Policy for Review of the Curriculum

This Policy Applies to

M.D. Program Curriculum

Who Needs to Know This Policy

Faculty, Staff, Medical Students

Purpose/Background

The curriculum for the M.D. Program, guided by the Medical Education Program Objectives (MEPO), must evolve over time to meet the mission of educating future physicians. To ensure continued excellence in education and to ensure the curriculum functions effectively as a whole to achieve the Medical Education Program Objectives, these MEPOs, as well as the learning objectives, content, and instructional and assessment methods should be subject to ongoing monitoring, review, and revision by the faculty.

Policy

The Medical Education Steering Committee (MESC) shall have the authority to initiate a Review of the Curriculum. Review of the Curriculum shall occur no less frequently than every five years, however the MESC can initiate the process more frequently at their discretion.

The Review of the Curriculum will be performed by the Task Force for Review of the Curriculum, an ad-hoc group appointed by the MESC. The voting membership shall include one faculty member from each clinical and basic science department, chosen in collaboration with the Chairs of each department. The departmental Task Force appointees should not be current members of the MESC. Additional voting members shall include up to four students from among the Student Curriculum Committee Representatives, the Chairs of the Medical Education Steering Committee (who will also serve as the Chair of the Task Force), Years 1-2 Curriculum Committee and Years 3-4 Curriculum Committee. Non-voting members of the Task Force shall include the Director of the Office of Continuous Institutional Assessment (or designee), the Associate Dean for Admissions and Student Affairs (or designee) and the Associate Dean for Curricular Affairs. The Associate Dean for Curricular Affairs, in collaboration with the Chair of the Task Force, shall appoint additional non-voting members as needed.

The Task Force shall receive their charge from the MESC, but it shall include at minimum the analysis of available curricular data in the context of the definition of "Review of the Curriculum" outlined in this policy, analysis of the vertical and horizontal integration of the curriculum and an analysis of curricular gaps and redundancies.

The voting members of the Task Force shall provide a report of the Review of the Curriculum, which may include recommendations, to the MESC. This report shall be further disseminated to the Dean of the School of Medicine, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, the Department Chairs, the Years 1-2 and Years 3-4 Curriculum Committees and the Faculty Council. Further dissemination will be at the discretion of the MESC.

Definitions

Review of the Curriculum  - The ongoing monitoring, review, and revision of the medical education program objectives, learning objectives, content, and instructional and assessment methods by the faculty to ensure that the curriculum functions effectively as a whole to achieve medical education program objectives.

Responsibilities & Procedures

The faculty of Curricular Affairs, including the Director, Curriculum Development and Assessment and the Director, Evaluation and Assessment will be responsible for gathering all necessary data for the review process. The Curricular Affairs will provide administrative support for the Review of the Curriculum.