MSCHE/ACOE Self Study

More than 88% of alumni strongly agree or agree that "In general, the lecture/lab faculty were good teachers.”

Additionally, more than 84% strongly agreed or agreed that “In general, the clinical faculty were good teachers.”

All these sources of student and alumni input are used by the faculty, dean and Curriculum Committee in conjunction with other sources of information (e.g., NBEO scores) to assess and modify the curriculum to improve student learning. The Curriculum Committee, which reports directly to the dean, took a leading role in the development of the new professional program curriculum that was implemented in 2008 and continues to play an integral role in the curriculum review process. Input from the larger faculty is solicited through open faculty meetings and sessions at off-campus faculty retreats devoted to this purpose (Appendix B-5). The most recent major curricular revision was initiated in May, 2004 with a charge from the dean to the Curriculum Committee (Appendix B-6) that was largely rooted in student concerns (elicited in student surveys and quarterly meetings with students) regarding the structure of the curriculum (Strategic Plan Goal 1.3). The review was expected to result in a curriculum that embraced reforms in medical education pedagogy (e.g., increased emphasis on small group discussions and integration of basic science material with its clinical applications) and anticipated changes in assessment of entry-level preparedness as measured by the NBEO that follow from these reforms. A flowchart showing the review process is given in Appendix B-7. Curriculum Committee minutes will be available on campus for review. Whereas the previous curriculum was on a quarter system for all four years, the new curriculum is on a semester system for the first three. 2 A spreadsheet showing the curriculum layout is in Appendix B-8a. It is organized into the following tracks:  Systemic and ocular health

2 The fourth year is divided into four clinical rotations, two of which are at externship sites.

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