Integrated Learning Objectives: David Juergens, M.B.A. Coordinator for Instructional Design, Assessment, and Educational Technology Oklahoma State University - Center for Health Sciences

Integrated Learning Objectives: Identify integrated learning objectives. Differentiate between horizontal and vertical integration. Develop integrated learning objectives.

Integrated Learning Integrated Curriculum is a term that is growing in usage in higher education, particularly in medical schools. Interdisciplinary Curriculum a curriculum which cuts across subject-matter to focus upon comprehensive life problems or broad based areas of study that brings together the various segments of the curriculum into meaningful association" (Good 1973)

What is Integrated Learning? Integrated Learning is a process in which lessons and activities are designed to integrate with others to encourage students to realize the interconnections and relationships between curriculum areas.

What is Integrated Learning? Integrated Learning is intended to connect skills and knowledge from: multiple sources and experiences. practice in various settings. utilizing diverse (even contradictory points of view). understanding issues and positions contextually. making connections within a major, between disciplines, between curriculum, or between academic knowledge and practice.

What is Integrated Learning? It may also be looked at as a framework and list of objectives that unify all academic departments. However: it is still an evolving educational philosophy.

Developing Integrated Learning Objectives Within an Integrated Curriculum We want to make sure when developing Learning Objectives that they align with: The integrated content within the course AND The integrated content within the school’s curriculum This includes integration of the curriculum’s history and base of knowledge, supported by medical education organizations and accrediting bodies.

Developing Integrated Learning Objectives Within an Integrated Curriculum A significant goal of integration: break down barriers between the basic and clinical sciences that are in place only as a result of traditional curricular structure.

Promoting Integrated Learning Objectives Within the Curriculum Today we will promote the development of Integrated Learning Objectives with the following in mind: CHS-COM’s curriculum movement in medical education the institution’s Mission the institution’s Program Goals the institution’s Objectives

Questions?

Horizontal and Vertical Integration Horizontal integration: demonstrated through the combination of the pre-clinical basic science disciplines into units. The organization of material across disciplines over a finite time – not throughout the entire curriculum. Horizontal alignment is the degree to which an assessment matches the corresponding content standards for a subject area at a particular grade level (Porter, 2002; Webb, 1997a; Webb, 1997b) * Assessments must match the breadth and depth of the standards to be considered strongly aligned.

Horizontal and Vertical Integration Vertical integration: Traditionally, basic science education precedes clinical education, with a distinct separation of the two. Wijnen-Meijer et al (2010) outlines a progressive introduction to clinical practice while maintaining a persistent basic science component throughout all years of a curriculum.

Knowledge and Practice Coherence Developing Coherence: Students succeed by developing higher-order skills (critical thinking, written and oral communications, problem solving) when such skills are reinforced throughout their educational program.” Key learning opportunities (core competencies) should be structured early in the curriculum. Key learning is then reinforced with further and more complex skills as they are added throughout the curriculum.

Knowledge and Practice Synthesis Synthesized Learning. Students learn best when the knowledge they have obtained is synthesized with additional skills obtained in a different context (an additional problem or in a different setting). The practice of learned skills should be ongoing. Unpracticed skills leads to atrophy. Classroom learning must be reinforced by additional opportunities for the student to further apply knowledge.

Let’s Practice You already know your lecture goals and have likely thought hard about the objectives you have written (or plan to write). Write an integrated learning objective you want your students to accomplish by the end of the first lecture. This is the first time they have ever been exposed to the material you are about to present.

Let’s Practice Your have a lecture mid-way through the course. The lecture following yours (next hour) is in another discipline but the subject is closely aligned with yours (thinking Pathology-Physiology, as an example). How would you go about writing a learning objective that leads to the following lecture?

Let’s Practice With the OSU-CHS Program and Institutional Objectives in mind: It’s near the end of the course. Based on the core competency LO you wrote for lecture 1, and now with students having had further material presented to them, write another learning objective that you want to ensure they understand before moving onto the next course.

Questions?

REFERENCES: “Vertical integration in medical school: effect on the transition to postgraduate training.” Wijnen-Meijer M, ten Cate OT, van der Schaaf M, Borleffs JC., Med Educ Mar;44(3) “Issues Related to Judging the Alignment of Curriculum Standards and Assessments, Norman L. Webb, APPLIED MEASUREMENT IN EDUCATION, 20(1), 7–25 (2007) “The integrated curriculum in medical education: AMEE Guide No. 96 DAVID G. BRAUER1 & KRISTI J. FERGUSON2 Lessons learned about integrating a medical school curriculum: perceptions of students, faculty and curriculum leaders, Muller JH, Jain S, Loeser H, Irby DM., Med Educ Aug;42(8): INFORMATIVE, EASY TO UNDERSTAND WEBSITE: Tulane University Student Learning Outcomes