AudienceThis curriculum is designed for resident physicians at all levels of training who have an interest in HEMS. Length of CurriculumThis curriculum is designed to run over a 28-day period. ...IntroductionHelicopter emergency medicine services play a critical role in patient transport, and resident physicians may often encounter patients transported by HEMS programs. Residents, and emergency medicine residents in particular, are being offered more opportunities to gain flight experience with HEMS programs; however, these experiences may be highly variable. These inconsistencies in training experiences may lead to incomplete understanding of HEMS systems and patient care performed during flight. Educational GoalsThe primary objective of this course is to present a standardized curriculum which allows learners to gain understanding of HEMS systems and retrieval medicine while practicing safety in the aviation environment. Educational MethodsThe educational strategies used in this curriculum include hands-on training with senior flight staff, asynchronous learning via access to a curated reading "library," and in-person learning via ride-along experience on the aircraft and program operational meeting attendance. Research MethodsThis curriculum was introduced at the authors' institution and was completed by 11 rotating resident physicians, primarily PGY-2 and PGY-3 emergency medicine residents. Learners completed free-form feedback forms as well as a numerically graded post rotation survey. Learner feedback was used to identify areas where additional instruction was necessary and make changes to optimize learner flight experience. ResultsThe curriculum was graded by learners on a 5-point Likert scale. The statement of "My overall educational experience during the rotation met my expectations and the learning objectives outlined at the beginning of the rotation" received an average score of 4.7 based on 1-Disagree to 5-Completely agree. The statement "The longitudinal curriculum contributed to my learning" averaged 4.5. A score of 4.9 was given for the statement "I found the rotation to be of use in my emergency medicine training." Free-form feedback was also solicited by learners and included comments such as "It was helpful for me to spend some time in the airway and procedure lab and go through the shift topics." DiscussionAs evidenced by the learner feedback and survey results, the curriculum was effective in meeting the designed educational objectives, and learner feedback was largely positive in nature. Utilizing dedicated daily teaching topics was key to providing a standardized learning experience and ensuring that education progressed without reliance on flight call volumes. TopicsHelicopter aviation safety, HEMS crew member operations, retrieval medicine, advanced trauma care, advanced airway management, ventilator management, HEMS program operations.
We designed a 16-week scaffolded student-scientist curriculum using inquiry-based research experiences integrated with professional development activities. This curriculum was implemented to teach ...undergraduate students enrolled in an introduction to biology course about enzyme activity, biochemical reactions, and alcohol fermentation. While working through the curriculum, students completed the entire scientific process by planning experiments, maintaining laboratory journals, analyzing and interpreting data, peer-reviewing research proposals, and producing and presenting a poster. The overall outcome was for students to complete a multiweek, collaborative, student-scientist project using
as the model organism. Student learning outcomes were evaluated using formative assessments (post-Research on the Integrated Science Curriculum survey and peer- and self-reflection worksheets) and summative assessments (pre/post assessments and assignment grades). Results indicated that more than 50% of the students scored 70% or higher on the collaborative student-scientist project, demonstrated several self-reported learning gains in scientific concepts and skills, and reported they would recommend this laboratory course to their peers. By providing the opportunity for students to carry out the entire scientific process, this curriculum enhanced their technical, analytical, and communication skills.
Internationalisation has moved to the core of universities' mission, emphasising the qualitative elements of internationalisation, which is inter alia evident in the implementation of an ...internationalised curriculum. The latter must
be implemented following the constructive alignment model; thus, the framework for a constructively aligned internationalised curriculum is proposed in this article, combining an internationalised curriculum with Biggs' constructive
alignment model. Since academics are the owners of an internationalised curriculum and they are determined by their academic disciplines, in this paper, the impact of disciplines on a constructively aligned internationalised curriculum
is evaluated, following Biglan's typology of academic disciplines. It was found from the sample of 1367 academics from all Slovenian higher education institutions that an internationalised curriculum is constructively aligned in
practice, wherein we observed relevant disciplinary differences in the level/rate of appearance of international perspectives in the individual steps of a constructively aligned internationalised curriculum, with a noticeably higher
incidence in the case of soft disciplines. Besides introducing the framework for a constructively aligned internationalised curriculum and identifying relevant differences between disciplines, an important contribution to the research
topic is in several other characteristics of academic professions that were identified as having an impact on the implementation of an internationalised curriculum. Examples of these were academics' inclusion in pedagogical courses and
academics' various modes of international engagement. The authors also highlight several opportunities for improvement and further research, as well as implications for the enhancement of curriculum internationalisation in hard
disciplines. Author abstract
A number of commentators have recently called for a re-examination of the purpose and value of undergraduate education, arguing that change is required if universities are to deliver the value in ...educational outcomes that students and
communities now require for a changing and challenging world (for example, Aoun, 2017; Bok, 2020; Davidson, 2017; Fischman and Gardner, 2022). Indeed, some have argued that such change is necessary to stem an emerging crisis in
universities' 'social license to operate' (Bok, 2020). In this paper, we review the case for undergraduate curriculum change and present a case study of one Australian university's engagement with this challenge, describing the reasons
for change, the desired outcomes, and some early impacts on students' study patterns. The change took place at the University of Sydney over the period from 2014 to 2021 with a new undergraduate curriculum introduced for commencing
students from 2018. Intended to prepare students for a changing world, the new curriculum sought a balance between graduates' expertise in a primary field of study and a set of broader capabilities that would support their capacity for
future learning and for creative and effective engagement in life and career, including an understanding of broader intellectual landscapes; the skills for collaboration, invention, and influence; and the integration of knowledge with
professional and personal ethics and values. The aspiration to develop such capabilities is shared with many universities around the world, and we describe here how the available evidence base was used to guide whole-of-University
curriculum redesign in this case. We also identify areas where further research would be of value. Author abstract
The Common Core standards released in 2010 for English language arts and mathematics have already been adopted by dozens of states. Just how much change do these new standards represent, and what is ...the nature ofthat change? In this article, the Common Core standards are compared with current state standards and assessments and with standards in top-performing countries, as well as with reports from a sample of teachers from across the country describing their own practices.
AudienceThis curriculum provides a capstone experience for fourth year medical students, integrating aspects of the basic sciences and clinical skills in the care of wilderness medicine conditions. ...Length of CurriculumThe duration of this course is 2 weeks. IntroductionSince passage of the Wilderness Act of 1964, leading to the protection and expansion of wilderness areas, there has been steady growth in participation in outdoor recreational activities.1 Between the years of 2000 to 2009, there was a 7.5% increase in the total number of individuals participating in outdoor recreation. Notably, during this same timeline, there has also been a 7.1% increase in the total number of people participating in "nature-based outdoor recreation." 2 Acknowledging this rising interest in the outdoors, along with increasing accessibility to remote locations, it has become clear that healthcare providers must now attain the ability to both identify and treat conditions unique to these environments.In addition to discrete medical conditions unique to environmental medicine, the practice of wilderness medicine also encompasses the management of the familiar, the "bread-and-butter" medical illnesses, occurring in the unfamiliar, nonclinical environment. Management of these conditions requires both a knowledge of core life support principles and an adaptability and awareness of the non-medical factors affecting a patient's care.Wilderness Medicine also teaches core principles of austere medicine - healthcare administration in a resource-limited environment. The skills acquired in a wilderness medical course provide not only training in the wilderness setting, but also encompass medical care necessary in instances of disaster relief, terrorist events, and international medical missions.3 Additionally, management of discrete wilderness medicine conditions provides a context to review toxicologic biomechanisms and pathophysiology shared by other, more common conditions.For these myriad reasons, a wilderness medicine elective in medical school provides students with more than a divergent experience; it provides a review and expansion of core medical principles increasingly applicable to all specialties. Educational GoalsThe primary objective of this course is to provide fourth year medical students an introduction to wilderness medicine. Students will be able to: explain fundamental concepts of practicing medicine in austere conditions; identify and initiate treatment for common wilderness medicine conditions; and utilize the non-medical aspects of providing care in austere environments. Educational MethodsThe educational strategies used in this curriculum include a combination of lecture-based and experiential learning activities, structured through the lens of Kolb's theory of experiential learning. Core knowledge is preferentially imparted during outdoor experiential components, allowing adaptable, true-environment training. Sessions are complemented by assigned pre-reading in Auerbach's Wilderness Medicine4 textbook to create a flipped outdoor-classroom experience. In addition to a final examination, the course will include a final multi-day expedition designed to allow students an opportunity to demonstrate their wilderness medicine knowledge. The course format opens it to adaptation as a longitudinal curriculum. Finally, this course may be adapted to serve resident education purposes. Research MethodsThis curriculum has been used and vetted at the authors' institutions with over 50 medical students. All individual comments were reviewed for applicability, trends noted, and the course was further refined. Student final assessment scores were reviewed to refine the content taught and clarity of assessment. ResultsThe current iteration of the curriculum received the following on a 5-point Likert scale by students on post-course evaluation forms: 4.91 for overall educational experience, 4.82 for curriculum effectiveness, and 5.00 for effective faculty instruction. As a result of comments, the use of the flipped-classroom model throughout the course has increased. Topics frequently encountered in spontaneous discussion due to regional importance have been included. DiscussionOverall, this course has proven both popular and successful. Due to the dynamic and divergent nature of this as a medical school course, the authors have noted increased levels of student engagement with the material. Increasing reliance on the flipped-classroom model with student-led scenarios and discussions has increased students' ability to recall and apply their knowledge to scenarios during the final expedition. The broad range of conditions included in wilderness medicine provides a unique framework to highlight the relevance of the basic medical sciences and review core medical principles. TopicsWilderness trauma stabilization, patient transportation, acute mountain sickness, high-altitude cerebral edema, high-altitude pulmonary edema, hypothermia, frostbite, orienteering, survival skills, expedition medical kits, marine envenomation, decompression illness, plant toxidromes, snake envenomation, arthropod envenomation, high-angle rescue, search and rescue, heat illness, lightning strike, tick-related illness, disaster response, international medicine.4.
There is a wide range of activity taking place under the banner of 'co-created curriculum' within higher education. Some of this variety is due to the different ways people think about 'co-creation', ...but significant variation is also due to the ways in which higher education curriculum is conceptualised, and how these conceptualisations position the student in relation to the curriculum. In addition, little attention is paid to the differences between co-creation of the curriculum and co-creation in the curriculum. This paper addresses this gap by examining four theoretical frameworks used to inform higher education curriculum design. We examine how each framework considers the position of the learner and how this might influence the kinds of curricular co-creation likely to be enacted. We conclude by calling for more discussion of curriculum and curriculum theories in higher education—and for these discussions to include students. We argue that more clarity is needed from scholars and practitioners as to how they are defining curriculum, and whether they are focused on co-creation of the curriculum or co-creation in the curriculum. Finally, we suggest that paying greater attention to curriculum theories and their assumptions about the learner, offers enhanced understanding of curricular intentions and the extent to which collaboration is possible within any particular context.
Interpreting the modern heritage of ‘Bildung’ in connection to education theory, this open access volume explores non-affirmative theory of education and ‘Bildung’ as a language of education for the ...21st century. In this ‘Bildung’-centered view of education, discerning thought on knowledge and values are critical objectives of education. To promote these aims, education practice must recognize but not affirm existing conditions or future ideals but instead pedagogically summon the student to self-directed critical treatment of the contents. Drawing on contemporary developments of modern education theory, especially as developed by Dietrich Benner in Berlin, the volume highlight how ‘educative teaching’ aims at supporting the growth of the individual as a person and citizen. The volume shows how it is possible to identify a position beyond education either as a mere transformative or a reproductive power. Instead of such an instrumentalism, education is seen as a critical societal practice, necessary for reflexive action and democracy. In different ways, the chapters demonstrate how non-affirmative theory offer an alternative to contemporary neo-liberal and conservative policies. The non-affirmative approach offers a strong education theory, relationally connecting the interactive level of teaching, studying and learning with the societal level and educational governance. Non-affirmative theory on education and ‘Bildung’ provides an elaborate point of departure for empirical research on teaching and educational leadership, teacher education and policy making. In five sections, the volume highlights how non-affirmative education theory relate to Didaktik, educative teaching, school didactics, democratic education and social justice. The approach is also analysed in relation to phenomenology, sociology, hermeneutics, cultural-historical activity theory, discursive institutionalism, empirical research, educational leadership and governance and 21st century competencies. Chapter “On Affirmativity and Non-affirmativity in the Context of Theories of Education and Bildung” is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.
Agency, understood as the capacity to act independently and to make one's own choices, is considered central to children's development. Thus, education, and hence education curricula, have a role in ...the development of learner agency. While curriculum development is a key focus for educational theory, research, policy, and classroom practice, the potential implications of curriculum content selections for learner agency remain underexplored. Theoretically, this paper engages with critical realism, explaining how it can provide theoretical foundation for a more comprehensive view of learner agency and, by implication, more balanced curricula. Empirically, the paper draws on the findings from a content analysis of the national curriculum documents of four countries with relatively high scores in international comparative tables, England, Australia, Hong-Kong, and Canada, to develop a new typology of primary curricula. Based on the extent of emphasis placed on knowledge versus skills, values, and attitudes, three types of curricula were identified: knowledge-based, skills-oriented, and learner-centred. Due to its significant theoretical and practical influence globally, we focus on the knowledge-based model and its likely impact on students' agency. We conclude by highlighting the importance of making learner agency a key orientation of the curriculum and suggesting directions for future research.
PDF
