First-year Curriculum Research Articles

Shifting Mindsets: Changes in Entrepreneurial Intention Among University Students

Despite the growing interest in entrepreneurship education and its impact on entrepreneurial intention, there is limited research on why students’ entrepreneurial intentions change over time. It has been observed that university students’ intentions to pursue entrepreneurship are higher when they enroll in entrepreneurship courses; however, these intentions usually shift both before and after the completion of the entrepreneurship course. This study investigates the shift in entrepreneurial intention among university students. Utilizing a mixed-method approach, this study combines the qualitative research tools of interviews and diaries to explore the evolution of students’ entrepreneurial intentions. The research sample consisted of undergraduate university students of a Greek university who had attended an entrepreneurship and innovation course as part of their first-year curriculum in the academic year 2020–2021. The study utilized 163 structured interviews and complementary diary research on 96 students from the same cohort in the academic year 2023–2024. NVivo12 software (32 bits version) was used to analyze the primary data. The findings highlight notable changes in students’ entrepreneurial intentions as a result of a variety of factors, including the allure of the entrepreneurial idea, cohesiveness of the teams, teaching strategies employed, support provided by the university and their families, and certain personality traits. These findings provide valuable insights for educators and policymakers to better support and sustain entrepreneurial intentions among students, while also further expanding the understanding of the strategy development needs of entrepreneurship counseling and education, as very limited research has been conducted on this issue.

Impact of a first-year medical student patient navigation initiative on healthcare access and students' skills

Background: Medical schools with complex patient populations, characterized by linguistic diversity and uncertain immigration status, face challenges in imparting essential skills in patient care, particularly in understanding healthcare barriers, building rapport, and fostering empathy. A South Florida medical school with a predominantly non-English-speaking and undocumented patient population piloted a Patient Navigation (PN) program within the first-year curriculum to address these challenges. We present the student feedback from the program’s first two years to guide medical schools in simultaneously caring for this unique patient population, with the aim of enhancing medical education. Methods: This program diverged from traditional Patient Navigation approaches by leveraging specialized hospital-associated translation services and collaborating with the Health System's Financial Assistance program. We performed a crosssectional study on student feedback surveys to identify program features significantly associated with a satisfying PN experience, and to provide insights to optimize and refine the program for future implementations. Results: The program engaged 245 out of 306 first-year medical students in PN for 118 patients. Successful contact was established with 55% of patients and 70% achieved their navigation objectives. Satisfaction metrics revealed that students given patients were nearly five times more satisfied than their counterparts. This positively impacts both student experience and patient outcomes, showcasing the program's effectiveness in bridging healthcare disparities. Discussion: The PN program proved successful in linking low-risk patients to follow-up care, offering medical students first-hand exposure to the challenges of care for primarily non-English-speaking and undocumented populations. The initiative aimed to enhance healthcare access for marginalized patients while providing medical students with an immersive understanding of patient-centric care beyond conventional curricular offerings. Key lessons learned include improving communication channels between students and patients, and optimizing community resources for streamlined patient support. Future iterations will prioritize these lessons, emphasizing cultural competence and patient advocacy to enhance both student education and patient care outcomes.

Key Learnings and Perspectives of a Newly Implemented Sex-and Gender-Based Medicine Modular Course Integrated into the First-Year Medical School Curriculum: A Mixed-Method Survey.

Sex and Gender-Based Medicine (SGBM) addresses the influence of sex and gender on health and healthcare, emphasizing personalized care. Integrating SGBM into medical education is challenging. This study examines the implementation of an SGBM course in an Israeli university during the first year of the medical school. The course integrated lectures, group work, online gender studies resources, workshops, teacher training, and essential literature. The curriculum spanned pre-clinical and clinical aspects, featuring seven 90-minute sessions. Surveys assessed course structure, content, and lecturers using a 5-point Likert scale and qualitative feedback. Quantitative analysis involved descriptive statistics, and thematic analysis was used for qualitative data. Of the 84 students surveyed, 35 (41.7%) responded to the first part, and 30 (35.7%) to the second. The SGBM course received high satisfaction with an average score of 3.63, surpassing other first-year courses (average 3.21). Students appreciated the supportive academic atmosphere (mean score 4.20) and diverse teaching methods (mean score 4.03), while the development of feminist thinking was less appreciated (average score 3.49). Lecturers received high ratings (average score 4.33). Qualitative feedback highlighted the value of group work, the significance of the subject matter, and the helpfulness of supplementary videos. Students requested more content on contemporary issues like gender transition and patient perspectives. The feminist medicine aspect was contentious, with students seeking better gender balance and scientific evidence. Introducing SGBM into the first-year curriculum yielded positive results with high student satisfaction for content and lecturers. An expanded course module is planned, to be assessed at the end of the next academic year.

Preclinical obesity curriculum: audit, implementation, and evaluation

BackgroundThis study aimed to (1) evaluate the current status of obesity education at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine (CWRU) (2), introduce a comprehensive first-year curriculum on obesity, and (3) assess the impact of the curriculum on self-reported attitudes and knowledge regarding obesity among first-year medical students.MethodsThe preclinical curriculum at CWRU was reviewed to determine the degree of coverage of Obesity Medicine Education Collaborative (OMEC) competencies for healthcare professionals, and recommendations were provided for revising the curriculum to better adhere to these evidence-based competencies. A survey on obesity attitudes and knowledge was given before and after the implementation of the new curriculum to measure intervention-related changes. Changes in obesity attitudes and knowledge were compared (1) before and after the intervention for the class of 2025 and (2) after the intervention for the class of 2025 to a historical cohort that did not receive the intervention.ResultsAmong the 27 competencies examined in the audit, 55% were unmet and 41% were partially met. Of 186 first-year medical students (M1s), 29 (16%) completed the baseline survey and 26 (14%) completed the post-intervention survey. Following the intervention, there was a notable improvement in attitudes and knowledge regarding obesity. Specifically, there was a significant decrease in the belief that obesity is caused by poor personal choices, and knowledge of obesity in fourteen out of fifteen areas showed significant improvement from pre- to post-intervention. Additionally, obesity attitudes and knowledge were significantly better post-intervention when compared to the historical cohort.ConclusionsThe improvements made to the preclinical curriculum through this project improved obesity attitudes and knowledge among first-year medical students. This method provides a practical approach for evaluating and enhancing obesity education in medical school curricula.

The perspectives of first-year students on interprofessional education as a vehicle for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3

Background. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a blueprint for world peace and prosperity. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the agenda are to be met by the governments of both developed and developing countries. Interprofessional education (IPE) may be regarded as a mechanism for achieving SDG 3. Objectives. To investigate how students perceive an interprofessional first-year curriculum that contributes to the accomplishment of SDG 3. Methods. The study design was focused on consensus-building strategies. The students’ perceptions of the IPE part of the first-year module were measured on a 4-point Likert scale. Results. Students agreed that the content in the interprofessional module is suitable to promote teamwork skills and learning. There was no consensus regarding their understanding of the role of their own profession in an interprofessional team. Participants agreed that IPE helps students learn, encourages teamwork, and is good for both patients and themselves as future healthcare workers. Conclusion. IPE in health professions education has many benefits and can be seen as a vehicle to reach SDG 3, which aims to improve the health and wellbeing of all people at all ages.

Exploring the Elements that Support Student Motivation to View Pre-Recorded Lecture Content in Physiology and Related Health Sciences

Within higher education, course content has traditionally been delivered via didactic lectures. In line with evolving pedagogical theory & approaches, there has been a shift towards incorporating more active learning elements & evidence-based teaching methods into the curriculum, including offering more flipped learning opportunities. In a flipped learning environment, students are provided material to review and study before attending an in-person scheduled class session (pre-work). In class, the instructor facilitates active learning opportunities to promote learning & application at higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy of learning. Studies show that students who complete assigned pre-work before an in-person learning session perform better in a course than those who do not, yet motivating students to complete assigned pre-work in advance has been identified as a significant challenge in the flipped classroom. One primary mode of delivery for pre-work in the flipped classroom is via pre-recorded lecture content. The format, duration, and design of pre-recorded lectures varies widely across disciplines, depending almost entirely upon the determination of the instructor. While effective design methods for creating and delivering pre-recorded lectures are well-established, identifying factors which either motivate or deter students from viewing pre-recorded lectures in advance remains a challenge. To explore factors which motivate students to view pre-recorded lectures, we examined the experiences of students at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia following their encounters & usage of pre-recorded lecture content during the Physiology block of the first-year curriculum. Preclerkship medical students who had been assigned a series of pre-recorded lecture content as a component of the curriculum were invited to participate in semi-structured focus group interviews to discuss their experiences with pre-recorded lecture videos and the subsequent in-person learning sessions. Ten students out of a class of 97 volunteered to participate and interview transcripts were qualitatively analyzed to identify factors that motivated students to view pre-recorded lecture content in advance as well as factors that impeded their ability to do so. Factors which students identified as motivators for viewing lecture recordings in advance fell into two general categories: (1) those which served as intrinsic motivators (self-determination theory) and (2) those which reduced cognitive load (cognitive load theory). In line with self-determination theory, instructor attempts to enforce extrinsic motivators were not identified by students as supporting their attempts to view lectures in advance, instead being reported to have hindered their ability to effectively study the material. Overall, we identified the in-class learning environment to have had the greatest impact on students’ decision to view pre-recorded lectures in advance. Ongoing steps of this study include delivery and analysis of a Likert-style survey to all students who have been assigned a series of pre-recorded lecture content as a component of the curriculum to further explore the themes identified in our qualitative discovery. We hope that other educators may use these findings to optimize the design and delivery of flipped and active learning environments. This project was internally funded by the University of South Carolina's Student Opportunities for Academic Achievement Through Research Program and a Center for Teaching Excellence Innovative Pedagogy Grant. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Professional Development and Scholarly Activity Weeks to Enhance the Master Adaptive Learner and Foster Future Educators

One osteopathic medical school designated 4 weeks per year in the first-year curriculum to Professional Development and Scholarly Activity. The aim of these weeks is to foster the development of Master Adaptive Learners. This metacognitive learning theory promotes adaptive expertise which supports students as educators in a variety of settings.

Evaluating clinical reasoning in first year DPT students using a script concordance test

BackgroundA script concordance test (SCT) provides a series of clinical vignettes to assess clinical reasoning in uncertainty. Appraised throughout health education literature, SCTs are cognitive assessments of clinical reasoning, though their use in Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) entry-level education has not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to develop and explore the reliability and validity of a SCT for first year DPT students.MethodsThe SCT was developed and implemented over four phases. During phases one and two, DPT program faculty consulted on course content from the first-year curriculum. Thirty clinical vignettes with three follow-up questions each were constructed. The SCT was pilot tested with five clinicians in phase three to assess question clarity. During phase four, the SCT was administered to students and a reference panel via Qualtrics. First year DPT students (n = 44) and reference panel physical therapists with at least two years of experience and advanced certification (n = 15) completed the SCT. Internal consistency was analyzed using Cronbach’s Alpha. Differences between student and reference panel percent-correct scores were analyzed with a t-test. Relationships between student SCT scores and academic records were explored with Spearman’s Rho.ResultsThe SCT had an internal consistency of 0.74. A significant difference in scores was found between the students [mean 58.5 (+/-5.31)] and reference panel [65.8 (+/-4.88), p < .01]. No significant correlations between student SCT scores and academic records were found.ConclusionsThe developed SCT was reliable and demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency among test items. The SCT successfully differentiated between groups, with the reference panel demonstrating statistically significant higher percent-correct scores compared to students. SCTs may provide means to measure clinical reasoning in DPT students and lead to novel pedagogical approaches to enhance clinical reasoning.

The impact of integrating bioscience and nursing subjects in a first-year nursing curriculum: A retrospective study

AimThe aim of this study is to explore the effects of integrating bioscience and nursing units on academic achievement and perception in the first-year nursing curriculum. BackgroundNursing students have historically found biosciences difficult and struggle to relate it to nursing practice. In response, nursing and non-nursing academics have employed different teaching modes and integration strategies to enhance learning. Despite these efforts, substantial gaps still persist concerning the integration of biosciences within nursing curriculum and the effect of integration on student academic achievement and student perception. DesignRetrospective descriptive. The setting was a large University in Victoria Australia with two undergraduate nursing campuses (metropolitan and non-metropolitan). MethodStudent academic records and online evaluation surveys that were completed from 2014 to 2019 were examined. Students self-reported their experiences of the unit using a five-point Likert scale and two open-ended questions. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. Content analysis was used to analyse the two open-response survey items. ResultsFirst-year student records from 2014 to 2016 (pre-integration) and 2017–2019 (post-integration) were examined. Student mean age was 24.5 years (SD 7.2) and 20.9 years (SD 4.8) pre-integration and post-integration respectively. There was a statistically significant decrease in student attrition from pre-integration (n=536, 29.9%) to post-integration (n=358, 20.2%) (p <0.001), and a significant improvement in students’ mean academic scores post-integration in the first semester 61.9 (SD 15.9) and 67.0 (SD 14.9) respectively, confidence interval 3.9–6.2 (p <0.001). Student satisfaction with the units improved post-integration, from 77.8% to 85.8% (χ2 = 10.1076) (p=0.001). However, there was no significant difference in students’ perception of feeling overwhelmed, and their self-reported ability to link theory to practice. ConclusionIntegrating bioscience and clinical nursing practice units in the first-year curriculum can help decrease student attrition rates, improve student academic results and increase student satisfaction which may lead to an overall improvement in student learning experiences.

Delivering Resilience: Embedding a Resilience Building Module into First-Year Curriculum

Starting university is challenging. Students require resilience to face the inevitable challenges of university life, yet many may not be equipped with the strategies they need. In this research, we explored changes in resilience following the delivery of a resilience building module within a core first-year university course. Psychology students at the University of South Australia completed the adapted Resilience at Work Scale at two separate time points and undertook a resilience building module. Pre- and post-scores were obtained for students’ resilience (n = 205; n = 100 respectively); overall and components. On average, students had good levels of resilience at commencement, yet scores increased significantly across most components following completion of the module. Additionally, students who reported implementing resilience strategies experienced significantly higher score increases than their peers who did not. These findings hold important implications for staff across universities in relation to embedding resilience building programs into curriculum.

Cumulative Effects of Histology Course on Pathology Curriculum: A Dental Student’s Perspective

Aim: The way students perceive and express their thoughts significantly influences their success in academics. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the first-year general histology course influences medical students' perceptions of pathology in the second year of dental school. The survey assessed students' perspectives on studying the body, their opinions on their initial year's histology and subsequent year's pathology courses, and their sentiments regarding the integration of these classes. Method: It was a cross-sectional study conducted using a questionnaire. A five-point likert scale was used. 250 questionnaires were distributed among the dental students of private and government dental college from 2nd year. Out of 250 questionnaires that were disturbed 220 were responded. Sampling type was convenient sampling. Dental students perspective was the main objective hence target population were 2nd year dental students. Pre- tested questionnaire was utilized. SPSS version 20 was used to analyze the data. Result: The data was collected from second year students of private and government dental colleges. Questionnaire was generated using Goggle Forms. A 30 items, self-administrated questionnaires was used. Out of the 220 students 99 were boys (45%) the rest 121(55%) students were girls. The mean age of the participants was 20.12 years (SD = 0.86). Out of which 165 (75%) students recognizes the importance of histology and pathology course. 57% participants considered that the integration of these two courses will bring about a positive change. The integration of histology and pathology into the curriculum in the first year needs to be evaluated, as demonstrated by our experience for a better understanding of the course. Conclusion: It is important to examine the first-year curriculum's integration of histology and pathology, and some suitable steps must be taken to improve students' interest in general histology and histopathology. Keywords: Histology, Pathology, Integration, Dental students, Syllabus.

Reforging the Master’s Tools: Critical Race Theory in the First-Year Curriculum

This Article examines why and how critical race theory (CRT) should be taught as a mandatory component of the first-year law school curriculum. Learning the fundamentals of critical race theory is not only important to empathetically understand and serve those around you, but necessary to understand the law as it is. The law’s past and future require this. This Article first makes the positive argument for critical race theory’s necessity in legal education, showing that it rises above normative (albeit virtuous) justifications. It then briefly summarizes what critical race theory is by outlining its central tenets, as well as what critical race theory is not by examining the recent uproar surrounding the CRT boogeyman. Part II explores why and how critical race theory can be taught in two doctrinal first-year courses: constitutional law and civil procedure. The courses show how easily critical race theory’s tenets slot into commonly taught cases, before even considering adding new material to course requirements. Constitutional law demonstrates how interest convergence and the social construction of race play a role in the law, while civil procedure demonstrates how intersectionality and counter-storytelling can recontextualize how we view a court’s ruling. Part III prescribes actionable solutions. The first solutions include discretionary implementation of critical race theory into syllabi by professors. It suggests more concrete solutions in the form of mandatory curriculum requirements, changes to ABA accreditation standards, and changes in NCBE Bar Exam requirements. It then surveys some existing courses to examine how such requirements can be implemented. Finally, the appendices outline the wealth of existing CRT scholarship relating to the first-year courses for reference.

Club Mahindra: culture as an enabler of future business strategy

Research methodology The case was developed from both primary and secondary sources. The secondary data was sourced from annual reports, industry reports, company websites and news articles. Primary sources included visiting the Club Mahindra Resorts located at different places, interacting with staff and local people, visiting their corporate office to interact with the CEO. The case has also been tested in a classroom. Case overview/synopsis This case deals with challenges faced by a vacation ownership (VO) company, Mahindra Holidays Resorts India Ltd in articulating the organizational culture of its flagship brand “Club Mahindra.” Club Mahindra had emerged as the major VO company in India in the past two decades on the back of its core product – a 25-year membership plan. The company was growing its offerings to its customers in an environment of changing customer preferences. This case provides the students an opportunity to learn the organizational culture model. The students are expected to use the information provided in the case and exhibits to support their analysis with the primary objective to extract lessons about organization culture to leverage it as a tool to enhance customer satisfaction. Other objectives include understanding the changing business environment and modeling employee behavior during a crisis. Furthermore, the students are expected to validate the model using the artifacts from the crisis management at the Club Mahindra Resorts at Madikeri and Ashtamudi to understand the dynamics of change and the role of culture in organizational success. Complexity academic level At the MBA level, the case can be used to teach the topic of Organization Culture in the core course, Organization Behavior in the first-year curriculum, which is at the macro-level, with “organization” as the unit of analysis. It can also be used to teach the same topic with a stronger application orientation in the One Year Executive Education Program for middle-to-senior managers or short-term Executive Education Modules designed for a similar cohort.

Learning by doing and creation of the shared discovery curriculum

ABSTRACT Background The Michigan State College of Human Medicine began as an experiment to teach medical students in community-based settings and to create a primary care workforce for the state. Decades later, CHM faced internal and external challenges that spurred creation of a new curriculum – the Share Discovery Curriculum – founded on learning by doing and other learning theories. Methods A curricular design group (CDG) developed guiding principles for reform. Based on this, pedagogies and structures were selected to achieve this vision and developed into a curricular structure. Components of the first-year curriculum were piloted with a group of students and faculty members. Results Six guiding principles were endorsed, grounded in learning theories such as Dewey’s Learning by Doing. Based upon these, several key features of the new curriculum emerged: learning communities; one-on-one coaches for students; symptom-based presentations for content; simulation, authentic clinical tasks, flipped classrooms, and modified practice-based learning as primary teaching modalities; early, integrated clinical and scientific learning; milestones as course learning objectives; and a multidimensional, competency-based assessment system. Discussion The process and outcomes described here are intended as an exemplar for schools undertaking curricular change. Early stakeholder engagement, faculty development, sustainable administrative systems, and managing complexity are core to the success of such endeavors.

In Memoriam Prof. Jeffrey E. Froyd

<fig orientation="portrait" position="float" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <graphic orientation="portrait" position="float" xlink:href="froyd-3234674.tif"/> </fig> It is with a mix of great sadness, respect, and gratitude that we reflect on the passing of Prof. Jeffrey E. Froyd in October of 2022. We would like to first recall Jeff’s many accomplishments for those who may not have had the privilege of knowing him. Jeff received the B.S. degree in mathematics from the Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, IN, USA, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA. He was an Assistant Professor, an Associate Professor, and a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering with the Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology. At the Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology, he co-created the Integrated, First-Year Curriculum in Science, Engineering, and Mathematics, which was recognized in 1997 with a Hesburgh Award Certificate of Excellence. In November 2017, he joined the Department of Engineering Education, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA, first as a Professor and later as the Department Chair, a role he would hold until his death.

The Physician Experience Teaching an Integrated Curriculum to First-Year Medical Students.

Introduction The authors review a model of early medical student education that leverages the strengths of physician educators in curriculum development and small-group instruction in the first year of medical school. Objective The objective of this study was to understand the experience of practicing physicians who helped to design, implement, and deliver the first-year curriculum at a new medical school. Methods Survey data were collected for all first-year physician instructors and first-year medical students at the new Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine during the inaugural 2020-2021 academic year. Physician involvement in curriculum design and implementation, time required for teaching preparation, ratings of collaboration with basic scientists, and confidence and satisfaction of the clinician educators with first-year medical student education, as well as student satisfaction with physician educators, were all explored. Results Despite extensive time commitment from the physician educators and some reported variability in confidence ratings for course content, physicians rated their experience teaching first-year medical students at the new medical school highly. They rated their collaboration with basic scientists highly as well. Medical students rated their physician educators highly across multiple assessment domains. Conclusion The successful combination of basic scientists with physician educators in first-year medical education may provide a road map for other medical schools seeking to further integrate clinical sciences into basic science education.

Using Podcasts to Study Efficiently and Increase Exposure to Medical Specialties.

To the Editor: As medical students and avid podcast listeners, we read with great interest Kelly and colleagues’ study, which sought to improve understanding of podcast use in medical education. 1 To speak to the utility of podcasts as accessible and flexible learning tools, below we present empirical observations related to medical student podcast usage. We agree with Kelly and colleagues that a significant benefit of medical education podcasts is their portability and efficiency. 1 Students often have unproductive periods of time, such as commuting, where traditional study methods may be impractical. Using podcasts to study whenever possible can increase efficiency and free time, leading to an improved work–life balance and decreased stress levels. At our respective institutions, podcasts were incorporated into our first-year curriculum. Our experiences support Kelly and colleagues’ finding that medical education podcasts provide flexible, learner-specific, and entertaining content. 1 Listening to information-dense podcasts, rather than attending in-person lectures, allows us to maximize our time. Because podcasts split information into digestible portions, we find it easier to focus compared with traditional didactic lectures. We observe that many of our peers also value the ability to pause and customize the playback speed of podcasts, allowing for personalized learning. In addition to functioning as learning tools, podcasts offer exposure to specialties that are less encountered in medical education. For example, The Undifferentiated Medical Student (https://www.undifferentiatedmedicalstudent.com) has helped us learn about specialties that are not well represented at our institutions. Podcasts like this one are especially pertinent for medical students who may not experience a robust and diverse clinical curriculum. We thank Kelly and colleagues for sharing their insights and encourage future studies to similarly assess podcasts featuring medical specialty information. Learning about medical specialties is as important as learning about medical practice. For specialties that are facing shortages of physicians or little exposure from medical students, creating conversations about their scope and culture is necessary to attract potential applicants. We believe that podcasts can help bridge this gap.

Assessment of Anatomy Education Teaching Modalities before and during COVID-19 in US Medical Schools

Medical schools in the United States, as well as across the world, have undergone curriculum reform in the delivery of anatomy courses, which recently required social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to compare total teaching time across three major types of anatomy curricular formats in preclerkship and clerkship phases of US medical education, and quantitatively describe which tools/teaching modalities are used within different curricula structures across preclinical and clinical anatomy courses as well as evaluate the relative percent of the curricular time their use comprised prior to and during the pandemic. An optional survey instrument (with skip patterns), developed using Qualtrics Software and approved by the author’s home Institutional Review Board, was sent to anatomy course directors at 152 allopathic medical schools, from all four geographic and size categories delineated by the Association of American Medical Colleges. Data were analyzed using Qualtrics XM Stats iQ software. Thirty allopathic US medical institutions were represented in this survey, among which there existed an even distribution across the three integration formats with the majority of instruction occurring in the first-year curriculum. Total anatomy teaching time varied widely, but cadaveric dissection and lectures were the predominant teaching modalities, even during the pandemic. Traditional dissection comprised the majority of contact time compared to alternative modalities, but less than half of respondents currently incorporate new modalities. Approximately half of the schools changed to an all-virtual format for 2020–2021. Among those that were fully virtual, time using 3D anatomy significantly increased. Our results demonstrate that traditional anatomic educational practices remain the mainstay of medical education. Surprisingly, total contact hours in anatomic education varied widely, but there were striking similarities in the use of traditional tools.

What Law Schools Must Change to Train Transactional Lawyers

Not all lawyers litigate, but you would not know that from the first-year curriculum at most law schools. Despite 50% of lawyers working in transactional practices, schools do not incorporate its legal doctrines or skills in the foundational first year. That the Progressives pushed through antitrust laws and the New Dealers founded the modern administrative state reframed how people use the law, particularly in transactional practices, and should be given equal weight as the appellate-based common law in any legal introduction. Nevertheless, the law school model created by Christopher Columbus Langdell in the 1870s remains dominant. As this review of fifty-four law schools’ required curricula shows, law schools have largely retained Langdell’s curriculum. This negatively affects young transactional lawyers because their critical first year does not show them the law as a preventative, problem-solving practice. This Article proposes fundamental changes to the way law schools prepare students to be transactional and other types of attorneys by reframing the first year from various common law topics to a focus on practice areas. This Article argues that it is faculty, fear, and funding that prevent fundamental change to the first year and other required curriculum even as change is necessary for the health of law schools and the legal profession. This Article concludes that, in the face of curriculum stagnation, the ABA accrediting body and bar examiners should recognize these changes by requiring and testing these “new” areas of law.

Domestic Globalization: Evaluation of Curriculum Design for Future Global Citizens

Higher education in the U.S. is a $490 billion dollar a year industry for over 5,300 institutions. If higher education wishes to continue to be more internationalized with a goal to produce global citizens, specific curricular pathways are needed in order to provide international exposure in many forms. This article discusses best practices in redesigning curriculum with an international lens for U.S. higher education institutions. Curriculum redesign requires three pillars which include a first-year curriculum foundation, retaining diverse staff and students, and providing pathways for all to achieve a global citizenship mentality. These pillars will help design curriculum that can be self-directed or lectured that releases the outside contingent financial support and empowers a newly internationalized inside of the institution to better serve the global leaders of tomorrow.