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Managing the Curriculum and Managing Change

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International Handbook of Research in Medical Education

Part of the book series: Springer International Handbooks of Education ((SIHE,volume 7))

Summary

In this chapter we explore the contentious issues related to governance of the medical school curriculum. Within the United States, over more than 50 years, various commissions have issued recommendations regarding curricular governance, while others have attempted to clarify various aspects of curriculum management, including defined roles of students, faculty, and school administrators. We draw heavily from these documents. We also examine the significant external influence that accrediting bodies have exerted on medical school curricular governance structures. We document the methods for, and the importance of selecting faculty leaders for educational management roles and the necessity of rewards for faculty participating in curricular oversight. The chapter concludes with a synthesis and set of recommendations regarding the principles of curricular governance that are most likely to lead to efficient and effective leadership of the educational program for the M.D. degree.

As with any review of this type, we issue several caveats. Our review of the literature on curriculum governance revealed that most of the information in this area comes from medical schools within the United States and Canada; thus, the chapter has a distinctly “North American bias”. Although some if not all of the to other settings, this cannot be observations and principles may be applied assured. Also, even within the medical schools in the United States and Canada, there are vast differences in history, culture, organization and priorities. These differences limit the generalizability of any review of this type. Finally, although it has been recommended on several occasions that, as a part of medical education governance, the medical school should control graduate medical education, this chapter addresses only undergraduate medical education.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Michigan Medical School, USA

    Wayne K. Davis & Casey B. White

Authors
  1. Wayne K. Davis
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  2. Casey B. White
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. McMaster University, Canada

    Geoff R. Norman

  2. University of Maastricht, The Netherlands

    Cees P. M. van der Vleuten  & Diana H. J. M. Dolmans  & 

  3. University of Sheffield, UK

    David I. Newble

  4. Dalhousie University, Canada

    Karen V. Mann

  5. University of Toronto, Canada

    Arthur Rothman

  6. CurryCorp, Canada

    Lynn Curry

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© 2002 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Davis, W.K., White, C.B. (2002). Managing the Curriculum and Managing Change. In: Norman, G.R., et al. International Handbook of Research in Medical Education. Springer International Handbooks of Education, vol 7. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-0462-6_34

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-0462-6_34

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-3904-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-010-0462-6

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