A medical education curriculum requires constant revision to meet current demands of society. However, successful curriculum change requires a strong team of educators to carry it out. Moreover, the educational process is often a complex environment where conflicting forces and competing priorities can undermine curriculum innovation.
The purpose of this study was to examine the antecedents to curriculum change at one institution. An important goal of the research was to determine whether faculty and staff understood the need for curriculum change, understood procedures for change, and were aware of specific decisions that were guiding the college toward a new curriculum. To do this, the research team conducted formative evaluation involving survey questionnaires and interviews.
During the interview phase, 29 faculty and staff members were interviewed. Those interviewed included clinical and basic science faculty, full-time and part-time teachers, and academic/administrative staff. Most of the interviewees served on the Curriculum Review Committee, and eight were also members of the Curriculum Implementation Task Force. The interview questions focused on four general themes: awareness, information, personal and management concerns.
In analyzing the results of the interviews, it was evident that faculty and staff were unsure of how curriculum changes would impact them personally and professionally. In addition, they were apprehensive about their ability to carry out the changes based on the amount of time required.
Interviewees also expressed a need for additional resources, both human and technical, in order to successfully accomplish curricular change. They recognized that they needed to set priorities at both the university and college levels in order to allocate these resources. In addition, interviewees felt that they needed a variety of teaching methods and evaluation tools to help them accomplish the desired curriculum change.
About the Author
