Synopsis
Curriculum Development for Medical Education is designed for use by curriculum developers and others who are responsible for the educational experiences of medical students, residents, fellows, and clinical practitioners.
Short, practical, and general in its approach, the book begins with a broad overview of the subject. Each succeeding chapter covers one of the six steps: problem identification and general needs assessment, targeted needs assessment, goals and objectives, educational strategies, implementation, and evaluation. Additional chapters address curriculum maintenance, enhancement, and dissemination.
The six-step approach outlined here has evolved over the past twenty years, during which time the authors have taught curriculum development and evaluation skills to faculty and fellows in the Johns Hopkins University Faculty Development Program for Clinician-Educators. Program participants have used the techniques described to develop curricula on such diverse topics as preclerkship skills building, clinical reasoning and shared decision making, outpatient internal medicine, musculoskeletal disorders, office gynecology for the generalist, chronic illness and disability, geriatrics for nongeriatric faculty, surgical skills assessment, laparoscopic surgical skills, cross-cultural competence, and medical ethics.
This thoroughly revised edition includes a broad discussion of competencies mandated by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and other bodies, current information on education technology, increased emphasis on scholarships related to curriculum development, and advice on obtaining institutional review board approval. Updated examples throughout the book illustrate major points. The expanded appendixes include samples of complete curricula and information on funding, faculty development, and curricular resources.
Praise for the first edition
"This excellent educational guide is a concrete step-by-step approach to creating a rotation or curriculum in medical education." — Family Medicine
"Thoughtful, to the point, and an excellent primer for faculty members who find a curriculum development project in their duties and responsibilities." — Teaching and Learning in Medicine
Bill Weaver
This book provides a description of an educationally sound six-step procedure for curriculum development, with curriculum defined as planned educational experiences ranging from one session in a specific course to an entire training program. The authors' attempt throughout is to present the procedure with applicability to the medical education environment. Although not stated explicitly, this book is targeted primarily to faculty who are responsible for leading curricular reform but who are not trained in educational methodology. Particular features of the book that will make it valuable to a large audience are: examples of poorly-written and well-written objectives; information on cognitive functions; examples of objectives and instructional methodologies to achieve the various levels; description of various evaluation designs and strategies; the uses, strengths, and limitations of various evaluation methods; and questions that help to identify the most appropriate evaluation method(s). An important component of the book, so often ignored in actual practice, is attention to the many facets that are essential in maintaining the curriculum, even after issues have been addressed at implementation. This book is based on several years of experience and offers curriculum development workshops. It is buttressed with current but selected literature. While it provides little that would be new to professional educators, it is a valuable contribution to the educational understanding of the medical faculty for whom it is intended. Sound rationale is provided for each step in the process, and reasonable conditions are outlined under which a step may be by-passed with impunity. In short, theauthors have included much that is valuable and have left no glaring omissions. Moreover, this book is timely in this era of heightened interest in curriculum review.