Undergraduate Curriculum Guidelines Research Articles

Written Versus Oral Assessment Are Both Equally Effective in Pharmacology ?

Background: The undergraduate medical curriculum guidelines established by the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC) placed significant emphasis on assessing knowledge, skills, and attitudes in pharmacology. Currently, students are mostly assessed through written and oral assessments. However, oral assessment is resource-intensive and time-consuming while written assessment can efficiently assess a larger number of students in a shorter timeframe. Objective : This study aimed to observe the level of effectiveness of written assessment and oral assessment in evaluating learning objectives in pharmacology education for MBBS students. Methods: A formative interventional study was conducted from August 2022 to September 2023 at four medical colleges in Chattogram, Bangladesh, involving fourth year MBBS students and faculty members of pharmacology. Pharmacologists' opinions were gathered prior to the assessment, and post-assessment feedback from students and examiners were collected regarding the effectiveness of written and oral assessment methods in evaluating learning outcomes aligned with the curriculum objectives. Results: A total number of 240 students and 16 faculty members of pharmacology participated in the study. There was no significant differences found in students’ and teachers’ perceptions of written and oral assessment when evaluating objectives related to the cognitive and affective domains. However, written assessment was significantly preferred for evaluating objectives related to prescribing drug for special group and analyzing information. Teachers also favoured written assessment for evaluating objectives related to prescription writing. Examiners who conducted written assessment indicated that all objectives, except for communication with patients, could be effectively evaluated through written assessment. Oral examiners reported that certain objectives could be fully assessable by oral, while objectives related to drug history taking, ethics of prescribing and prescribing for special groups were partially assessable. Choosing safe and effective drugs and analyzing information could not be adequately evaluated through oral assessment. Conclusion: Findings of this suggest that written assessment can serve as a valid alternative to oral assessment in the pharmacology curriculum within medical education of Bangladesh. This study provides valuable insights for the BMDC, offering a cost-effective and time-saving approach to pharmacology assessment in the MBBS curriculum with adequate learning outcomes. BJME, Volume-16, Issue-01, January 2025: 26-39

Development of learning objectives to support undergraduate virology curriculum guidelines.

It has become increasingly important for microbiology educators to help students learn critical concepts of the discipline. This is particularly true in virology, where current challenges include increasing rates of vaccine hesitancy, misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic, and controversy surrounding research on pathogens with pandemic potential. Having students learn virology can attract more people to the field and increase the number of people who can engage in meaningful discourse about issues relating to the discipline. However, the limited number of virologists who teach undergraduates, combined with the fact that many institutions lack stand-alone virology courses, results in virology often being taught as a limited number of lectures within an undergraduate microbiology course (if it is covered at all), which may or may not be taught by an individual trained as a virologist. To provide a framework to teach virology to undergraduate students, a team of virology educators, with support from the American Society for Virology (ASV), developed curriculum guidelines for use in a stand-alone undergraduate virology course or a virology section within another course (D. B. Kushner et al., J Virol 96:e01305-22, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1128/jvi.01305-22). These guidelines are available at the ASV website (https://asv.org/curriculum-guidelines/). To assist educators in implementing these guidelines, we created examples of measurable learning objectives. This perspective provides details about the virology curriculum guidelines and learning objectives and accompanies the perspective by Boury et al. in this issue of the Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education (25:e00126-24, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00126-24) about the recent revision of the microbiology curriculum guidelines overseen by the American Society for Microbiology.

IJCM_54A: Medical curriculum and published literature with focus on usage of appropriate LGBTQIA+ language: A situational analysis

Background: A sensitive language usage is important in scientific literature when reporting “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual and other identities” (LGBTQIA+) and medical education can play an important role towards early sensitization of future professionals. Objective: To evaluate the competency based undergraduate curriculum (CBME) guidelines by National Medical Council and to conduct a content analysis of published medical education articles related to LGBTQIA+. Methodology: We reviewed the CBME guidelines for competencies pertaining to sensitization of medical students regarding LGBTQIA+. For content analysis, we searched PubMed using the MeSH terms “”Sexual and Gender Minorities”” AND “”Education, Medical”, restricting our search to English language. The Press Council of India (PCI) guidelines were used as reference for preferred and non-preferred terms. Results: At present, NMC has not brought about any teaching modules or sensitization on LGBTQIA+ for the undergraduate curriculum. However, the related competencies were psychosexual and gender identity disorders in Psychiatry (PS 13.1-13.7) and gender issues and women empowerment in community medicine (CM 10.9). A total of 177 articles were retrieved from PubMed. We selected 30 relevant articles, of which12 (40%) were from India. Majority of them (94%) complied to the PCI guidelines on LGBTQIA+, with respect to terms such as ‘transgender’, ‘transman’, ‘transwoman’ and ‘LGBTQ’. One Indian article used the term ‘transgenders. There was no usage of derogatory terms such as ‘eunuch’ and ‘victims’. Terms such as ‘Gender Non-conforming’ and ‘Gender affirming surgery’ were used in some surgery articles (6%) with no use of avoidable terms like ‘sex change surgery’ and ‘sex reassignment surgery’. Conclusion: The CBME needs to add specific LGBTQIA+ related competencies in the curriculum. The language in the medical education articles reviewed largely conformed with the PCI guidelines on LGBTQIA+ reporting with a fair, respectful, and informative coverage.

Cybersecurity Best Practices for CISE Programs

Post-secondary education providers are focused on incorporating cybersecurity academic opportunities to address their potential clientele needs. This article offers a collection of best practices for existing CISE programs to incorporate cybersecurity studies that maximize adherence to current undergraduate curriculum guidelines while minimizing resource impact.

English

This study aims to quantitatively analyse the situation of French as a second foreign language in secondary education institutions in Turkey. Regarding presenting a comparative analysis, the study is limited to German as a second foreign language, currently included in the curriculum of secondary education institutions in Turkey, and are excluded fewer common languages such as Chinese, Spanish, Italian, etc. The research was carried out with the descriptive survey model. The questionnaire prepared within the scope of the study was sent to the Ministry of National Education, the Strategy Development Unit. Since the situation of French and German teaching programmes of the universities in Turkey should be determined, the Higher Education Undergraduate Curriculum Guidelines and Placement Results, published by the Student Selection and Placement Centre between the years 2010-2021, were analysed in terms of various variables. The data were subjected to descriptive analysis and presented in Tables. According to the results, it was determined that French teaching programmes are located in fewer universities than that German, and the number of quotas at universities is lower than in German teaching programmes. Additionally, the number of schools with French as a second foreign language is significantly behind German, and there are significant differences between the number of French and German teachers. As a result, it can be claimed that the need in the field is met with paid teachers due to the lack of appointments to existing positions.   Key words: French as a second foreign language, Ministry of National Education (MEB), Student Selection and Placement Centre (ÖSYM), secondary education institutions, Higher Education Council (YÖK).

The Endodontic Complexity Assessment Tool (E-CAT): A digital form for assessing root canal treatment case difficulty.

To develop an evidence-based, valid and reliable assessment tool that educational establishments and dental practitioners may use to assess the complexity of root canal treatment (RCT) utilizing digital advancements. The study also aimed to provide a more objective definition of the term 'uncomplicated' root canal treatment as described by the Association for Dental Education in Europe (ADEE) and the European Society of Endodontology (ESE) undergraduate curriculum guidelines for Endodontology. The development process involved a narrative review of the literature to identify the complexity factors associated with root canal treatment on permanent teeth; an iterative development and analysis process to assess the weighting of these factors; and the programming of digital software to enhance the efficiency and user interface of the assessment form. Validation of the tool was sought with a panel of 35 specialist endodontists to assess clinical scenarios and assess the consensus inter-examiner agreement with the outcomes provided by the E-CAT. The inter-user and intra-user reliability studies were conducted with 15 dentists to evaluate the same clinical cases and by repeating the experiment 9months later. The ease of use of the form was also assessed. The E-CAT was successfully developed with a total of 19 complexity criteria and hosted on a secure server under the domain of www.e-cat.uk. The tool provides a smart interactive filtering mechanism and automatic background calculation of the risk scores. Three levels of complexity were defined: class I (uncomplicated), class II (moderately complicated) and class III (highly complicated). The consensus of the panel of endodontists had excellent agreement with the outcome of the E-CAT. The inter-user and intra-user reliability was found to be 0.80 and 0.90, respectively. The average time to assess a case was 1:36min. The E-CAT gave promising results providing an efficient and reliable platform to assess the complexity of cases undergoing root canal treatments. The study design allowed the formulation of a more objective definition to describe 'uncomplicated' root canal treatment as referred to by the ESE and ADEE guidelines. This study is advantageous for educational, public health and referral pathways.

Evaluation of undergraduate Endodontic teaching in dental schools within Spain.

To evaluate the current situation of undergraduate endodontic teaching in Spanish dental schools. An online version, translated into Spanish, of a survey conducted in the UK (Int Endod J 52, 2019, 1077) was sent via email to the undergraduate endodontic programme leads in all 23 Spanish dental schools. The response rate was 96%. In 95% of dental schools, endodontics is taught in the fourth year. Students treat simple root canal treatment cases in 100% of schools and only in 40% treat moderate cases. In 65% of schools, students are supervised by full-time professors who are specialists in Endodontics, significantly more frequently in private dental schools (P=0.002). Spanish dental schools use both rotary and reciprocating instrumentation systems during endodontic training, with consistency on methods of working length determination, use of silicate-based endodontic cements, irrigating solutions, inter-visit medicaments and canal filling techniques. No type of magnification is used in 90% of dental schools, and only 25% use ultrasonic instruments. Private dental schools have a significantly better staff: student ratio during clinical practice (P=0.041), spend significantly more hours in clinical training (P=0.04) and have significantly greater number of clinical areas specifically dedicated to Endodontics (P=0.010). Undergraduate endodontic teaching in Spanish dental schools follows the key recommendations of the ESE Undergraduate Curriculum Guidelines (Int Endod J 46, 2013, 1105), being, in most respects, comparable to that carried out in the UK (Int Endod J 52, 2019, 1077). The use of magnification and ultrasonic instruments needs to be increased. Private schools reported better results than public schools in some of the variables that were analysed.

I Ação Comunitária de Cirurgia Oral Menor de Odontologia da UFPI – Relato de Experiência

Este trabalho é um relato de experiência obtido através da vivência de acadêmicos de Odontologia e especialistas de Cirurgia e Traumatologia Bucomaxilofacial da Universidade Federal do Piauí (UFPI). As experiências adquiridas e relatadas neste trabalho foram alcançadas a partir do projeto de extensão vinculado a CPPEX/UFPI denominado de Mutirão de Cirurgia Oral Menor (Terceiros Molares e Dentes Supranumerários inclusos). Esta atividade tem como objetivo atender a grande demanda de pacientes com necessidades cirúrgicas em ambiente ambulatorial de dentição inclusa. Acredita-se que ao relatar essas experiências podemos contribuir para uma atualização e treinamento de práticas cirúrgicas tidas como complexa, visto que situações semelhantes são poucas trabalhadas durante a grade curricular no curso, por não fazerem parte das diretrizes curriculares da graduação. Dessa forma, a instituição leva à comunidade os saberes desenvolvidos em seus espaços e presta auxílio à população, seja por meio de atendimento gratuito, clínica-escola, orientação, entre outros. Assim como as comunidades retribuem compartilhando os conhecimentos que é detentora e atuando em prol da defesa da educação. O projeto contou com a participação de 18 integrantes, sendo: 1 professor coordenador e 3 professores para monitoramento, 4 alunos da graduação e 10 alunos da especialização, todos estes sendo voluntários.

Development of Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Immunology Education –a Report by a Task Force on Undergraduate Immunology Curriculum Guidelines

Abstract Until recently, immunology education was primarily introduced at the graduate level. However, in the age of modern medicine, a fundamental understanding of the immune system is becoming increasingly critical. The immune system affects every organ system in the body, and entails many concepts that are critical for training students who wish to pursue health professions or research-intensive careers. In addition to medicine, ecologists and computer scientists have lately been attracted to the field to investigate problems related to ecoimmunology or for development of machine learning tools for disease modeling. The need to focus on undergraduate immunology education has been strongly recognized and advocated for in several recent publications. In response to this need, we, a newly formed task force of undergraduate immunology educators, have identified fundamental concepts that are critical to the understanding of immunology for undergraduate students. We have aligned these fundamental statements with the overarching concepts described in the AAAS report “Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action”, and are now gathering feedback on these guidelines from undergraduate educators at large. Establishment of these guidelines is consistent with new pedagogical practices that emphasize conceptual understanding of the subject over rote memorization and provides a framework needed to introduce students to immunology. The goal of this project is to solicit feedback from the immunology community in an effort to achieve consensus regarding the fundamental concepts in immunology that are critical for STEM-focused students to comprehend.

Perception of Undergraduate Students at the Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové Regarding Their Endodontic Education and Suggested Improvements.

The aim of this study was to assess the perception of undergraduate dentistry students at Charles University, Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové, the Czech Republic regarding their endodontic education within the context of the Undergraduate Curriculum Guidelines for Endodontology by the European Society of Endodontology (ESE). The secondary aim was to compare this perception among students in the Czech and English groups. A questionnaire survey was conducted among fifth year students at the very end of their studies. The students returned 60 filled questionnaires, making the response rate of 75.9%. More than two thirds of the respondents declared that they were competent at or had knowledge of most of the major competencies defined by the ESE. Eighty seven percent of respondents felt competent to perform a root canal treatment on anterior teeth; 86.7% on premolars; and 48.3% on molars. Nearly all respondents (98.3%) recommended more opportunities to practice on patients. The overall perception of the students was that their endodontic education was sufficient and largely conformed to the guidelines. Insufficient exposure to endodontic practice on patients was identified as a deficiency. There were no significant differences in perceptions between the two study groups.

How is Endodontics taught? A survey to evaluate undergraduate endodontic teaching in dental schools within the United Kingdom.

To evaluate the delivery of undergraduate endodontic education in UK dental schools using an online survey and to compare the results with those of a previous paper-based survey (Qualtrough & Dummer 1997, Int Endod J, 30, 234). Aspects of delivery were also evaluated in comparison with the Undergraduate Curriculum Guidelines of the European Society of Endodontology (de Moor etal. 2013, Int Endod J, 46, 1105). An online version of an earlier paper-based survey on undergraduate Endodontic education (Qualtrough & Dummer 1997, Int Endod J, 30, 234) was created. Invitations to take part were sent via email to the undergraduate endodontic programme leads in the 16 UK dental schools. The response rate was 94%. The current survey revealed greater convergence amongst dental schools than previously (Qualtrough & Dummer 1997, Int Endod J, 30, 234) on methods of canal preparation, disinfection and filling. Improvements were also noted in staff: student ratios, the involvement of teachers with advanced endodontic training and a greater diversity of teaching methods; developments which align with the recommendations of ESE Undergraduate Curriculum Guidelines (de Moor etal. 2013, Int Endod J, 46, 1105). The majority of schools appeared to be teaching contemporary instrumentation methods and were recommending the application of calcium silicate cements. The exposure of students to advanced topics included in the ESE Undergraduate Curriculum Guidelines (de Moor etal. 2013, Int Endod J, 46, 1105) such as surgical endodontic treatment, root canal re-treatment and the management of complex cases was mixed. Undergraduate endodontic training in the UK has advanced in the last 20years with more consistency between schools and more contemporary methods adopted.

A Simplified but Comprehensive Laboratory Curriculum for Microbiology in Nursing and Allied Health (MINAH) Courses.

Some U.S. nursing programs have considered or already have removed microbiology courses from their curriculum. In response to this, the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) published in 2018 the Microbiology in Nursing and Allied Health (MINAH) Undergraduate Curriculum Guidelines. Parts of these guidelines include competencies and skills, which are best taught in a laboratory setting. Recognizing that some programs face a burden of running nursing/allied health microbiology lab classes, we have designed a curriculum of seven laboratories that covers the concepts in the MINAH guidelines. These labs cover aseptic technique and proper specimen collection, microscopy, enumerating microorganisms, and diagnostic tests in identifying unknowns. In addition, we provide some tips and tools for keeping down the costs of offering a microbiology lab. It is our goal that these tips and the suggested guidelines will allow microbiology to remain in the nursing and allied health curriculum.

Microbiology in Nursing and Allied Health (MINAH) Undergraduate Curriculum Guidelines: A Call to Retain Microbiology Lecture and Laboratory Courses in Nursing and Allied Health Programs.

This position paper presents the Microbiology in Nursing and Allied Health (MINAH) Undergraduate Curriculum Guidelines (Appendix 1) that were developed by a committee effort of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). These guidelines differ from the 2012 General Microbiology Undergraduate Curriculum Guidelines presented by a separate ASM taskforce. The fact that some U.S. nursing programs are eliminating microbiology courses from their curriculum prompted the development of curriculum guidelines focused on nursing and allied health.Here we review: 1) factors that have shifted microbiology’s place in health professions curricula (with a focus on nursing associate degree programs); 2) resources to support microbiology’s inclusion in nursing and allied health programs; and 3) recommendations for maintaining microbiology as a full course (lecture and laboratory) in nursing and allied health undergraduate curricula.

The cyber education project

The Cyber Education Project (CEP) is an initiative to develop undergraduate curriculum guidelines and a case for accreditation for undergraduate degrees in "Cyber Science". The project is supported by a diverse group of computing professionals representing academic institutions, a broad spectrum of industries and several professional societies.

Undergraduate Curriculum Guidelines for Endodontology

Undergraduate Curriculum Guidelines for Endodontology

Undergraduate Psychology Courses Preferred by Graduate Programs

Information about the undergraduate psychology courses preferred by graduate programs is useful for a number of purposes, including (a) advising psychology majors who are interested in graduate school, (b) undergraduate curriculum planning, and (c) examining whether graduate programs’ preferences reflect national guidelines for the undergraduate psychology curriculum. The authors examined the undergraduate course preferences of U.S. psychology graduate programs ( N = 548). Among Clinical/Counseling (C/C) programs, PsyD programs’ course preferences were more likely than those of master’s and PhD programs to reflect national undergraduate curriculum guidelines. Differences also emerged among various types of training (e.g., C/C vs. Educational/School), and these are important for advisors and students to understand.

European College of Gerodontology: undergraduate curriculum guidelines in Gerodontology

Effective undergraduate teaching of gerodontology to present and future dental students is important if good oral health care of older people is to be assured. A review of the undergraduate curriculum for gerodontology is presented and indicates the need for a knowledge base from which new graduates can develop a special interest in care of older patients. The aim is improved care of older patients, satisfaction for teaching staff involved and improved professional standing for Dentistry. Motivation of students could also be achieved by the positive match between rising patient awareness and ethical responsibility of the profession for those older patients. As it stands, the undergraduate curriculum should include topics on specific care for the elderly and other patient groups, which extend the competences already agreed by the Association for Dental Education in Europe (ADEE). The logistics of teaching these topics will need co-ordination of those staff with appropriate skill and interest, preferably as a development of existing curriculum content.

Requirements, in terms of root canal treatment, of undergraduates in the European Union: an audit of teaching practice

The purpose of this study was to gather information from across the EU about requirements of dental undergraduates in the area of root canal treatment (RCT). One hundred and ninety-two EU dental schools were invited to complete an online survey. The survey inquired about assessment in RCT, whether students complete a minimum number of RCTs, whether this includes both anterior and posterior teeth, and if root canal retreatment and endodontic surgery are compulsory. The final question asked how competence in RCT can be described. Forty-eight dental schools in 20 countries responded. Results showed variation in assessment methods. Ninety-four percent insist on students performing RCT in anterior and posterior teeth. Eighty-one percent ensure students perform a minimum number and there is considerable variation in what that minimum number is. Seventy-nine percent require undergraduates to perform retreatment and 4% require them to perform endodontic surgery. Descriptions of what might constitute competence in RCT varied greatly. Despite convergence of the undergraduate curriculum being endorsed by many and movement of dentists within the EU escalating, there is still inconsistency in the output of dental schools with regard to RCT. This sample demonstrated deviation from the ESE's 2001 Undergraduate Curriculum Guidelines for Endodontology.

Fórum: a integralidade na perspectiva da formação, das práticas e da avaliação em saúde

Since the 1980s, and more recently with the implementation of the Unified National Health System in 1990, the term integralidade (integrality, or comprehensiveness) has been used in Brazil with various hues: as a linkage between different tiers in health services provision, as integration between the public and private sectors, as an important guideline in services management, and as a proposal for the health care model. Dicionario Aurelio, the standard Brazilian Portuguese-language dictionary, provides only proximate terms for its definition: integral as an adjective (total, whole, global); to integrate as a direct transitive verb (to complete, to make whole, to inform completely), and totality as a noun (a set of parts that constitute a whole; a sum). Despite this apparent non-definition, we note that various planes converge in such a way that the definition of integrality is “nearly perfect”. Among such planes are those of the stakeholders (managers, health professionals, and system clients or users), training and management, policy-making, and health care itself. We chose to base this forum on three planes in hopes of contributing to the debate. The first is that of training. For this purpose we invited Professor Ricardo Burg Ceccim of the Federal University in Rio Grande do Sul and Laura Feuerwerker, a researcher at Rede Unida, both currently with the Department of Health Education Management in the Brazilian Ministry of Health. They bring arguments to the debate that aim to strengthen the definition of a public policy for training health professionals based on comprehensiveness, and suggest the various competencies of the education and health sectors in this construction process Coincidentally, Brazil is currently involved in a discussion of university reform, with the possibility of materializing undergraduate Curriculum Guidelines for the health professions with comprehensiveness as the motor force. On the second plane of discussion, that of practices, we have invited Ruben Araujo de Mattos, researcher at Rio de Janeiro State University and one of the coordinators of the projected entitled Comprehensiveness: Forms of Knowledge and Practice in the Daily Work of Health Institutions. Mattos provides his thoughts on how comprehensiveness is expressed in health practice and how we can recognize the experiences and subsequently analyze them. Finally, for the third plane, that of evaluation, we have invited Professor Eleonor M. Conill of the Federal University in Santa Catarina, who discusses comprehensiveness as an essential attribute of evaluating quality of care and health systems, offering us a set of validated methodologies for research on the various dimensions of the health system. We hope that readers will take full advantage of these reflections and ideas, as well as the doubts expressed by this forum, and will join actively in the debate

Model undergraduate curriculum guidelines for I.S. programs

Model undergraduate curriculum guidelines for I.S. programs