Curriculum Planning 
Overview

The Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM) Faculty Bylaws (02/20/07) charge the Curriculum and Instruction Committee (CIC) of the faculty with responsibility for the planning, evaluation, and management of the curriculum for the educational program leading to the M.D. degree.

The CIC membership consists 21 faculty and students with a total of 19 votes: of 3 clinical faculty members, 3 basic science faculty members, 1 community medicine faculty member, 1 library faculty member, 2 community-based faculty members, the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, six program directors and assistant directors, and four medical students. (The four medical students share 2 votes.) The CIC meets on a schedule determined by the committee chair, but no less often than monthly. The CIC meetings are open to faculty and students.

Dr Robert S. Donner from the pathology department is the current chairman of the CIC.

The CIC has established Ten Principles of the Curriculum to guide the development, management, and assessment of the curriculum at  MUSM. These principles directly support the mission of the school.  The principles are also linked to the goals of each of the 5 programs that comprise the curriculum, which in turn are linked to the goals of individual courses, which are then linked to course learning objectives. Using this model, the Principles of the Curriculum are used to define the structure of the curriculum.

The content of the curriculum is defined by the Institutional Competencies which the students are expected to achieve during the four years of medical school. Course objectives and evaluations are mapped directly to the Institutional Competencies, which are mapped to the Principles of the Curriculum.

 Figure 1 - Curriculum Model
  Download Printable Model

It is not expected that each course will include teaching and evaluation in all, or even most, of these institutional competencies. The learning objectives for each course have been mapped to these competencies. The CIC has determined where each competency will be addressed in the curriculum. Thus, by ensuring that the learning objectives for each course are met, the school is assured that each graduate has achieved the institutional competencies.

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