered restrictive for the PhD). The experience the authors relate in this paper exemplifies how to cope with such challenges. The approach enabled the emergence of a shared vision that was appropriated by all the participants. This ultimately empowered them in the presentation of the curriculum to their disciplinary peers. Furthermore, the approach facilitated the creation of a programme that remained salient along the process, while increasingly gained legitimacy and credibility among the academic community. Social implications In Mexico, the number of sustainability practitioners and scientists is still insufficient, and there is a clear lack of capacities in key themes and tools. UNAM combines a strong scientific tradition and a foundational mandate to serve both the country and humanity and is, thus, a natural platform for developing a higher education programme in sustainability science. The approach taken in the development of UNAM’s programme has useful lessons for the development of similar programmes in other developing nations facing similar educational and institutional challenges. Originality/value This model not only resulted in an innovative and novel programme in sustainability education but also, in the process, strengthened the competencies of diverse stakeholders through a systematic collaborative framework that fosters sustainability as a social learning process. Such experience illustrates the advantages of implementing a collaborative approach to enable the emergence of a critical mass capable to handle the diversity presupposed by a curriculum in sustainability science. It also shows how such a collaborative process can be implemented to overcome the limited resources, lack of experience in sustainability education and strong disciplinary focus that hampers the advancement of higher education in institutions similar to UNAM.

The development of a curriculum for a module in introductory Financial Accounting: an open distance learning approach

This article looks into the processes and procedures that were followed and the research conducted towards the development of a curriculum for a new module in Introductory Financial Accounting at the University of South Africa, which is an open distance learning institution. Most of the aspects of curriculum development touched on will also be relevant for residential universities. The research method used to develop the curriculum was based on a thorough literature study of aspects of curriculum development. On the basis of this literature study, the curriculum development approach was devised and the determinants of curriculum development, that could have a special influence on the development of the new module, identified. The new module FAC1501 – Introductory Financial Accounting was introduced in the Diploma in Accounting Sciences in the School for Accounting Sciences’ new programme qualification mix (PQM). Because FAC1501 had no previous student body, it was necessary to do a thorough literature review of relevant statistical evidence gathered by other researchers regarding various aspects of this curriculum project and to adapt it where necessary. This, together with the determinants identified, provided guidelines for the selection and arrangement of learning content and preparation of the necessary tuition material. This article emphasises the fact that curriculum development is a never-ending team effort in the sense that the on-going process of monitoring and evaluating the curriculum together with possible changes in disciplinary knowledge, determines what factors should receive attention in the next cycle of curriculum development.

Inter-professional in-situ simulated team and resuscitation training for patient safety: Description and impact of a programmatic approach.

BackgroundInter-professional teamwork is key for patient safety and team training is an effective strategy to improve patient outcome. In-situ simulation is a relatively new strategy with emerging efficacy, but best practices for the design, delivery and implementation have yet to be evaluated. Our aim is to describe and evaluate the implementation of an inter-professional in-situ simulated team and resuscitation training in a teaching hospital with a programmatic approach.MethodsWe designed and implemented a team and resuscitation training program according to Kern’s six steps approach for curriculum development. General and specific needs assessments were conducted as independent cross-sectional surveys. Teamwork, technical skills and detection of latent safety threats were defined as specific objectives. Inter-professional in-situ simulation was used as educational strategy. The training was embedded within the workdays of participants and implemented in our highest acuity wards (emergency department, intensive care unit, intermediate care unit). Self-perceived impact and self-efficacy were sampled with an anonymous evaluation questionnaire after every simulated training session. Assessment of team performance was done with the team-based self-assessment tool TeamMonitor applying Van der Vleuten’s conceptual framework of longitudinal evaluation after experienced real events. Latent safety threats were reported during training sessions and after experienced real events.ResultsThe general and specific needs assessments clearly identified the problems, revealed specific training needs and assisted with stakeholder engagement. Ninety-five interdisciplinary staff members of the Children’s Hospital participated in 20 in-situ simulated training sessions within 2 years. Participant feedback showed a high effect and acceptance of training with reference to self-perceived impact and self-efficacy. Thirty-five team members experiencing 8 real critical events assessed team performance with TeamMonitor. Team performance assessment with TeamMonitor was feasible and identified specific areas to target future team training sessions. Training sessions as well as experienced real events revealed important latent safety threats that directed system changes.ConclusionsThe programmatic approach of Kern's six steps for curriculum development helped to overcome barriers of design, implementation and assessment of an in-situ team and resuscitation training program. This approach may help improve effectiveness and impact of an in-situ simulated training program.

Practice, problems and power in ‘internationalisation at home’: critical reflections on recent research evidence

In a period when international flows of higher education students are rapidly increasing and diversifying, this paper reviews recent research evidence about the experiences of ‘home’ students – those who are not mobile and study in their home nation. This is situated within the concept of ‘internationalisation at home’, which asserts that these students should also receive an international educational experience: through interaction with international students, curriculum development and new pedagogic approaches. However, the evidence to date suggests that this is considerably more problematic than might be imagined. For example, home students across the world are often found to resist intercultural group work and generally to avoid contact with their international peers, leading to concerns about unequal access to transformative experiences and powerful knowledge. The conflict between ‘global worker’ and ‘global citizen’ approaches to internationalisation is discussed, as well as the increasingly hegemonic role of English.

Professional task-based curriculum development for distance education practitioners at master’s level: A design-based research

<p>Curriculum development for distance education (DE) practitioners is more and more focusing on practical requirements and competence development. Delphi and DACUM methods have been used at some universities. However, in the competency-based development area, these methods have been taken over by professional-task-based development in the last decade, which has not been applied in the open and distance education area so far. Is the professional-task-based curriculum development approach suitable for open and distance education? This study aims to develop a Master Degree curriculum for DE practitioners in China based on professional tasks. Design-based research (DBR) was used and two cycles of DBR were conducted. Interviews and observations were used to collect data. In the first round of DBR, the authors find that professional-task-based development is feasible and could direct more closely to practical requirements of competencies, and that meanwhile, this approach has some disadvantages and limitations. In the second round of DBR, the approach was revised and results showed that the revised approach was much more suitable and reasonable for DE practitioners. Results of this study include: 1) professional-task based curricula for DE practitioners in China; 2) a curriculum development approach for open and distance education revised from professional-task-based development.</p>

Developing and evaluating an undergraduate radiology teaching programme

Developing and evaluating an undergraduate radiology teaching programme

Action research as a both-ways curriculum development approach: Supporting self-determination in the remote Indigenous child care workforce in the Northern Territory of Australia

This article gives a detailed example of how action research theory can inform an innovative approach to education and training through its use as a curriculum design device within the both-ways philosophy of Indigenous education. This work was undertaken through a VET training program at the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia. The specific target group was Indigenous people currently working in early childhood services in remote Indigenous communities in the NT where few hold the necessary qualifications. The curriculum development methodology described in this article embeds an iterative and reflexive approach to learning that is intended to support the empowerment and self-determination of the Indigenous early childhood workers while delivering a nationally recognized ‘mainstream’ qualification.