The Sheffield approach to developing a curriculum map

Dr. Patsy StarkSenior Lecturer in Medical Education

Mr. Ash SelfE-learning Developer

Educational perspectives

• New curriculum rolling out since Sept 2003– Integrated, system based, orientated to 92

core clinical problems, delivered using a hybrid approach

• Original map used to illustrate the structure of the new curriculum

Educational perspectives

• Identification of the need for a more detailed curriculum map– To help students– To help teachers– To help course planners– Impending external review

• Transparency

Developing the map

• Minerva– University of Sheffield’s Medical School's

Managed Learning Environment

Developing the map

• Core problems listed in lecture outlines– e.g. Ischaemia and Infarction relates to:

2. Bleeding; 6. Fever; 13. Trauma/injuries; 16. Loss of consciousness/coma; 45. Cardiac arrest/sudden death; 46. Chest pain etc…

Developing the map

• End user context / perspective– Student– Teaching staff– Curriculum planner

• Search tools– Bespoke– Google Mini

Technical Platform

• ZOPE– Open-source– Flexible– Software development educationally led

• Other technologies– MySQL– PHP– PERL– Python

Staffing

• Two full time developers work closely with academic staff to ensure

that the medical school’s teaching, learning, evaluation and assessment strategies are successfully translated into technical specifications for web development, via an iterative process of planning, acting, observing and reflecting.

Contact

• Dr. Patsy Stark Senior Lecturer in Medical Education p.stark@sheffield.ac.uk

• Mr. Ash Self E-learning Developer a.self@sheffield.ac.uk