University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine

Abstract

Curriculum Management and Governance Structure ♦ Governance of the curriculum resides with the Curriculum Steering Committee, which is a standing committee that oversees all 4 years of the curriculum. (See Figure 1.)FIGURE 1:: Curriculum Management Structure♦ The Essentials Core Block Directors Committee oversees phases I and II of the curriculum; the Clinical Block Directors Committee oversees phases III and IV of the curriculum. These committees report to the Curriculum Steering Committee. ♦ The VOICE (Vision, Oversight, Innovation, Competency, Evaluation) Committee oversees the curriculum budget and all other aspects of undergraduate medical education that are not curriculum (e.g., admissions, student affairs, and so on). Office of Education ♦ The Office of Undergraduate Medical Education is responsible for medical student admissions, student affairs, curriculum, evaluation, and educational technology. This office is under the direction of the Senior Associate Dean for Education. ♦ The Office of Undergraduate Medical Education works with the Office of Faculty Affairs and the Academy of Medical Educators to promote faculty development. Financial Management of Educational Programs ♦ Financial support for undergraduate medical education is shared between the Office of Undergraduate Medical Education (which has a budget provided by the Dean for activities that are not department specific) and the departments (which continue to support discipline-specific teaching and administrative functions). ♦ Current fiscal constraints are addressed by prioritization of educational activities, control of expenditures, close attention to fees and tuition, identification of philanthropic funds and grants for certain activities, and support for medical student education through funds provided from the clinical practice plan. Valuing Teaching ♦ The Teaching Scholars Program is in its fifth year of operation, designed to produce teachers and investigators in medical education. This highly competitive program has an annual class of approximately 10 scholars. ♦ The Academy of Medical Educators is in its inaugural year. This is a highly selective, honorific organization that promotes teaching and curriculum innovation. ♦ A single tenure-track faculty appointment system emphasizes teaching for both promotion and tenure. Curriculum Renewal Process ♦ Development of the revised, integrated four-year curriculum began in 2003 with implementation starting in phase I in 2005–06. For a diagram of the revised, integrated curriculum, see Figure 2.FIGURE 2:: Curriculum♦ The graduating class of 2009 was the first class to experience the entire revised four-year curriculum. ♦ Components of the renewal process are as follows: A Curriculum Improvement Task Force developed guidelines on formats for student learning, faculty development, integration and density, tracks, information technology, management, goals and objectives, assessment, evaluation, and outcomes. Two work groups were created to develop the essentials core (phases I and II, formerly basic science courses) and the clinical core (phase III). Thread directors were recruited for longitudinal elements of the curriculum (Humanities, Ethics, and Professionalism; Medicine and Society; Cultural Competency/Diversity; and Informatics/Evidence-Based Medicine). An additional committee was created to focus on the advanced studies curriculum (phase IV). The Integrated Clinicians Course was designed as a longitudinal curriculum that spans phases III and IV by using a series of short courses. The Evaluation, Assessment, and Outcomes Committee (EAOC) was formed to oversee instructor and course evaluations, mechanisms of assessing students, and the development of outcome measures to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the educational program. The Curriculum Oversight Committee, which replaced the Curriculum Improvement Task Force, reviewed courses as they were developed and ultimately approved them. Learning Outcome