Medical Education Committee Minutes

To:

Members of Medical Education Committee

From:

David W. Nierenberg

Subject:

Minutes - Meeting held Tues., Dec. 17, 2002 - 4:00 -5:30 pm, 758 Borwell

Members Present:

Jim AuBuchon, Steve Andrews, Jim Bell, Todd Burdett, Si France, Don Kollisch, Martha McDaniel, Gene Nattie, Dave Nierenberg, Deb Peltier, Kristen Redborg, Ginny Reed, and Eric Shirley = 13

Members Absent:

Stephanie Ajudua, Katherine Bardzik, Patty Carney, Duane Compton, Seth Crockett, Leslie Fall, Bill Garrity, Dale Gephart, Ryan Knapp, Petra Lewis, and Will Nugent = 11

Guests:

(none) = 0

A. Discussion of Year 1 Issues (Based on Suggestion in Witters Report) Continued from November meeting

I. Reading Journal Articles (final discussion):

  • a. Dave read a draft of a letter strongly encouraging Course Directors to incorporate journal reading in courses during Years 1 and 2;
  • b. Discussion ensued;
  • c. Dave put question on the floor - how to proceed with the journal letter;
  • d. Ginny Reed suggested the membership should approve the letter as is, but not send it out till April;
  • e. Dave agreed.

II. Quizzes and Related Issues:

  • a. Dave Nierenberg presented the following advantages and disadvantages of the current Year 1 quiz system and opened the floor for discussion:
  • ADVANTAGES:
    • Lessens pressure on midterms and finals
    • Allows up to 50% of final grade to be determined before final exam
    • Allows students and faculty to assess students' progress at multiple points in time
    • Tests manageable units of knowledge
    • Still allows for cumulative final exam if desired
    • Allows early triage to tutoring, evaluation, counseling, etc.
    • May reduce overall academic stress during term, and encourage cooperative learning
    • Gives equal weight (about 30 min) to each of four courses
    • Ability to drop lowest score helps with "having one bad day"
    • Ability to shift from q2 weeks to q3-4 weeks in January if desired
    • Good preparation for Year 2, without quizzes for credit, but with non-credit quizzes for self-evaluation, and terms/courses averaging about 7 weeks long (range 5-9)
  • DISADVANTAGES:
    • Every other weekend preoccupied
    • Breaks semester up into 2-week chunks
    • May discourage overview of each course
    • May encourage over-reliance on MCQ formats
    • May increase overall academic stress during term
    • Shifts schedules on quiz Mondays
    • May lead to "cramming style" of learning
  • b. Other related issues were discussed:
    • 1. Could quizzes be administered on a web-site? Would internet quizzes still be considered 70% of grade?
    • 2. Could non-graded quizzes be considered as an alternative that would allow students and instructors to gauge progress without the stress of grades?
    • 3. Could the frequency of quizzes (every three weeks as opposed to every two weeks) be varied?
    • 4. Would students benefit from the fragmentation of the learning that quizzes promote?
    • 5. Could quizzes be pass/fail?
    • 6. Is Year 1 more important for information gathering or learning critical thinking?
    • 7. Could the quizzes be kept as is but the honors system dropped?
    • 8. How can DMS follow the guidelines of AAMC without making the coursework more competitive?
  • c. Student MEC members will submit questions for a survey of Years 2, 3, and 4 students to determine their feelings on quiz issues. The questions will be turned in to Joyce Wagner and Dave Nierenberg before the next MEC meeting.

III. Methods for Assessment of Competencies on Exams:

(Discussion tabled for January meeting)

Agenda for next MEC meeting on Jan. 21, 2003, 4 to 5:30 pm, Cook Auditorium (note change):

Year 1 issues (cont'd):

  • 1. Quizzes and related issues (cont'd); and
  • 2. Methods for assessment of competencies on exams.

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