scholarly journals Curriculum Mapping of Undergraduate Medical Programmes: Recommendations for Future Directions

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Gerda C. Botha ◽  
Adegoke O. Adefolalu

Background: Medical schools are expected to churn out all-rounded healthcare professionals who are competent in the prerequisite knowledge and skills necessary to address the everchanging health needs of the society. This is usually made possible through innovation and strategy, one of which involves the continuous review and renewal of all the components of existing teaching and learning plans through a blueprinting process called curriculum mapping. This blueprint allows for curriculum goals development, together with management, reviewing and organizing its contents. As curriculum mapping of medical programmes was in its infancy stage at the time of this research, this study focusses on reporting the perspectives of the curriculum leaders on future directions for curriculum mapping of undergraduate medical programmes in South Africa. Method: Purposive sampling was used in a qualitative study among fourteen academics involved in medical curricula at all eight medical schools. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection, and analysis was done by thematic analysis. Results: Curriculum planners have specific expectations of curriculum mapping of undergraduate programmes as a possible future strategy to drive curriculum review and renewal in the country. Although some agreement exists about the characteristic features, any mapping platform created should meet the specific institutional requirements that will address their challenges. Conclusion: Finally, a national mandate from the authorities will be required to achieve curriculum benchmarking and collaboration amongst the medical schools to standardize undergraduate medical programme outcomes.

Author(s):  
Gerda C. Botha ◽  
Adegoke O. Adefolalu

Curriculum mapping in medical education allows for quick determination whether the curriculum meets the required standards and if its contents are aligned with the learning outcomes. This ensures the curriculum stays relevant, producing graduates capable of addressing the health needs of the institution’s host community. The status of curriculum mapping of the undergraduate medical programmes in South African medical schools was not documented in the literature at the time of this research. This study aimed to describe the current status of curriculum mapping of undergraduate medical programmes in South Africa. A qualitative study was conducted among the academic managers from all the eight medical schools in 2015. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from fourteen participants who were purposefully sampled, and data analysis was done by inductive thematic analysis after coding and verbatim transcriptions. None of the medical schools had a fully developed mapping platform, however they all possessed various guides and matrices that contained components of their curricula which were mainly used for accreditation purposes. In addition, they all had strategies in place for reviewing their curricula, although some of the institutions were at different stages of developing their own mapping platforms. The challenges described by the institutions as barriers to curriculum review appeared to be related to lack of a proper curriculum mapping process. In conclusion, curriculum mapping was in infancy stage at the time of this research in South Africa, the medical schools that were in the process or about to develop electronic mapping platforms had no uniform outcome framework. Future research on the features of the mapping platforms developed by all the institutions is highly recommended.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoff Masters

The thesis of this essay is that the current schooling paradigm is in need of review and that the answer may lie in a shift in how we think about teaching and learning. Under the prevailing paradigm, the role of teachers is to deliver the year-level curriculum to all students in a year level. This mismatch has unfortunate consequences for both teaching and learning. Currently, many students are not ready for their year-level curriculum because they lack prerequisite knowledge, skills and understandings. The basis for an alternative paradigm and a 'new normal' is presented. The essay addresses concerns raised about changes to curriculum, including that: changing the structure of the curriculum will mean abandoning year levels; teachers will be unable to manage classrooms in which students are not all working on the same content at the same time; some students will be disadvantaged if students are not all taught the same content at the same time; a restructured curriculum will result in ‘streaming’ and/or require the development of individual learning plans; a restructured curriculum will lower educational standards; and it will not be possible to do this in some subjects.


2021 ◽  
pp. 204275302110482
Author(s):  
Thi Nguyet Le ◽  
Bill Allen ◽  
Nicola F Johnson

Although blended learning (BL) has emerged as one of the most dominant delivery modes in higher education in the 21st century, there are notable barriers and drawbacks in using BL for English language teaching and learning in Vietnamese universities. This study reports on research into the use of BL, conducted through semi-structured interviews with 30 English as a Foreign Language (EFL) lecturers from 10 different universities across the two major cities of Vietnam. The findings revealed that EFL lecturers identified eight groups of barriers and four groups of drawbacks to the successful implementation of BL. The most significant barriers included: lack of infrastructure and technology, institutional policies and support; lack of knowledge, experience and investment in using BL; lack of technological competence and information technology (IT) skills and lack of teaching time to employ web-based technologies and online resources in classrooms. Meanwhile, the most crucial drawbacks were: lecturers’ workload, ineffective use of BL, time consumption and demotivation. The authors point to the underlying factors contributing to these barriers and drawbacks and make implications for how some of these can be effectively addressed through constructive changes to policy and practice.


2017 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenn Hardaker

The aim of this paper is to explore the ICT differences in access and use by Muslim in Islamic faith schools, and ICTs’ perceived influence on learning. Our research explores ICT differences in the context of Muslim learners and it is distinctive in adopting the premise that there is a unity in Muslim cultural identity that increasingly transcends ethnicity and gender. As a proxy for our research, we use an Islamic understanding of cultural identity. We defined culture as the deeper level of basic assumptions and beliefs that are shared, operate unconsciously , and that define, in an intuitive way, our selves and the environment. This shares an affinity with an Islamic understanding of humanity and the environment, which is represented by three interrelated dimensions of Fitrah (human nature), khilāfah (vicegerent) and Dīn (religion). These dimensions demonstrate that the teachings of the Qur’ān are integral to cultural and religious identity. It is suggested that the impetus for learning is based on the realisation that pedagogy requires an appreciation by pupils that knowledge is derived from a teacher and experiences. The realisation is of particular importance in the field of Islamic education. The concept of revealed and acquired knowledge being equally accepted in Islamic schools for teaching and learning and this shapes, in turn, cultural identity that may influence ICT difference in access and use. This paper provides an overview of the characteristic features of ICT access, use and difference in the context of Islamic schools. We conclude with some tentative suggestions to support an inclusive approach towards ICT provision.


2021 ◽  
pp. 089484532110629
Author(s):  
Roberto L. Abreu ◽  
Kirsten A. Gonzalez ◽  
Louis Lindley ◽  
Cristalís Capielo Rosario ◽  
Gabriel M. Lockett ◽  
...  

Research has documented the experiences of transgender people in seeking employment. To date, no scholarship has explored the experiences of immigrant Latinx transgender people seeking employment in the United States. Using an intersectionality framework, the present study aimed to uncover the experiences of immigrant Latinx transgender people as they sought employment in the United States. A community sample of 18 immigrant Latinx transgender people from a large metropolitan city in Florida engaged in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis revealed five themes related to participants’ experiences seeking employment, including: (1) discrimination, (2) limited options, (3) positive experiences, (4) momentary de-transition, and (5) disability benefits as financial relief. Future directions such as exploring ways in which immigrant Latinx transgender people resist discrimination while seeking job opportunities are discussed. Implications for practice and advocacy such as advocating for equitable employment policies that acknowledge the intersectional experiences of this community are presented.


1970 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonja Beeli-Zimmermann

Beliefs guide teachers’ actions in the classroom and thereby influence what students learn. While this insight has led to numerous studies, particularly in the area of mathematical beliefs, it has been neglected in the growing field of numeracy teaching and learning within adult education. This exploratory study presents five illustrative cases of Swiss adult education teachers and traces their experiences, both as students and teachers. Based on data mainly collected in semi-structured interviews, the author argues that this study supports existing evidence from mathematical belief research in other sectors of education, pointing to the relevance of practice-based experiences for the change of beliefs.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sa’adah Hassan ◽  
Novia Indriaty Admodisastro ◽  
Azrina Kamaruddin ◽  
Salmi Baharom ◽  
Noraini Che Pa

<p class="apa">Much attention is now given on producing quality graduates. Therefore, outcome-based education (OBE) in teaching and learning is now being implemented in Malaysia at all levels of education especially at higher education institutions. For implementing OBE, the design of curriculum and courses should be based on specified outcomes. Thus, the challenge for the assessment is that it should be capable of measuring whether intended outcomes have been achieved or not. Likely, by assisting lecturer in preparing examination paper that aligns with the specified outcomes is something that can help to ensure the implementation of OBE. Hence, this paper describes the development of a tool for generating question examination paper based on learning outcomes, called Learning Outcome-based Question Examination paper Tool (LoQET). LoQET is proposed for assisting lecturer in Universiti Putra Malaysia for preparing examination paper based on programme outcomes and learning outcomes set in the teaching plan and assessment entries.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-153
Author(s):  
Kari Sahan

Abstract As part of the trend toward internationalization of higher education, governments and universities have introduced policies to encourage the expansion of English-medium instruction (EMI). However, top-down policies do not necessarily translate to teaching and learning practices. This article provides a case study examining the implementation of undergraduate EMI engineering programs at a state university in Turkey to explore the gaps that exist between national- and institutional-level EMI policies and classroom-level practices. Data were collected through policy documents, classroom observations, semi-structured interviews with teachers, and focus group discussions with students. The findings suggest that the implementation of EMI varies across classrooms, even within the same university department. Despite policies that envision one-language-at-a-time instruction, the EMI lecturers in this study varied in terms of language preference and teaching practice in their EMI lectures. Implications are discussed with respect to policy planning, teacher training, and the expansion of EMI across university contexts.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 19-28
Author(s):  
Maria Antonietta Impedovo ◽  
Sufiana Khatoon Malik ◽  
Kinley Kinley

Abstract This article explores Pakistani and Bhutanese teacher educators’ digital competences about the use of social media, digital resources and professional online communities and implications of this on professional learning. The two countries, less discussed in international educational literature, are facing a growing use of the Internet in teaching and learning. Data include a survey completed by 67 teacher educators from Pakistan and 37 teachers from Bhutan, as well as semi-structured interviews from both countries. This study provides evidence of how teachers’ interaction on social networks and the use of digital resources play a central role in the introduction of innovative pedagogical practices of teacher educators, and teacher educators remain interested in knowledge sharing through social media for their professional learning.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Annette Levine

<p>This qualitative study explored how women in New Zealand experienced the process of intimate partner violence in relationships with men, which were characterised by bi-directional aggression. Using thematic analysis, semi-structured interviews with 11 women who experienced bi-directionally aggressive relationships were analysed and four themes were identified that encompassed 1) the foundations of bi-directional aggression; 2) the nature of bi-directional aggression within the relationship; 3) how the women were stuck in the relationship, and; 4) moving forward. The findings indicate how the vulnerabilities to bi-directional aggression can develop from early life and perpetuate and exacerbate over time in the context of the relationship dynamic. This highlights the need to implement preventive action to support adaptive self-regulation development in young people and families, provide education about bi-directional aggression and widespread access to support and treatment resources for all genders. Further implications and future directions for policy, research and practice regarding bi-directional aggression are discussed.</p>


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