Integrated curriculum and the change process in undergraduate medical education.

Introduction: This study is aimed at explaining the change process followed for the implementation of the new curriculum at Avalon University School of Medicine and its evaluation.

Background: Self-evaluation at Avalon University School of Medicine identified the need for a change in the curriculum. The main reasons for the change are isolated disciplines and overcrowded curriculum leading to less self-study time for students. The new curriculum is aimed to have an integrated curriculum and to avoid redundancies. The new curriculum is designed, implemented, and evaluation of the same is in place. Evaluation methods and materials: After implementation, quantitative (results from exams) and semi-quantitative (self-administered questionnaire) evaluation methods are being used to evaluate the new curriculum. Feedback is also taken by having discussions with teachers and students to find out what they like and where modifications are needed. In this article, we are presenting the results of course evaluations (semi-quantitative methods) for two courses. The course evaluations were taken from the sample class size of 30 students.

Results And Discussion: The course evaluations demonstrated an improvement. The main reason for the improvement is due to collaborative efforts of the faculty members from different disciplines in teaching, assessments, and providing feedback to the students.

Conclusions: The well-approached change process is required for the successful implementation of the new curriculum. The idea of ownership among all stakeholders is required for a well-managed change process.