a doctoral curriculum in transition shoumita dasgupta, ph.d. a case study of boston university’s...
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A Doctoral Curriculum in Transition
Shoumita Dasgupta, Ph.D.
A Case Study of Boston University’s Graduate Medical Sciences Curriculum Reform
Prospective students
Anatomyand
NeurobiologyBiochemistry
Biophysics Oral BiologyPathology
PharmacologyMicrobiology Physiology
DEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
Prospective students
Anatomyand
NeurobiologyBiochemistry
Biophysics Oral BiologyPathology
PharmacologyMicrobiology Physiology
DEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
INTERDEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
BehavioralNeuroscience
BiomedicalNeuroscience
Cell andMolecular
Biology
ImmunologyTrainingProgram
MedicalNutritionSciences
MolecularMedicine
Geneticsand
Genomics
Curricular overlap: Biochemistry
Anatomyand
Neurobiology
Biochemistry
Biophysics Oral Biology
Pathology
Pharmacology
Microbiology Physiology
DEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
INTERDEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
BehavioralNeuroscience
BiomedicalNeuroscience
Cell andMolecular
Biology
ImmunologyTrainingProgram
MedicalNutritionSciences
MolecularMedicine
Geneticsand
Genomics
Curricular overlap: Cell Biology
Anatomyand
Neurobiology
Biochemistry
Biophysics Oral Biology
Pathology
Pharmacology
Microbiology Physiology
DEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
INTERDEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
BehavioralNeuroscience
BiomedicalNeuroscience
Cell andMolecular
Biology
ImmunologyTrainingProgram
MedicalNutritionSciences
MolecularMedicine
Geneticsand
Genomics
Curricular overlap: Molecular Biology
Anatomyand
Neurobiology
Biochemistry
Biophysics Oral Biology
Pathology
Pharmacology
Microbiology Physiology
DEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
INTERDEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
BehavioralNeuroscience
BiomedicalNeuroscience
Cell andMolecular
Biology
ImmunologyTrainingProgram
MedicalNutritionSciences
MolecularMedicine
Geneticsand
Genomics
Curricular overlap: Genetics and Genomics
Anatomyand
Neurobiology
Biochemistry
Biophysics Oral Biology
Pathology
Pharmacology
Microbiology Physiology
DEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
INTERDEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
BehavioralNeuroscience
BiomedicalNeuroscience
Cell andMolecular
Biology
ImmunologyTrainingProgram
MedicalNutritionSciences
MolecularMedicine
Geneticsand
Genomics
Leading Change1. Create urgency.• Document students choosing
other graduate schools based on presence of integrated curriculum.
• Identify areas of curricular redundancy.
Kotter, Harvard Business School, Our Iceberg is Melting
Leading Change1. Create urgency.2. Form a powerful coalition.
Kotter, Harvard Business School, Our Iceberg is Melting
Stakeholders from programs affected by curricular overlap
Anatomyand
Neurobiology
Biochemistry
Biophysics Oral Biology
Pathology
Pharmacology
Microbiology Physiology
DEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
INTERDEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
BehavioralNeuroscience
BiomedicalNeuroscience
Cell andMolecular
Biology
ImmunologyTrainingProgram
MedicalNutritionSciences
MolecularMedicine
Geneticsand
Genomics
Leading Change1. Create urgency.2. Form a powerful coalition.3. Create a vision for change.• Charge Integrated Curriculum
Committee to determine core values for curricular reform.
Kotter, Harvard Business School, Our Iceberg is Melting
Leading Change1. Create urgency.2. Form a powerful coalition.3. Create a vision for change.4. Communicate the vision.• Reach out to key stakeholders
(e.g. Departmental chairs & Program directors) individually.
• Create opportunities to share the curriculum vision publically through retreats, faculty meetings, and web sites.
Kotter, Harvard Business School, Our Iceberg is Melting
Leading Change1. Create urgency.2. Form a powerful coalition.3. Create a vision for change.4. Communicate the vision.5. Remove obstacles.• Open dialog to help stakeholders
embrace change.
Kotter, Harvard Business School, Our Iceberg is Melting
Leading Change1. Create urgency.2. Form a powerful coalition.3. Create a vision for change.4. Communicate the vision.5. Remove obstacles.6. Create short term wins.• Recognition for incremental
achievements such as creation of curriculum outline, identification of module directors, completion of first year, etc.
Kotter, Harvard Business School, Our Iceberg is Melting
Leading Change1. Create urgency.2. Form a powerful coalition.3. Create a vision for change.4. Communicate the vision.5. Remove obstacles.6. Create short term wins.7. Build on the change.• Empower module directors to
begin detailed course design.
Kotter, Harvard Business School, Our Iceberg is Melting
Leading Change
Kotter, Harvard Business School, Our Iceberg is Melting
1. Create urgency.2. Form a powerful coalition.3. Create a vision for change.4. Communicate the vision.5. Remove obstacles.6. Create short term wins.7. Build on the change.8. Anchor the changes in
institutional culture.• Move to formally approve
courses.• Create curriculum oversight
body in FiBS Steering Committee• Implement standard student and
peer course eval processes.
Foundations in Biomedical Sciences:Why should we move to an integrated curriculum?
• Encourage students to think in a rigorous and interdisciplinary fashion
• Coordinate content across courses and programs• Reduce redundancy in course content• Decrease lecture hours• Promote collegiality among participating doctoral students• Compete with peer institutions to recruit prospective students
Foundations in Biomedical Sciences:Key features of the integrated curriculum
• A critical thinking component is integrated into each module. (e.g. paper discussions, problem-solving sessions, bioinformatics workshops, etc)
• Critical thinking activities are carried out in small (6-8 members + 1 facilitator) break-out groups
• Each module has a separate course number, exam(s), and grade.• Each module has a course director who sits on a curriculum
steering committee with the other module course directors.
Module I:Protein
Structure, Catalysis, and Interactions
Module II: Structure and
Function of the Genome
Module III: Architecture and Dynamics of the
Cell
Module IV: Mechanisms of
Cell Communication
Foundations in Biomedical Sciences: A Core Curriculum for GMS Doctoral Students
Program-specific course(s): 4-6 credits Program-specific course(s): 4-8 credits
2 credits 2 credits 2 credits 2 credits 2-4 credits
• Translational Genetics and
Genomics• Molecular
Metabolism• Physiology of Specialized Cells
Optional electives:
Fall Semester Spring Semester
Foundations in Biomedical Sciences:Key features of the integrated curriculum
• Students are able to take program-specific courses beginning with their first semester of study.
• A grant writing course is being piloted for the second year of doctoral study.
• Formalized, anonymous course evaluations are standard practice for all modules
• This structure provides more opportunities for students to teach• Individual programs can choose to opt into this curriculum
Foundations in Biomedical Sciences:Feedback from the first implementation
• “Overall I really enjoyed the course. It caused us to work really hard and forced us to apply the information presented to us to different problems that we were given. It was challenging, yes, but I feel as though I have learned a lot from it and I hope this class continues for years to come.”
• “Comparing this module to last year's course, I think this is a huge improvement. It was very well-organized, the lectures flowed together very smoothly, and the lecturers themselves were excellent at teaching their subjects…Thank you to all of the professors and the course directors for an excellent job.”
Foundations in Biomedical Sciences:Feedback from the first implementation
• “I thoroughly enjoyed both the pace and format of this module, especially using last year’s curriculum as a reference point.”
• “I'd like to stress that I enjoyed each module, I thought each was well run and was successful in giving first year students a vital knowledge base that truly is interdisciplinary.”
• “I'd like to thank every faculty member and TA associated with this course. It has made me think in a different way when approaching my work at the bench, and is making me a more complete researcher.”
Prospective students
Anatomyand
NeurobiologyBiochemistry
Biophysics Oral BiologyPathology
PharmacologyMicrobiology Physiology
DEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
Program in Biomedical Sciences Students
Labs
INTERDEPARTMENTAL PROGRAMS
BehavioralNeuroscience
BiomedicalNeuroscience
Cell andMolecular
Biology
ImmunologyTrainingProgram
MedicalNutritionSciences
MolecularMedicine
Geneticsand
Genomics