Curriculum Information Systems as Planning Tools in Reform
Paolo Petta, Patrick Merl, Christian Holzbaur, Robert
Trappl, Richard Marz
Inst. of Medical Cybernetics and Artificial Intelligence and Inst. of Medical Chemistry,
Univ. of Vienna Medical School, Vienna, Austria
ABSTRACT:
The reform of a curriculum presents both faculty planning committees and the administration with the challenge to digest tremendous amounts of data generated in the course of the process.
The University of Vienna Medical School is currently reforming its curriculum from being strictly subject based to one with an integrative approach. A profile of student competencies serves as a focus to define the necessary components of the new curriculum (top-down planning).
One apparent challenge when making such a change is the fact that the faculty structure remains department based. In the past it has not been necessary for faculty members to discuss and coordinate their teaching beyond their well protected departmental boundaries. But the nature of our reform necessitates individuals to view and grasp the curriculum in its entirety. This can only succeed if the dire need for coordination and orientation among the different interest groups is met.
In response our school has mandated the design of an information system to fill the needs of exchange and coordination in the reform process. Since reform will be ongoing the system will be used both during the initial planning stages and after the curriculum has been launched.
Our curriculum information system goes beyond mere representation of curriculum content. The presentation will discuss how it actually serves the planning process.
1. It aids the decision making process which content should
be included in the core curriculum. Here a list of common symptoms and diseases that a
student should be able to handle competently upon graduation serves as a guideline.
2. It contains information on content, didactic methods, learning resources, and
responsibilities.
3. It provides orientation for planning groups responsible for previous and subsequent
stages of the curriculum; for instance it can be used to identify information on overlaps,
duplications, and omissions. In conclusion we provide a short demonstration of the system.
BENEFIT TO PARTICIPANTS ATTENDING SESSION:
Computers can do more in health-care education than to provide a learning environment. This presentation shows how a computer-based information system serves as a tool in the curriculum planning process. It is our hope that attendants will be motivated to consider their own contributions to medical education in the broader context of the overall goals of a curriculum.
Paolo Petta
Inst. of Medical Cybernetics and Artificial Intelligence, Univ. of Vienna
Medical School
Freyung 6
A-1010 Vienna
Austria
Phone: 0043-1-533611212
Fax: 0043-1-533611277
Email: paolo@ai.univie.ac.at
Website: http://www.ai.univie.ac.at
CO-AUTHORS:
Patrick Merl, Christian Holzbauer, Robert Trappl, Richard
Marz
Richard Marz & Patrick Merl:
Inst, of Medical Chemistry, Univ. of Vienna Medical School
Waehringerstr. 10
A-1090 Vienna
Austria
Christian Holzbauer & Robert Trappl:
same as Paolo Petta
Phone: RM & PM: 0043-1-4277-60870
CH & RT: 0043-1-4277-63112
Fax: RM & PM: 0043-1-4277-60887
CH & RT: 0043-1-4277-9631
Email: PM: pam@nextra.at
RM: richard.maerz@univie.ac.at
RT: robert@ai.univie.ac.at
CH: christian.holzbaur@univie.ac.at