Approaching an undergraduate medical curriculum map: challenges and expectations

Abstract

Background Feedback received from medical students at University College London Medical School (UCLMS) suggested a lack of clarity regarding the contents and subsequent assessment of the undergraduate curriculum. In order to address these issues, a specialist team was established with the aim of designing and implementing a Curriculum Map (CM), which have been recognised in their ability to provide a centralised, visual representation of the curriculum. While multiple perspectives from educators to stakeholders can be considered here, the need for the CM to remain student centred was identified as key at UCLMS. The aim of this study was therefore to understand the requirements of the CM prior to production from the perspective of the medical students. Methods A mixed-methods sequential study was conducted. The first stage involved gathering quantitative data using a primary online survey. This used 15 questions, rated by Likert scales and focussed around three domains: depiction of content, functionality and students’ likely engagement with a CM. There was a free-text question for additional comments. The second stage consisted of multiple student focus groups representing different years of the programme, conducted by trained facilitators following a predetermined scheme. Reflective Thematic Analysis (RTA) was used to synthesise the qualitative data, which was read independently by two researchers. All students at UCLMS were invited to participate in the study. Results There were 409 survey responses. 92% of students said they were ‘likely’ or ‘very likely’ to use a CM, with their key intended use being to monitor their learning progress and ensure preparedness for assessments. Five key themes emerged from the focus groups, namely that students wanted a CM to be: comprehensive; simple and intuitive; able to link content throughout the course; aligned with assessment; and useful to monitor students’ progress. Conclusions Through this study, valuable insight was gained on students’ ideal preferences for the CM. Understanding this was important in order to ensure that its co-design remained student-centred prior to its design and launch. This study also highlighted the need to set realistic expectations for students on the role of a CM in preparing them for assessments, and ultimately professional practice.

Improving Communication of Public Health Bachelor's Degree Programs Through Visual Curriculum Mapping

“…Visual curriculum mapping as applied here, evidenced by student and faculty feedback, and in medical science ( 18 , 22 , 23 ) has been an effective tool in communicating degree requirements. Through the application of visual curriculum maps, students in this study report an improved understanding of the overall capstone process, including stronger comprehension of the role played by preparatory coursework and skill development required prior to service learning or internship experience.…”

“…Visual communication methods are well-suited for the dissemination of often complex and dynamic pathways to graduation. The etymology of the word “curriculum” is apt here: it can be literally translated as “running a course” ( 18 , 19 ). Public health education comprises five core disciplines (epidemiology, environmental health, services administration, health education and behavioral science, and biostatistics) that can pull students toward different specialization paths as interests develop ( 20 , 21 ).…”

“…Within the context of HIEP, visual curriculum maps can help illuminate the continual cooperation of common intellectual experiences, individual electives, service learning or internship degree requirements, and capstone sequences over the degree course ( 18 , 22 , 23 ). Harden, in a seminal work on building curriculum maps in medical science education ( 22 ), contends that a visual analog can help curriculum to be viewed from collective perspectives of stakeholders in higher education (e.g., student needs, content coverage, learning locations), while making transparent major learning outcomes (e.g., clinical skill, health promotion, health communication).…”

Do Saudi medical schools consider the core topics in undergraduate medical curricula?

“…The SaudiMEDS framework has great potential to improve the quality of Saudi medical graduates to meet current and future needs [ 7 ]. Medical curriculum planners should ensure that core topics such as professionalism, communication skills, evidence-based practice, patient safety, healthcare systems, research methods, and other essential topics are part of the undergraduate medical curriculum [ 8 , 9 ].…”

Perception of community medicine as a curriculum and career option among medical students

“…12 Few researchers have examined how students felt about learning CM as part of their undergraduate medical curriculum. 13…”