Curriculum

Curriculum Information

The Assessment, Curriculum and Teaching Committee (ACTion Committee) manages curriculum development. It is supported by four Theme Committees, seven Block Committees, Years 3&4 Committee, Indigenous Teaching Committee and a Community Liaison Committee.

The ANU MBBS curriculum is drawn on experience and developmental lessons from other medical schools that have a Problem Based Learning (PBL) graduate format, in particular those of the University of Sydney and Flinders University.

The curriculum is delivered by a combination of problem-based learning and small group tutorials, lectures and one-to-one teaching, supervised clinical experiences, self-directed study and opportunities for individual research and projects. These elements combine to provide a student-centred learning environment that encourages active learning, analytical and critical thinking, and the acquisition of life-long learning skills. Consonant with the principles of adult learning, the program immerses students in the kinds of problems and settings they will encounter in their professional lives from the very beginning.

To promote the constructive alignment of the curriculum, the Medical School encourages and supports teaching academics in defining the aims and objectives of problem based learning cases. We also cultivate a genuine multi-disciplinary approach to the development and review of materials by assuring continuous communication between the Block and Theme Committees, and that all curriculum developments link with the overall educational objectives of the medical program.

A large portion of the Medical School course content is distributed online. The problem scenarios are supported by various web based materials and resources such as discussion boards, formative online assessment, links to web resources, interactive multimedia content and other downloadable content. In addition, communication technologies such as video conferencing and online lectures are also used to support students in regional placements who access the same content online.

Although students are expected to learn core knowledge and competencies, the curriculum design takes into account the fact that the field of medicine is constantly evolving and that future doctors will need to update their approach to medical information and practice throughout their careers.

The curriculum in Years 1 and 2 centres around PBL cases which demand creative and responsible learning. PBL cases follow a three tutorial format (each 1.5 hrs) with two opportunities per week for the group of students to identify learning issues of concern. Each individual then assume responsibility for meeting a different learning objective and provides feedback to the group at the start of the next session. There are also a number of other learning activities during the week (lectures, workshops and seminars) that enable students to identify their own learning goals and to increase their autonomy in contributing to their own intellectual development and that of their peers. The program uses face-to-face learning for subject areas that do not lend themselves well to textbook or independent learning.

At its heart the scientific method involves observation or description of a phenomenon, formulation of an hypothesis that may explain it, experimental testing of the hypothesis, and then rejection, acceptance or refinement of the hypothesis. One of the strengths of PBL is that at its core, it parallels this set of steps. It begins with a set of observations drawn from a teacher-provided scenario or sketch; students then develop explanations for that set of observations, refer to published material and results of clinical tests to refine to a 'most likely' explanation and ultimately reject, accept or modify their explanation as a basis for developing appropriate plans for patient management. We make this parallel between the scientific method and PBL explicit to our students.

Practicals vary in format from week to week but sessions may include data collection, analysis and interpretation, work on data sets supplied by staff as a means of fostering interpretation and analysis, and analysis of form and function of the human body.

Clinical skills are taught from year1- students visit clinical sites one day per week for hands on learning in communication, history taking, examination and clinical management skills. Students also work in large and small groups ian a supportive environment to fully develop their clinical capacity.