Curriculum design

Kieran Walsh,

Editor,

BMJ Learning.

Curriculum design - OR how to avoid

“It has been realised for many years that an

undergraduate course such as this suffers

from the chronic disorder ‘curriculopathy’.”

Jean-Jacques Guilbert

Curriculum design

“Seek not for any definition of curriculum.

There is no such elixir.” Hugh Sockett

BUT most agree a curriculum is ……

All planned and unplanned learning

experiences in a medical education institution

Curriculum - three levels

• Planned curriculum

• Delivered curriculum

• Experienced curriculum

Curriculum - planned curriculum

• We will run 5 case based interactive tutorials on respiratory medicine

Curriculum - delivered curriculum

• 4 tutorials happened and one was on cardiorespiratory medicine as the tutor did not understand exactly what he was supposed to do

Curriculum - experienced curriculum

• Only half of the students came to one tutorial as there was confusion regarding the timetable. At another tutorial there was limited interaction as the tutor had more of a lecture style

Curriculum – hidden in there

The hidden curriculum

• “what students learn as they experience the gap between what we say and what we actually do.” Jodi Skiles

• Powerful

• Transmits values through role modelling

• Never stated but everyone understands

Curriculum design

• Curriculum --- health services

Curriculum – four elements

• Content

• Teaching and learning strategies

• Assessment processes

• Evaluation processes.

Curriculum design – models

Prescriptive

• What curriculum designers should do

• How to create a curriculum

Descriptive

• What curriculum designers actually do

• What a curriculum covers

Curriculum design – prescriptive model

Objectives based

• Educational purposes?

• Educational experiences to reach purposes?

• Organise educational experiences?

• Evaluate if purposes being reached?

Curriculum design – prescriptive model

Objectives based

• Educational purposes – defining these is the most important step

• BUT objectives especially behavioural objectives can be restrictive

• Objectives based model – fallen from favour

Curriculum design – prescriptive model

Outcomes based

• Starts with the outcomes you want students to obtain

Curriculum design – prescriptive model

Outcomes based

• Statement example: “students will competently assess and manage patients with asthma”

• Popular

• Focuses on what students do (rather than staff)

• BUT don’t be too restrictive/reductionist

Curriculum design – descriptive model

Situational model

• Situation/context

• “Thoroughly and systematically analyse the situation in which they work for its effect on what they do in the curriculum.”

• External and internal factors

Curriculum design – descriptive model

Situational model

1. Situational analysis

2. Statements of intent

3. Content

4. Assessment

5. Evaluation

6. Return to 1

All steps linked. None decided until all

decided.

Curriculum reform

• “changing a curriculum more difficult than moving a graveyard.” August Swanson

• Initial students through new curriculum – testing it

• Controlled trials probably not the best way

• Can be expensive, disruptive, harmful, time consuming

Curriculum reform – why it can fail

Stakeholder management

Stakeholders mismanaged or forgotten

• Staff

• Students

• Patients

• Public

Curriculum design – curriculum maps

• Show links between the elements of the curriculum

• Means of clear display

• Structure for the organisation of the curriculum

• Mapped to computer databases

Curriculum design – maps

More transparent to stakeholders

• the teacher, the student, curriculum

developers, the profession, the public

Shows links between the different

elements of the curriculum

• Content … assessment

Curriculum design – maps

• No gaps

• No overlapping

• Holistic approach to care by showing links between different learning outcomes

Curriculum design – maps

‘The problem our faculty faces is how to

reconceptualise the subject matter in a way

that eliminates redundancy, creates a smooth

transition between courses, and demonstrates

the conceptual interrelationships the faculty

hope students will develop as a result of

integrated, meaningful learning’.

Edmondson 1993

Curriculum design – windows on the map

• The expected learning outcomes

• Curriculum content or areas of expertise covered

• Student assessment

• Learning opportunities

• Learning location

• Learning resources

• Timetable

• Staff

• Curriculum management

• Students

Preparing a curriculum map

• “Assess needs

• Scope the task

• Establish the links

• Populate the windows

• Decide the format for the map

• Think of the past, present and future

• Decide on access to the map

• Familiarize staff and students with the map

• Plan to evaluate and update the map as necessary

• Allocate responsibility for the map”

Harden 2001

Curriculum design – cost benefit

Curriculum design is expensive

• Planning

• Organising

• Running

• Assessing

• Evaluating

Good curriculum design has tangible benefits

• Better reputation for your medical school

• Better applicants to your medical school

• Better and happier faculty

• Better graduate doctors

• Better and safer healthcare

• No gaps, no overlaps in educational delivery

• Everyone knows what’s going on

• External inspections passed

Curriculum design – cost benefit

Curriculum design is expensive

Need to balance considerable costs with tangible

benefits

If balance done well, it will

• Be cost effective

• Deliver ROI to your institution

References

Prideaux D. ABC of learning and teaching in medicine: Curriculum design. BMJ

2003;326:268-270

Tyler R. Basic principles of curriculum and instruction. Chicago: Chicago University

Press, 1949

EDMONDSON, K.M. (1993) Concept mapping for the development of medical curricula,

paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association,

Atlanta, Georgia.

R.M. HARDEN. AMEE Guide No. 21: Curriculum mapping: a tool for transparent and

authentic teaching and learning. Medical Teacher, Vol. 23, No. 2, 2001

Gale R, Grant J. Cost benefit analysis of curriculum design for medicine. In: Cost

effectiveness in medical education. Walsh K (ed). Radcliff 2010.

References / Bibliography

Walsh K (ed). Cost effectiveness in medical education. Radcliffe: Abingdon, 2010.

Walsh K. Interprofessional education online: The BMJ Learning experience. Journal of

Interprofessional Care, Volume 21, Issue 6 December 2007, pages 691 - 693

Schroter S, Jenkins D, Playle R, Walsh K, Probert C, Kellner T, Arnhofer G, Owens D. Evaluation of

an online Diabetes Needs Assessment Tool (DNAT) for health professionals: a randomised

controlled trial. Trials 2009, 10:63

Walsh K, Rutherford A, Richardson J, Moore P. NICE medical education modules: an analysis of

cost-effectiveness. Educ Prim Care. 2010 Nov;21(6):396-398.