2016-17 Department: UCL Medical School Faculty: Medical Sciences CONNECTED CURRICULUM
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UCL QUALITY REVIEW FRAMEWORK - ANNEX 6.1.3: ASER DEVELOPMENT & ENHANCEMENT PLAN Academic Session: 2016-17 Department: UCL Medical School Faculty: Medical Sciences CONNECTED CURRICULUM Last session, Departments were invited to discuss how they intended to begin their preliminary assessment of their taught provision by benchmarking each programme against the grid in the Connected Curriculum Enhancement Guide. Programmes were asked to evaluate and clearly state where the programme or cluster of similar programmes was benchmarked in relation to each dimension of the Connected Curriculum. In this section, Departments are asked to indicate the extent to which their programme(s) reflect each of the six dimensions, to highlight notable examples of good practice, and (in the Development and Enhancement plan below) to list up to six actions that the department/programme team will now take to enhance the programme(s) over the next two to three years. Departments will then be asked to review progress in relation to these actions in the Autumn 2019 ASER. The broad evaluation of the programme(s) as ‘Beginning’, ‘Developing’, ‘Developed’ or ‘Outstanding’ for each dimension will enable the Department/Programme Leader to track progress in relation to all six dimensions over time. It is intended to be a broadly agreed description of current practice in the programme(s) as a whole. General guidance on interpreting these terms is found on p6-7 of the Connected Curriculum online guide: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/teaching-learning/sites/teaching-learning/files/connected_curriculum_brochure_21_june_2017.pdf Departments may also find the ‘Twenty Questions’ on p10 helpful. If you have a large number of UG programmes in your department, a suggested approach is to use this form to provide a departmental summary of your programmes and then to identify those particular programmes which are excelling or which need more development by completing a form with a summary for each programme (or cluster of very similar programmes). Those departments with very few UG programmes may wish to complete a form for each programme. Departments who require additional guidance on completing their forms are asked to contact [email protected] Following the submission of your ASER, a colleague from the Arena Centre will get in touch to help you both with linking your provision to the NSS and to tie this into preparation for the subject-level Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF). For action planning in relation to the Connected Curriculum discussions, please also see ‘Development and Enhancement Plan’ below. 1 Name of MBBS undergraduate programme (or cluster of programmes) Who led the Programme Lead and Programme Manager co-led the discussion. A meeting was held with the MBBS QA unit to discussions, and develop the first draft. how (if at all) were The draft document was discussed: with the student president and at a meeting of the MBBS Executive. students The draft document and final version were shared with a small number of senior student representatives. involved? The action plan will be discussed at the SSCCs later in the term. The timing of this annual request for information and the way it needs to be approved at a Faculty level committee means we are repeatedly unable to review this submission at the SSCCs. We think SSCC discussion is best practice in a university that values the student voice: indeed SSCC approval is probably more important that the Faculty process for such a document. We would recommend that, going forward, the UCL QA team consider the timing of the ASER and the ability to get meaningful student input into this document. Beginning, Brief summary of discussion Please indicate examples of good practice Developing, (which the department is willing to share across Developed or UCL; the Arena Centre will contact you during Outstanding? 2017-2018 for further information) 1 Students Developed UCL Medical School (UCLMS) is proud of, and The introductory lecture for Year 1 has a connect with celebrates, the research-led nature of its MBBS strong focus on research milieu, researcher researchers and course. teachers, opportunities to develop as a with the researcher as well as a doctor and the institution’s The MBBS is a commissioned programme with research-informed nature of the curriculum. research contributions from across SLMS. The programme https://moodle.ucl.ac.uk/mod/lti/view.php?id=3 involves participation from active researchers (in 054975 basic and fundamental science as well as clinical This sets the scene for the nature of the academics) from across SLMS and our partner NHS programme from day 1. Trusts. The curriculum, including the integrated BSc options, is informed by SLMS, FMS, and UCLPartners’ research strategies. With the exception of graduates, all students pursue an integrated BSc in Year 3 of the MBBS, supervised by researchers from across SLMS (20 programmes). 2 2 A throughline of Outstanding The MBBS at UCL aims to encourage students to 2017/18 sees the introduction of a new SSC, in research activity pursue clinical academic careers. It therefore has conjunction with the Francis Crick Institute, is built into each research built in through two core structures: whereby first year medical students will have programme the iBSc; and the opportunity to shadow, learn from and be the ‘Use of Evidence’ vertical module. mentored by a post-doc at the Francis Crick Institute. These researchers will be working at It also has research opportunities available as part of the cutting edge of clinical research. The post- the choice curriculum for those who are particularly docs will be developing their skills as teachers, interested in research: will have this activity counted as teaching the student selected components (SSCs) in Years activity and will be encouraged to apply for 1, 2 and 6; Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education the elective programme; and Academy. the MBPhD programme. The iBSc involves one year of in-depth scientific study, where MBBS students join the 3rd year of an existing biomedical or physical science programme or a tailor-made standalone iBSc programme. They complete a 30-credit independent research project during this year. The ‘Use of Evidence’ vertical module runs through all years of the programme and involves three strands: finding the evidence, evaluating the evidence and applying evidence to practice. SSCs are available in a wide range of research areas, with 2 x 4 week study periods in Year 6 with projects. Students are able to conduct clinically relevant research projects during 50% of their elective period and are encouraged to do so with the support of bursaries and established relationships with elective hosts. Approximately 10 students per cohort join the MBPhD programme to intercalate a PhD into their MBBS programme. Outside of the MBPhD programme, 3 UCLMS also supports students who have particular research interests to take intercalated MScs or PhDs through interruptions of study to the MBBS course. 3 Students make Outstanding The MBBS programme at UCL is integrated: with 1. Each integrated module in Year 1 finishes connections modules devoted to body systems (e.g. infection and with a Consolidation, Integration and across subjects defence and circulation and breathing) or areas of Feedback week, which uses a and out to the practice (e.g. use of medicines and social multidisciplinary faculty and practising world determinants of health) rather that subjects or clinicians to draw together learning in the disciplines. The vertical modules, by interdigitating module. with all modules in all years and linking learning to 2. Each Year 4-6 module begins with a core practice, assist with this linkage between subjects, teaching week, which uses a learning activities and eventual practice as a doctor. multidisciplinary faculty and practising The integrated nature of all assessments maintains clinicians to identify learning central to all this focus on interdisciplinarity. activities in the module. 3. The patient pathways (integrated and The final year is devoted to ‘thinking like a doctor, community care, cardiometabolic care, acting like a doctor’: it involves revision, review, and cancer and person-centred care) focus on integration of prior learning and applying this to the the interface of what students are learning world of work rather than new learning. The ‘world’ in and patients in context. They draw in medical terms primarily concerns patients and the medical, social, personal and political health service, but also policy and the political arena. factors that impact on care. 4. A number of the SSCs, e.g. languages, are The MBBS is a vocational programme with extensive run through other departments at UCL, use of workplace placements and practitioner which creates links with other subject teachers. Many SSCs encourage advocacy and areas. application of learning to the outside world including 5. All non graduate entrants take an iBSc, the NHS, local schools and the public: e.g. Saving choosing from an extensive range of Londoners Lives: research intensive programmes which are http://www.savinglondonerslives.org.uk/medical_stud provided by SLMS and other faculties, ents_involved thereby creating interdisciplinary links with Sexpression: faculty elsewhere in the university. The http://studentsunionucl.org/volunteering/projects/sexp programmes blend medical science with ression-ucl such diverse areas as social and historical Open Minds: http://www.ukopenminds.org/course/ sciences, biomedical engineering and history and philosophy of science and The elective in year 6 is preceded by a ‘country study’ medicine. that encourages students to consider the medical, 4 social, cultural and political context of their elective overseas. Outside of the programme, students are encouraged to take part in extra curricula activities in the NHS and political sphere. For example, Be the Change: a quality improvement initiative in the NHS http://btc- ucl.com/ MedSin: an advocacy group http://www.uclmedsin.co.uk/blog 4 Students Outstanding The MBBS is a vocational programme with extensive connect academic use of placements in workplaces and practitioner learning with teachers.